Cinemagraphe


Vivacious Lady

Why it's hard to tell Charles Coburn you've married a night club singer

Vivacious Lady, 1938, Directed by George Stevens

That's Frances Mercer laid out on the floor in the last frame grab. She plays Helen, who was the originally intended bride for Peter (James Stewart) who instead went off to New York to fetch his wandering cousin Keith (James Ellison) and in the process met Ginger Rogers (Francey, a nightclub singer), married her within a few hours, and has brought her back to the university town of "Old Sharon" where his family has stuffily run things for generations.

The main dilemma running through the center of this screwball comedy is that James Stewart won't own up to having married Francey, and so she masquerades as a new student at the university where he is a botany professor. At first he can't figure out how to break the news to his taciturn father the university president (Charles Coburn) but then Stewart holds back because of the supposedly weak heart of his mother (Beulah Bondi - - it turns out the weak heart is a fake, she uses it to keep Coburn from yelling at her. He however does yell at everybody else as if they're all deaf).

Ridiculous problems accumulate as Stewart and Ginger Rogers' characters try to get a few minutes alone with each other while trying to hide the fact they are married, and every situation (and person around them) conspires to prevent that from happening. George Stevens' milks this frustration from every angle until it seems like the town of "Old Sharon" itself is against them.

In the screen grabs here, Mercer and Rogers had been having a conversation about who has rights over the botany professor, a talk which has degenerated into a hair-pulling contest (Rogers will win with a judo throw).

The screenplay written by P.J. Wolfson and Lloyd Ingraham pokes at the dignity these "university" characters have, and then shreds it in a series of misunderstandings with plenty of opportunity for all to get half-crazed in the 1930s screwball style. George Stevens' direction keeps all the madness bursting out of elegant dinner parties, finely decorated apartments and the atmosphere of academia.


Original Page Aug 2014

You will see Amazon links on this web site because I am an Amazon affiliate. I earn from qualifying purchases.


Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon Hardcover

Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon - 512 Pages

"A dazzling portrait of an incredible woman. Elizabeth's life was more captivating than any film could ever be."— Demi Moore

"Brower’s book takes the reader into the private world of the most famous celebrity of the 20th century. Elizabeth’s heart, mind, and passion come vividly alive on each page. We see her as a woman who struggled and ultimately survived to rewrite the playbook on celebrity and power. I never wanted it to end!" — Brooke Shields

"Brower is quickly becoming a brand-name Washington writer because of her ability to deliver juicy tidbits and insider information while steering her books toward a mainstream audience without sacrificing historical credibility." — Christian Science Monitor on TEAM OF FIVE

Amazon Link to pre-order Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon Hardcover

Audio Book version - Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon

[This is an affiliate Amazon link which may provide a commission earned for this site. If that happens, we'll probably buy an old movie on Blu Ray with the proceeds.]


What's Recent