Le stranezze di Jane Palmer

This is not one of her better or better known films and Patrick Knowles, handsome Brit, is not quite up to her stature as a big movie star but she IS charming as usual and there are a few laughs and Ralph Bellamy in support is also a welcome player, as is Eugene Palette. Irene is doing here a screwball comedy in which she excelled but the script is not up to her usual comedies, including THE AWFUL TRUTH and MY FAVORITE WIFE. Still if you are an Irene fan, its worth a visit for an hour and a half. Miss Dunne was at RKO and then went to Universal...This was at Universal and she would soon go over to MGM and make some of the best films of her career. She is beautiful as always.

Lady in a Jam is a not very successful attempt at a belated screwball comedy, with Irene Dunne as the lead.

Although it has some fun moments, the film is, overall, unbalanced, seeking to transform a useless and wasteful socialite into a peasant, gold researcher in Arizona, under the tutelage of a psychiatrist, who begins full of certainties, in his science and diagnosis, and ends up more confused than the patient herself.

However, there is a lack of a partner worthy of Irene Dunne, for the comedy to work fully. Patrick Knowles may be young and handsome, by the standards of the time, but he lacks the talent and energy to keep up with Dunne's madness.

The presence of Ralph Bellamy, in a supporting role, helps a little, as he plays an interesting character, a romantic cowboy, who sings serenades to his childhood crush, with the sensitivity of a peasant from deep Arizona.

But, although it is nice to watch, it is certainly not a reference work in the genre.

Here's an Irene Dunne comedy that you may well have missed. I did, and thought I'd seen them all. Looking over the other reviews, the general consensus seems to be that it's inferior to her other comedy classics, and that's not entirely untrue. But on the whole, it's quite well made and due to the earnest efforts put in by creators, cast, and crew, I stayed with "Lady" till the end---and overall, was glad I did. Dunne's character is indeed an airhead, but she's so spirited and upbeat that it's hard not to like her a little. Patric Knowles' performance here lacks the spark of Cary Grant (who matched Dunne's "screwball" so well in their films together) but to be fair, Knowles' character is written as being very strait-laced throughout the story; his going screwball wouldn't have fit, and Knowles fills the bill as is. The supporting cast is very strong, and by the end, I was glad I'd seen it, even though I knew I wouldn't revisit it as much as Dunne's other screwball outings. It's worth a look for her fans especially.

In "Bringing Up Baby", the leading lady is a ditzy, scatterbrained woman. However, no matter how bad she was, Katharine Hepburn's character was, down deep, a very sweet and lovable scatterbrain! This is what helped to make that movie a classic.

In "Lady in a Jam", however, the leading lady is ditzy and scatterbrained...but also is thoroughly self-absorbed and feels zero sense of responsibility for her actions because she has no conscience. As a result, I thoroughly hated Irene Dunne's character and strongly considered turning off the movie early into the story...she was that awful and easy to hate. Was I right in continuing to watch the movie?

When the story begins, the executor of an estate (Eugene Pallette) approaches the psychiatrist, Dr. Enright (Patric Knowles), about the woman he's been assigned to oversee. He's frustrated because the woman, though once rich, has spent herself into oblivion and nothing he says or does has any impact on her. Obviously he's concerned about the lady's mental competence.

Instead of investigating Jane Palmer directly, he indirectly watches her and then introduces himself after her chauffeur quits. After all, she hasn't paid him in months and she treats him like dirt. When Dr. Enright offers to drive her home, she insists she'll drive herself...even though she hasn't a license. However, she not only doesn't know how to drive, she simply doesn't care about the other drivers...and soon plows into two vehicles. She then refuses to show a license or insurance information and tells both drivers that it was their fault...and tries to drive off. The cop stops her, temporarily, but soon she leaves...with Enright driving her. He then announces he wants to be her new chauffeur...which doesn't make much sense since her actions behind the wheel and insanely extravagant spending clearly demonstrate she is incompetent*.

Once home, her executor announces she's broke and men are there to itemize her possessions for an auction. Despite the deputies showing their badges and agreeing with the man, Jane insists she's rich and demands everyone leave. Well, this amounts to nothing and soon she's living in an empty house...and blaming the executor for everything. Then, Enright announces who she is and she blathers on and on about how he and everyone else is unfair to her. Despite this, and after telling her off, he insists that he's going to stay and help her...and accompany her to some piece of land out west that she STILL owns.

This all is still relatively early in the film...and my hatred for Jane has only increased. Again, I had to resist the desire to turn it off and cut my losses. Apparently, I am a masochist so I kept watching. What follows doesn't get a lot better. She continues to treat everyone like dirt and is a thoroughly hateful character...so much so that I longed for the movie to end! What happens next? Who cares!

Rarely have I seen a movie that combines excellent actors with such a thoroughly awful script. You wonder why Dunne, in particular, agreed to do the picture, as her character was NOT likable despite everything and must have elicited a lot of dislike in the movie patrons. Overall, I'd rate this as one of the worst films Dunne ever made...perhaps THE worst. And, as such, I recommend you don't waste your time with it...like I did! And to imagine, this fine actress also made such classics as "Love Affair", "The Awful Truth" and "My Favorite Wife"!





* I am a trained psychotherapist...her actions CLEARLY demonstrate she is not competent and poses a serious danger to others in this one scene alone. No therapist would need to keep observing her in order to prove her incompetence...thus making the rest of the story irrelevant.

Irene Dunne has spent all the money left in trust for her, but refuses to change her ways. Her trustee, Eugene Pallette, seeks help from the medical foundation established by her grandfather, and they send him to psychiatrist Patrick Knowles, who tries to change her outlook on life with a trip to Arizona to visit her grandmother. Granny won't give her any money, but will let her try to revive the big gold mine. Meanwhile, childhood sweetheart Ralph Bellamy sings her dirges about dead loves.

Miss Dunne was a star of several excellent screwball comedies, but this is not one. Even with Gregory LaCava directing and co-writing, it never gels, even though the engaging cast of eccentrics played by comic actors keeps it interesting and reminds the audience that he did, after all, begin as a cartoonist.