An Innocent Affair

Frankly, I was surprised to learn that the two stars of this obscure but engaging comedy – Fred MacMurray and Madeleine Carroll – had starred in four previous films together (all of which are, for that matter, even less well-known than this one and, curiously enough, directed by the same – here it comes again – little known director!). In fact, this was not only Carroll's fifth and final teaming with MacMurray but also her penultimate film; that said, the two stars display a nice chemistry throughout.

The plot itself recalls to a certain degree the classic THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937), where a married couple starts divorce proceedings (and new affairs) but then decide they're best suited for each other at the end. MacMurray is an advertising executive (a lot of comedies from this era were set in this milieu) and Carroll his somewhat neglected wife – he says that his constant delays at work involve business meetings, but she suspects the presence of another woman (being the type of comedy it is, she turns out to be right…and, to make matters worse, the girl – played by Louise Albritton – concerned is none other than an ex-flame of MacMurray's!). In order to make her husband jealous, she hires an actor through an agency to flirt with her at a restaurant – but a waiter's mistake lands her in the arms of a Southern tobacco tycoon (Charles "Buddy" Rogers)!

Anyway, the comic situations that ensue (typically, these usually involve misunderstanding and embarrassment) make for a pleasant and unassuming hour and a half; highlights include Rogers explaining to MacMurray how he applied logic to arrive at the name "Kim Zezyzle" for his brand of cigarettes, and Alan Mowbray – posing as Albritton's husband during a dinner engagement for MacMurray's benefit – constantly interrupting the sensitive conversation (even after Carroll has joined the table) to boorishly ask, "When do we eat?"

From start to finish this little known throwback to the best mad-cap screwball comedies of the 1930s is guaranteed to tickle the most jaded funny bone. Vincent Doane, played by Fred MacMurray, is a successful advertising executive who has come under severe scrutiny by his wife of five years, Paula, played by the gorgeous Madeleine Carroll, for the simple reason that he has been keeping rather late nights trying to woo a rather wealthy client, a Mr. Fraser, into signing a lucrative contract. The problem is Paula has serious doubts about the veracity of her husband's story, thinking that Mr. Fraser is in reality, well, you guessed it. In order to cover up the real identity of his client--and it really is a client--Vincent goes to great lengths, entangling himself further and further into a hilarious web of lies and misadventures that, in the hands of a master comedian like Fred MacMurray, are simply unforgettable. The give-and-take between MacMurray and Carroll is in the best vein of their previous pairings, and despite the fact that this would be their fifth, and final film together, their marvelous on-screen chemistry shows no indication of flagging.

Screen legend Charles Buddy Rogers plays a somewhat befuddled tobacco tycoon who unwittingly gets caught up in Mrs. Doane's scheme to pay her husband back for his alleged infidelity, and in the process serves as a splendid foil to the frenetic shenanigans of the Doanes. Despite the fact that you just know how the film turns out, the fun, like in all classic screw-ball comedies, is in the getting there. When the dust has finally settled, this reviewer just couldn't help sighing that An Innocent Affair marked the end of one of filmdom's truly great comedic duos.

This weak B-comedy is burdened with a talky script and overwrought acting. Fred MacMurray and Madeleine Carroll scream and snap at each other. Charles "Buddy" Rogers has a subsidiary role and does what he can with it. During one scene MacMurray pretends to be fast asleep, even when his wife screams "YIPPEEE!" in his ear. She then drops her large hat on his head. He keeps snoring loudly. Hilarious. Fred spends until 6 AM with his ex-fiancée who is now a prospective client for his advertising agency. All innocent fun, of course. These are the kind of contrivances I cannot endure in screwball comedies. 2 AM is believable; but to be out all night and lie to his wife stretches credulity. This is one of those scripts that would all fall apart if one person tells the other person the truth.

Louise Allbritton and Rita Johnson do what they can with thankless parts. This would-be screwball comedy is lacking in laughs.

In addition, the score is hokey, especially when there is no dialogue.

Vincent Doane (Fred MacMurray) is hiding something from his wife. Although completely innocent, he's been taking an ex-fiancee out to dinner in order to land a big account for his advertising agency. He is faithful and loves his wife but foolishly he doesn't trust her to believe him. When she thinks he's fooling around or lying, she decides to hire an actor to pretend to woo her in order to make Vincent jealous. The problem is that the man who is now making eyes at her is NOT the actor she played but a rich millionaire! How's this all going to work out? See the film and find out for yourself.

The story is familiar in that later the pair keep digging deeper and deeper holes until they're headed for divorce. This aspect of the film isn't fun...though the parts leading up to it are. Overall, worth seeing and enjoyable...though a tad overlong.

"Don't Trust Your Husband" is a 1948 film starring Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, Rita Johnson, and Buddy Rogers.

Carroll and MacMurray play a couple, Vincent and Paula Doane, who have been married five years. He's in advertising and is never home due to having to work with one Mr. Fraser. One day he says he's playing golf with Mr. Fraser. However, he leaves without his golf clubs, which Paula throws out the window.

Paula concludes there's another woman. In truth, he is trying to land an account but must deal with his ex-fiancée and doesn't want to tell Paula. Her sister-in-law (Johnson) talks her into hiring an actor to flirt with her at the anniversary dinner she and Vincent are having. Vincent finds out about it from a friend, and looks forward to it.

However, Claude Kimball (Rogers), the President of a huge tobacco company enters the restaurant, and even though the talent agent has reserved the table next to Paula and Vincent, the restaurant owner insists that Kimball must be seated there instead as it's a better table than the one where he was to be seated.

This had great potential and was good for sure, but I would have loved to have seen it with a better director and a better cast. There is nothing wrong with MacMurray or Carroll, but in the hands of, say, Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, just as a for-instance, it could have been a scream. Also it needed to be directed with a little more zip.

Enjoyable but on the ordinary side.