The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)

A financially-strapped charter pilot hires himself to an oil tycoon to kidnap his madcap daughter and prevent her from marrying a vapid band leader.

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

Kenneth Earl (story), M.M. Musselman (story),

Stars:

James Cagney, Bette Davis, Stuart Erwin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Cagney	...	Steve Collins
Bette Davis	...	Joan Winfield
Stuart Erwin	...	Tommy Keenan
Eugene Pallette	...	Lucius K. Winfield
Jack Carson	...	Allen Brice
George Tobias	...	Peewee Defoe
Harry Davenport	...	Pop Tolliver
William Frawley	...	Sheriff McGee
Edward Brophy	...	Hinkle
Harry Holman	...	Judge Sobler
Chick Chandler	...	Riley (reporter #1)
Douglas Kennedy	...	Mac (second reporter and photographer) (as Keith Douglas)
Herbert Anderson	...	Reporter #3
William Newell	...	Andy Anderson (McGee's pilot)
William Hopper	...	Keenan's and Brice's pilot (as DeWolf Hopper)

Storyline

Oil heiress Joan is going to elope with bandleader Allen whom she's known four days. Out-of-money pilot Steve is going to fly them to Nevada but makes a deal with her father to deliver her home unmarried. He flies off with her, an apparent kidnaping, but is forced down in the desert. The bandleader arrives with a preacher, but their marriage (in California, not Nevada) is not valid. Pilot Steve will marry her because her father is a millionaire.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | bandleader | heiress | nevada | desert | 

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Taglines:

She Came Collect and his heart paid the freight . . . in the year's romantic explosion !

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Braut kam per Nachnahme

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ann Sheridan was originally scheduled to ply the Bette Davis role but was on suspension by Warners.

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Goofs

In an early scene, when Steve Collins (James Cagney) is walking from the door of the hangar to the office, the end of his necktie is first flapping free above his belt, but in the next shot, it is tucked into his belt.

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Quotes

Pop Tolliver: Well, ain't much difference 'tween kidnapping and marriage. You get snatched from your parents, but in marriage nobody offers a reward.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Bird Came C.O.D. (1942)

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Soundtracks

"Oh My Darling Clementine"
(1884) (uncredited)
Music by Percy Montrose
Often in the score during the ghost town scenes

User Reviews

Servicable Comedy with Two Great Stars

Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney had been teamed once before in "Jimmy the Gent", also a comedy. That picture and this one are two of the relatively rare Bette Davis comedies. Jimmy the Gent was pleasant and fast moving, and featured the two stars relatively early in their career's. Here, they are both at the top of their game, and they elevate the mediocre material into something fast paced, fun, and easy to watch. It's a real pleasure to see two of the screen's greatest stars together. Nothing great, but definitely worth seeing for fans of the stars or of screwball comedies of that era.