Too Many Husbands (1940)

Long-missing Bill Cardew returns to find his wife Vicky re-married... and in no hurry to settle for just one husband.

Director:

Wesley Ruggles

Writers:

Claude Binyon (screenplay), W. Somerset Maugham (play)

Stars:

Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean Arthur	...	Vicky Lowndes
Fred MacMurray	...	Bill Cardew
Melvyn Douglas	...	Henry Lowndes
Harry Davenport	...	George
Dorothy Peterson	...	Gertrude Houlihan
Melville Cooper	...	Peter - the Butler
Edgar Buchanan	...	Detective Adolph McDermott
Tom Dugan	...	Lieutenant Sullivan

Storyline

It's been a year since Bill Cardew was declared dead by drowning, and his widow Vicky is now married to his old friend and business partner, Henry Lowndes. When Bill unexpectedly returns from the island where he was marooned, what is Vicky to do? Well, having twice been a rather neglected wife, Vicky finds all the attention from two husbands competing for her favors delightful, and is in no hurry to make a decision...much to the discomfiture of hapless Bill and Henry.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | indecision | missing person | beauty | father daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

JUST MARRIED.......BUT TO WHOM? (original 11x14 Title Card - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wesley Ruggles' Too Many Husbands

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Treen (Emma), Garry Owen (Sign Painter) and Lee 'Lasses' White (Mailman) were listed as cast members for their roles in Hollywood Reporter pre-release news items and production charts, but they were not seen in the movie. A modern source also lists Walter Soderling (Customer), Ralph Peters (Cab Driver) and Jerry Fletcher as cast members, but they too were not seen. The one cab driver in the movie was played by Billy Wayne.

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Connections

Remade as Three for the Show (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Mon Homme (My Man)"
(1920) (uncredited)
Music by Maurice Yvain
Variations often in the score, particularly during Vicky's indecision

User Reviews

surprisingly sprightly

When I first heard the premise;a spouse declared dead comes back home after months alone on an island , only to find his beloved wife has re-entered marital bliss with his best friend, I thought 'it'll be interesting to see if they come anywhere near the brilliance of "My Favorite Wife"' And I also presumed this had to be a rather blatant rip-off of the Cary Grant-Irene Dunne classic released ,incidentally, in the same year. Boy was I wrong! For starters this appears to have been released months earlier and the screenplay,comic timing,and acting are easily in the same league as the best of the so-called 'screwball comedies'. When Jean Arthur is "on" there is no actress who can beat her and she looks about as good in this rarely shown film as she ever has . Fred MacMurry and Melvyn Douglas hold up their end, but the surprise, for me, was good old Harry Davenport who gets many lines , many chances to display bravado mugging and line readings, and never fails. This is a Jean Arthur film that needs immediate release on the DVD market!!