Too Many Husbands (1940)

Too Many Husbands
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
Written by Claude Binyon based on the play by W. Somerset Maugham
1940/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same. — Oscar Wilde [/box]

This unsung screwball comedy started off so well …

Bill Cardew (Fred MacMurray) and Henry Lowndes (Melvin Douglas) were best friends and partners.  Bill had been married to Vicky (Jean Arthur).  She loved him dearly but he was a bit of an adventurer, taking off to exotic locations on his boat until finally he was declared drowned.  Henry helped ease the widow’s grief and they soon married.  Naturally, six months later Bill shows up very much alive and Vicky must choose between them.  With Harry Davenport as Vicky’s father.

Fifteen minutes into this I was thinking “Why isn’t this better known?” The dialogue sparkled and everyone involved handled the comedy very well.  Jean Arthur is uncharacteristically glamorous in this one and quite appealing.  The movie consists of the men fighting and playing various dirty tricks to win Vicky over. Unfortunately, it’s a one-joke movie and that joke got tired by the end.  Still, I’m glad I saw it.

Too Many Husbands received an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Recording.

For a clip posted by TCM see:  http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/205932/Too-Many-Husbands-Movie-Clip-Bill-Vicky-Hank.html