As one commentator has noted, this film has much in common with both Colbert's It Happened One Night (with Clark Gable) and Wayne's Lady Takes a Chance (with Jean Arthur). I recommend that you just skip this movie and watch the other two, superior films.
I am a fan of both the Duke and Claudette Colbert. This unlikely pair achieves some good chemistry. They both deliver solid performances, and they both portray likable characters. Don DeFore always seems to have a kind of silly grin on his face that I can never quite overcome. Anne Triola portrays a character known as the "Beetle," who is way too irritating for my taste. Her voice alone drives me up a wall.
The problem with this movie is a script that just never seems to jell for me. Parts of this movie just seemed to drag - especially all of the letter-exchanging between Colbert and DeFore that occupies the latter stages of the movie. That is part of Colbert's campaign to catch Wayne by making him jealous. All of that business is not comical, but just straight plot development; it is boring and overly long. The lack of any direct interaction between Wayne and Colbert for that seemingly long stretch of the film is a major weakness. There are zillions of films that employ the ol' jealousy gambit - almost every one of which is better.
Colbert and Wayne have deep philosophical differences. Yet they never really cause major conflict, and are never overtly resolved. They are constantly being swept under the carpet - not necessarily by the characters but by plot devices. Instead other minor conflicts arise, such as Wayne's feeling he has been misled by Colbert and his flirtation with a young chiquita. These are easily swept away.
One of the key scenes in this movie is Colbert's discussion of "love" with a recent Mexican immigrant (Frank Puglia). He sets her straight about love: true love involves abuse and violence! This scene is so superficial and wrong-headed that it is a completely implausible basis for Colbert to somehow change her perspective on love - as well as other profound issues.
This movie ultimately fails because of the very poor writing. Yeah, sometimes real world experience can alter one's hypothetical perspectives on the issues of life - but not on the shallow basis provided by this film. The differences between people's world views are important, and usually they are not so easily overcome in the pursuit of love. They are never overcome on the strength of some lame-brain idea that violence and abuse are part and parcel of love! The shallowness of the script and the stupidity of the dialog undermine some pretty good performances. Skip this one.
I am a fan of both the Duke and Claudette Colbert. This unlikely pair achieves some good chemistry. They both deliver solid performances, and they both portray likable characters. Don DeFore always seems to have a kind of silly grin on his face that I can never quite overcome. Anne Triola portrays a character known as the "Beetle," who is way too irritating for my taste. Her voice alone drives me up a wall.
The problem with this movie is a script that just never seems to jell for me. Parts of this movie just seemed to drag - especially all of the letter-exchanging between Colbert and DeFore that occupies the latter stages of the movie. That is part of Colbert's campaign to catch Wayne by making him jealous. All of that business is not comical, but just straight plot development; it is boring and overly long. The lack of any direct interaction between Wayne and Colbert for that seemingly long stretch of the film is a major weakness. There are zillions of films that employ the ol' jealousy gambit - almost every one of which is better.
Colbert and Wayne have deep philosophical differences. Yet they never really cause major conflict, and are never overtly resolved. They are constantly being swept under the carpet - not necessarily by the characters but by plot devices. Instead other minor conflicts arise, such as Wayne's feeling he has been misled by Colbert and his flirtation with a young chiquita. These are easily swept away.
One of the key scenes in this movie is Colbert's discussion of "love" with a recent Mexican immigrant (Frank Puglia). He sets her straight about love: true love involves abuse and violence! This scene is so superficial and wrong-headed that it is a completely implausible basis for Colbert to somehow change her perspective on love - as well as other profound issues.
This movie ultimately fails because of the very poor writing. Yeah, sometimes real world experience can alter one's hypothetical perspectives on the issues of life - but not on the shallow basis provided by this film. The differences between people's world views are important, and usually they are not so easily overcome in the pursuit of love. They are never overcome on the strength of some lame-brain idea that violence and abuse are part and parcel of love! The shallowness of the script and the stupidity of the dialog undermine some pretty good performances. Skip this one.