Dulcy (1940)

A dizzy young woman aranges to turn her inventor-boyfriend's vacation into a chance meeting with a possible investor who happens to be her brother's future father-in-law. And Wacky stuff happens.

Director:

S. Sylvan Simon

Writers:

Albert Mannheimer (screen play), Jerome Chodorov (screen play),

Stars:

Ann Sothern, Ian Hunter, Roland Young

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ann Sothern	...	Dulcy Ward
Ian Hunter	...	Gordon Daly
Roland Young	...	Roger Forbes
Reginald Gardiner	...	Schuyler Van Dyke
Billie Burke	...	Eleanor Forbes
Lynne Carver	...	Angela Forbes
Dan Dailey	...	Bill Ward (as Dan Dailey Jr.)
Donald Huie	...	'Sneezy'
Jonathan Hale	...	Homer Patterson
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Henry
Hans Conried	...	Vincent Leach

Storyline

A dizzy young woman aranges to turn her inventor-boyfriend's vacation into a chance meeting with a possible investor who happens to be her brother's future father-in-law. And Wacky stuff happens.

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Plot Keywords:

brother | boat | resort | airplane accident | speedboat | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dulcy, a Desastrada

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original play opened in New York on 13 August 1921, with Lynn Fontanne as the title character. The book Schuyler Van Dyke is reading, "Nuts! An Intimate Glimpse Into the Life of the American Peanut," originally was "Pschopathia-Sexualis," but was changed at the request of the Hays office.

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Quotes

Dulcy Ward: I'm sure there's no snake in YOUR bed!

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Connections

Version of Dulcy (1923)

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Soundtracks

"Singin in the Rain"
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Sung a cappella by Dan Dailey in the shower

User Reviews

Loses something over the years

This is at least the third time that the stage play "Dulcy" by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly was made by MGM into a film. A silent featuring Constance Talmadge appeared in 1923. Version No. 2 appears under the title "Not So Dumb" in 1930 and features Marion Davies (directed by King Vidor). A CD version is available featuring Zazu Pitts in a 1935 radio broadcast and you can pull down off the internet a 1937 radio version with Gracie Allen. Dulcy must have been a real hit on the stage and I would expect that the Gracie Allen version was a hoot. I just did not think this was a slap on the leg comedy that aged well for viewers the 21st Century. The story's premise is that a scatterbrained young woman tries to turn a weekend social event into a business opportunity for her fiancé. Ann Sothern is a good actress but the material just does not seem quite as funny as it obviously must have decades ago. There are clever written gags and lots of physical comedy. The material has the actresses in the lead playing as if they were actually dumb - not just clever and using being dumb as a technique to get their way. Today we no longer find funny folks who are not that bright and who seem to glide through life oblivious to their situation. All ends well, despite Dulcy's efforts, and perhaps some of you will find this a pleasant diversion. Recommended for social scientists and anthropologists attempting to research what was funny to us when.