Honeymoon for Three

Successful author Kenneth Bixby (George Brent) is on a book tour with his wisecracking secretary Anne Rogers (Ann Sheridan). She insists that they get married sooner or sooner. He keeps getting notes and flowers from Miriam which is the title of his book. He is hounded by his many fans and acquaintances which leads to some sitcom ideas.

This starts out fine with a fun Ann Sheridan and a stiff George Brent. I can see some dagger dialogue from her being thrown at him. She's the best. He's less. Once all the other characters enter, she has less space to work. This is a bit of screwball fun. It's a passable comedy.

Slim comedy that boasts terrific comic performances by stars Sheridan and Brent as bickering secretary/boss who confront a hoard of adoring women fans who flock to see their favorite author (Brent). Good support from old reliables like Charlie Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Lee Patrick, and Jane Wyman in a small part. The stars are definitely better than their material here, but the film has a lot of funny lines and cute confrontations. Ann Sheridan--one of the most underrated actresses of her time--is especially gorgeous!

Perhaps with a brighter script they would have managed not to look so silly, but GEORGE BRENT and ANN SHERIDAN can't redeem HONEYMOON FOR THREE no matter how hard they try. The script puts them through impossible to believe situations, the main one being why Brent (with an eye for the gals) bats his eyes at anyone else when Ann Sheridan is around. Sheridan is at her absolute physical peak and manages to deliver some sassy lines with her usual pep and appeal.

But nothing really helps, not even though the script is by Julius J. Epstein who has done some wonderful work at Warner Bros. elsewhere. And even a good supporting cast tries gamely to make the thing work, with a few chuckles at most as reward for their hard work--people like CHARLIE RUGGLES, JANE WYMAN, OSA MASSEN, WALTER CATLETT and WILLIAM T. ORR.

Brent at least shows more animation than usual in a comedy role. He and Sheridan married a couple of years later, so there should have been more chemistry between them for this feeble screwball comedy that has Sheridan as his neglected secretary who has to cope with his roving eye on one too many occasions. A highlight of the film is a dinner scene in a restaurant, but, alas, the trouble with the film is that the sum is a lot less than a few stray scenes.

Summing up: Strains too hard but misses by a wide margin.

Ann Sheridan and George Brent! Co-stars Charles Ruggles and Jane Wyman. Ken Bixby (Brent) ends up at a restaurant with his "date", and then his family and friends show up, so he must shuttle back and forth between the two tables, making for some slapstick humor. Ruggles is Wilson, here for comic effect. It's all like an episode of Three's Company. some funny bits... the confused waiter, the lady who names her children after writers, causing much confusion ! it's all silly, light, and fluffy. fast talking, lawyers, divorce, JUST before WW II. it all comes together right at the end. similar to Much Ado about Nothing! directed by Lloyd Bacon... he also directed the awesome Wonder Bar and 42nd Street. and made a couple great films with Lucy too!

An interesting cast tries to keep this comedy afloat and on course, but the story is riddled with inconsistencies and irrelevancies. The plot is preposterous.

Author Kenneth Bixby (George Brent) has just become engaged to his secretary Anne Rogers (Ann Sheridan), when a former flame shows up. He does not even remember her at first, but for some reason he seems determined to sneak off with the nutty woman, even after discovering she is married. Then the slighted husband shows up and a flock of attorneys starts hovering, looking for lucrative lawsuits.

Brent plays it for screwball, as do most of the cast. Sheridan, though, is pragmatic, sarcastic, and sophisticated. She holds the entire production together. This beauty's career was too short and underappreciated. Without Ann Sheridan, this film would have been a noisy, noxious mess. As it is, it deserves watching; just don't expect "The Philadelphia Story". Besides, this story takes place in Cleveland.