Third Finger, Left Hand

Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas sparkle in this lightweight romantic comedy. Obviously, the ring on the third finger of the left hand means a gal is married. Myrna Loy is not married, she is an editor who is a 'career gal' at an influential New York-based fashion magazine. But she claims to be married, and her husband is always 'away' and no one has met him. She has increasing difficulty maintaining this fiction, however. Melvyn Douglas discovers the truth and impersonates the non-existent husband, to amusing and sometimes hilarious effect. Well, you can guess the rest. Fun to watch because of Loy and Douglas, though not a masterpiece by any means.

Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas are fantastic, respectively, in this screwball comedy about a career woman with a phantom husband and the man from Wapakoneta, Ohio, who decides to fill-the-bill. The subsidiary roles are wonderfully taken as well. The only quibble I have with the movie is that it is a -wee- bit long for its material, but viewers looking for some light diversion will not be disappointed by this farcical laugh-romp.

I just saw this for the first time and I really loved it. For one thing, I especially like Loy and Douglas. They were great in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House so I was already familiar with the two of them interacting (even though they were not each others' love interest in that movie.)

I liked the contrast of her being in/from NYC and him being from Ohio. Of course, I'm from Ohio too so maybe I was a bit biased. :)

It seems that sometimes these comedy/romances can seem a bit forced but I just found this one fun, pleasant and naturally flowing. I highly recommend it.

I watched this movie just the other night and found it refreshing and yet sweet. I was also amazed how much this movie reflects a lot of problems that some women in positions of authority have with the stigma of not being married. Besides that I will say that the modern romantic comedies borrow greatly from movies such as this yet even though I have seen many romantic comedies I found this movie fresh and almost new probably due to fact that the cliques nowadays evolved from this movie. I will also admit I love Myrna Loy and with a certain degree of bias I enjoy all her movies and love her mere presence in the movie and I was caught unaware of her improvising skill when she did her Brooklyn accent. I found Mervyn Douglas a good match though had a feeling that the character written may have been for William Powell. I found it quick and enjoyable and this is why classics always bring a smile to my face.

While this comedy is about the romantic complications facing a woman executive and the artist who loves her, "Third Finger, Left Hand" provides a rarely seen dignified Black role. When first we see Sam (portrayed by veteran African American actor, Ernest Whitman) he is a train porter speaking in an 'uneducated' manner - employing the type of language structure used by script writers of the time to reinforce negative racial stereotypes. Later, however, a Sam is revealed to have taken college correspondence courses for years and to be someone quite knowledgeable in matters of Law: able to quote court rulings and present effective legal arguments on behalf of his client, the artist. Ultimately, Sam is the hero of "Third Finger, Left Hand", making it possible for the protagonists' love to triumph.