Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Norman Krasna (story)
Norman Krasna (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 January 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Lombard and Montgomery Get Hitched As They're Getting Unhitched ! [DVD USA]

Plot:

Not a typical Hitchcock movie, this is a comedy about a couple who learn that their marriage was not valid.

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | New York | Snow | Chianti | Blind Date

Cast

Carole Lombard	...	Ann
Robert Montgomery	...	David
Gene Raymond	...	Jeff
Jack Carson	...	Chuck
Philip Merivale	...	Mr. Custer
Lucile Watson	...	Mrs. Custer
William Tracy	...	Sammy
Charles Halton	...	Mr. Deever
Esther Dale	...	Mrs. Krausheimer
Emma Dunn	...	Martha
Betty Compson	...	Gertie
Patricia Farr	...	Gloria
William Edmunds	...	Proprietor Lucy's
Pamela Blake	...	Lily (as Adele Pearce)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | USA:TV-G | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:7 (1945) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6670) | UK:U (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Carole Lombard, in order to twit Alfred Hitchcock and generate publicity about his comment that "actors are cattle", set up a miniature cattle pen on the set. The pen held three heifers, each emblazoned with the name of one of the three stars.

Quotes:

David: I'd give five bucks to see that cat take a sip of that soup.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mr. Hitchcock Meets the Smiths (2004) (V)

Carole and Hitch

According to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock, Carole Lombard prevailed upon Alfred Hitchcock to direct one her comedy films as a favor. Since Hitchcock admired her talent he did so.

It's important to remember that this is a Carole Lombard film and view it that way. Viewed as such it's not a bad marital comedy though if one is expecting certain Hitchcock touches they won't be there.

Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard are a constantly spatting married couple. They love each other, but to them arguing is like exercise. In a moment of oneupsmanship Montgomery answers in the affirmative to a question by Lombard as to whether he'd marry her if he had to do it all over again.

His words come back to haunt him when Charles Halton from Lombard's hometown in Idaho and says that because of a technicality they're not legally married. Montgomery spends the rest of the film trying to win Lombard back.

Some of the best movie comedies have been made on a premise flimsier than this one. Mr.&Mrs. Smith is not the best of comedies, but it is far from the worst.

I have a feeling that Alfred Hitchcock may have had Lombard in mind for future projects more of his own taste. I can see her easily in some of his later films. Lombard was only 32 when she died.

Pity we'll never know.