Theodora Goes Wild (1936)

I am not going to get all academic about this picture, but I truly enjoy it. I think THEODORA GOES WILD accomplishes what screwball comedy does best: it takes two misfits (in this case played by Irene Dunne & Melvyn Douglas) and shows them with all kinds of inner pain and complications caused by family and society at large. In the process, they connect and fall in love, triumphantly turning adversity into absurdity. The leads in this picture are so successful with the basic story, that it's hard to believe this was their first (and only) pairing, and that it was Dunne's first comedy-- she's such a natural. Why on earth Columbia didn't reteam the two stars for a sequel or at least another comedy is beyond me.

Even though this is Lynnsburg Connecticut and not River City Iowa, you'll be tempted to break into a chorus of "Pick a Little, Talk a Little" every time the old biddies of the town's literary committee pick up their party lines either to gossip or listen. You see, one of their own is the author of a scandalous novel that they've been trying to get condemned, and once she has enough of them running her life with their babbity provinciality, she tells them off, leaves for New York, and really gives them something to gossip about."She" is Theodora Lynn (Irene Dunne), the seemingly sweet church organist who is followed by one of the representatives (Melvyn Douglas) of the publishing firm her book was released through, threatening to blow her goody two-shoes image out of the water for good. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and she turns the tables on him and his upper-crust family. Once Dunne comes out of her shell, she dresses up in outrageous feathered outfits, is named in divorce suits and shows up for a town function with a baby. You really want to see these clucking hens choke on their metamusil once they find out a thing or two or get caught in a vindictive spread of mostly unsubstantiated rumors.Dunne is the whole show and her transition to comedy after musical dramas (like "Sweet Adeline" and "Show Boat") and weepers is the surprise of 1936. She's got a good sparring partner in the whistling Melvyn Douglas. Elisabeth Risdon and Margaret McWade display overly proper dignity with authoritative superiority with Spring Byington the town's big gossip, a flibbertigibbet that is delightfully hypocritical, one of those "church lady" types that needs more time in confession than on the phone. A superb screenplay burlesques the ridiculousness of both small town societies of the 1930's and church lady community groups altogether, reminding audiences comically about the viciousness and destructiveness of "the tongue" and the wages of sin that go with it.

If you are looking for an especially deep or meaningful film, then you might want to keep looking. However, if you ignore the silliness and trivial nature of the film and just watch it for its entertainment value, then you are in for a fun little ride! Irene Dunne plays an overly prim and proper lady who lives in a town dominated by fun-hating old biddies! The town is extremely similar to the one from the Hal Roach comedy, MISS POLLY, except that THEODORA GOES WILD is a good and funny film. Unbeknownst to all the old ladies, Dunne is in reality a romance writer who wrote a number one best seller!! She is terrified they will discover her secret and she is very careful to hide her double-life. This aspect of the movie is very reminiscent of the great Errol Flynn film, FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK (another film I strongly recommend).Into this careful balancing act arrives the very playful and slightly obnoxious Melvin Douglas. Through a bit of research, he figures out her two identities and just drops in on the town and makes Dunne crazy trying to shut him up and keep a lid on his odd behaviors. Eventually, though, the truth does come out and Dunne resigns herself to marrying Douglas and revealing who she really is. However, at this point, she realizes that Douglas ALSO has a secret to hide and when the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak, he is upset and pretends he doesn't know her!! Exactly why and how all this works out in the end is something you'll just have to see for yourself. Dunne and Douglas are terrific and the film, despite its ridiculous plot, is a lotta laughs and is a good example of a "screwball comedy".

As a fan of Irene Dunne's, and not having managed to catch up with Theodora Goes Wild, I was looking forward to finally getting to see this movie after having read the lavish praise heaped on it on this site. Having said that, I have to admit that while, yes, it was amusing, it was very much of a one-note idea that was stretched very thin. Dunne, as always, was at the top of her form and her talents in all departments were very much on display. What did let the movie down was a weak script and an irritatingly hammy performance by the usually reliable Melvyn Douglas. One only has to look at Ninotchka to see how good he can be when his comedy acting has a serious side to it. His character in Theodora Goes Wild was just too silly to be believable. The smalltown sequences were charming in their way but after a while became tedious with repetition. Thomas Mitchell's scenes (as editor of the local newspaper) were rip-roaring first class, which made one want for more. Would I recommend this movie? Yes, if you're a fan of Irene Dunne's and want to watch her comedic talents at work. Several postings on this site have recommended The Awful Truth as a must-see. Well, yes, if you're a Dunne fan but here again there are moments when the script sags and both Dunne and Cary Grant, both consummate professionals, are skating on very thin ice, pulling the movie onward through sheer force of personality. If you really want to see Irene Dunne at her very, very best then you should catch her in the much better written My Favorite Wife, or Love Affair, both infinitely superior to their later remakes. In these two movies her talents REALLY soar!