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My Favorite Wife (1940)

Approved  |   |  Comedy, Romance  |  17 May 1940 (USA)
7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 6,600 users  
Reviews: 69 user | 27 critic

Missing for seven years and presumed dead, a woman returns home on the day of her husband's second marriage.

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(original story), (original story) (as Samuel Spewack) , 6 more credits »
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Title: My Favorite Wife (1940)

My Favorite Wife (1940) on IMDb 7.4/10

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Nominated for 3 Oscars. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
...
Gail Patrick ...
Ann Shoemaker ...
Ma
Scotty Beckett ...
Tim
Mary Lou Harrington ...
Chinch
Donald MacBride ...
Hotel Clerk
Hugh O'Connell ...
Johnson
Granville Bates ...
Judge
Pedro de Cordoba ...
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Storyline

Ellen Arden arrives 7 years after being given up for dead in a shipwreck, to find her husband Nick just remarried to Bianca. The overjoyed Nick awkwardly tries to break the news gently to Bianca. But before he can do that, an unpleasant surprise--news that Ellen has spent the 7 years on a deserted island with fellow-survivor Burkett. Nick's jealousy tries to find out the truth. Hilarious confusion reigns before Nick chooses his favorite wife. Written by Riaz Shaikh <cisrfsx@gsusgi2.gsu.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

The funniest, fastest honeymoon ever screened!

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

17 May 1940 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Meine liebste Frau  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (cut)

Sound Mix:

(RCA Recording System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Cary Grant wears a leopard print smoking jacket throughout much of the last third of the film. He was just coming off the huge flop Bringing Up Baby (1938) in which the titular character is a leopard. See more »

Goofs

Nick said he met his second wife, Bianca, on the boat while searching for Ellen, yet Bianca doesn't recognize Ellen when meeting her. The search team likely had pictures of Ellen provided for them including pictures from Nick's home, which Bianca would have seen on the boat and in Nick's home. See more »

Quotes

Nick Arden: Impulsive? He's full of carrots!
See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening credits are embroidered on lace-lined silk squares reminiscent of wedding pillows that hold the rings when there are children bearing them in a procession. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Steps Out (1941) See more »

Soundtracks

The Skaters Waltz (Les patineurs)
(1882) (uncredited)
Music by Emil Waldteufel
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Better than the remake
4 May 2005 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I agree that Move Over Darling is a very good remake of My Favorite Wife, but Doris Day and James Garner, much as I like them, cannot reach the level of sophistication of Grant/Dunne. Randolph Scott does nothing to detract from the picture. Certainly no more than Chuck Connors does in the same role in Move Over Darling. The courtroom scenes with Grant and Granville Bates as the judge are superior, and Donald McBride as the hotel clerk is exceptional. Cary Grant's facial expression on the elevator when he first sees Dunne after 7 years is so memorable that I can still remember it 35 years after first seeing it. If you are a Grant fan, you have to see this movie.


24 of 28 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Wow am I out of the mainstream schwapj
Definitely a chick flick ashmedan
Cary and Randolph's Rings christine_lynn_chilton
Isn't Irene Dunne just gorgeous in this movie? ladylavende
Really funny movie? I think so! Friesen_471
role reversal? dgave
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