Casanova le petit

This one gets a lot of flak for being simply ridiculous--and I can see why--but if you come with a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief you will enjoy it.

A case in point--a cigarette butt ends up burning an entire house--which some viewers might see as over-the-top but I thought was simply laugh-out-loud hilarious. There are other laugh-out-loud moments for me too, but the movie nosedives when the Gary Cooper character kidnaps his own baby: he's a college professor and is unable to understand the rate of growth of a newborn baby? Seriously stretches credulity, but watch it for Gary Cooper and the earnest Teresa Wright.

For a lighthearted comedy as described, the subjects are quite serious, a man sees his short intense relationship with his fiancée end very suddenly because the introduction to his future mother-in-law does not exactly go smoothly, to put it mildly.

That is a kind of flashback by the way because in the meantime he already has a new relationship, one in which he is going to get married tomorrow.

But when he finds out that his ex has just given birth to a daughter and that she wants to give the child up for adoption, he more or less kidnaps the child.

His current girlfriend is very easily pushed aside as filler and that results in a strangely unbalanced film, it is also strange to see how fathers then were already seen at that time as people who actually had little right to their child while mothers were already considered to be the rightful owners for the upbringing .

As a professor on the verge of matrimony for a second time, Cooper (the unlikely Casanova here) learns he's become a new father, by his ex-wife Isabel (Teresa Wright). He wants to find out the truth for himself so visits the hospital directly. One thing leads to another and he decides to kidnap the baby, with mostly awkward and hilarious results.

I like Frank Morgan in this movie as he tries to be the practical observer and adviser. He shines with his usual wit and bumbling charm.

Cooper, being the 'outside parent' makes an interesting remark at one point about fatherhood, that men can be fine leaders and do great things but can't be considered capable enough to raise a child, all of which goes to show the roles society dictated then and even now.

This is amusing entertainment without going overboard on comedy.

Casanova Brown (1944) : Brief Review -

Stars, fate, a baby, parenthood, and a love story sum up Sam Wood's typical romantic comedy. Wood's old films have been genuinely hilarious, keeping you grinning the entire time. With Casanova Brown, he delves more into romantic elements than actual comedy. This film is cute but less funny. It's a solid story, wrapped up too soon, yet it still presents a typically fine love story. There have been a couple of versions of the same narrative already, making it feel dated and repetitive. The film features a man who, on the verge of getting married, receives a letter about his baby from a previous lover. He goes to the hospital to investigate the matter, and when he sees the baby, he is completely bowled over. His ex-lover informs him about giving away the child, which makes him furious, leading him to steal his daughter and run away to secure legal custody. At the hotel, as he tries to feed the baby, both his ex-lover and his soon-to-be wife come to confront him while he tries to ditch them and keep the baby. Will he succeed? Although a 90-minute film, the baby portion is brief, which is why the film seems short. It could have focused more on the baby than the marriage and star elements to keep it warm and funny. Gary Cooper was fine in the leading role, while Teresa Wright looked too gorgeous to be his lover. They looked so cute with the baby in the last scene, especially with that patting action. Anita Louise had too little time to make an impact, and Frank Morgan was good in his role. Mary Treen shines in the marriage proposal scene. Overall, a decent to fine, one-time watch flick showcasing Sam Wood's steady hands at work. I wish there were more to the story, some more substance, which would have made it grand. Nevertheless, a good attempt at a typical '40s rom-com.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.

A man named Casanova becomes involved with a number of women and a cute baby. This attempt at screwball comedy has a few amusing moments but much of the humor is forced. Despite the efforts of veteran screenwriter Johnson and director Woods, the film takes a while to get going and soon runs out of steam. Cooper tries hard but can't overcome the weak script. Morgan comes off best, playing Cooper's would-be father-in-law. Wright is perky as Cooper's wife, but seems too young for him; there was an age difference of over 17 years between them. Interestingly, the baby girl is played by a fellow named Billy Chapin, who went on to have a brief acting career before retiring at age 16.