I Married a Witch (1942)

A beautiful 17th-century witch returns to life to plague politician Wallace Wooley, descendant of her persecutor.

Director:

René Clair

Writers:

Robert Pirosh (screen play), Marc Connelly (screen play),

Stars:

Fredric March, Veronica Lake, Robert Benchley

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fredric March	...	Jonathan Wooley / Nathaniel Wooley / Samuel Wooley / Wallace Wooley
Veronica Lake	...	Jennifer
Robert Benchley	...	Dr. Dudley White
Susan Hayward	...	Estelle Masterson
Cecil Kellaway	...	Daniel
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Margaret
Robert Warwick	...	J.B. Masterson

Storyline

In 1672, two witches (Jennifer and her father Daniel) were burned by puritan Jonathan Wooley. In revenge, Jennifer cursed all future generations of the Wooley family, that the sons will always marry the wrong woman and be miserable. In the 20th century, a bolt of lightning frees Jennifer and her father from the tree that had kept their souls imprisoned. Jennifer assumes corporeal form and decides to make up-and-coming politician Wallace Wooley, then unhappily engaged, even more miserable by getting him to fall in love with her before his wedding. Wallace is a straight arrow, though, and Jennifer has to resort to a love potion. As we all know, love potions tend to backfire, with comedic results.

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Plot Keywords:

potion | puritan | wedding | tree | revenge | 

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Taglines:

She knows all about love potions... and lovely motions!

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Me casé con una bruja

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rene Clair Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Veronica Lake and Fredric March did not like one another, due in part to some disparaging remarks March made about her. During filming, Lake delighted in playing pranks on March. In one scene in which the two were photographed only from the waist up, Lake stuck her foot in March's groin. In another incident, Lake hid a 40-pound weight under her costume when March had to carry her in his arms. After that incident, March nicknamed the film "I Married a Bitch."

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Goofs

The film opens with a scene of Puritans in the Massachusetts colony burning witches. No-one was ever burned for witchcraft in America. The accused witches of Salem, Massachusetts, and its environs were hanged, with the exception of Giles Corey, who was pressed to death with rocks.

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Quotes

Wallace Wooley: Now you listen to me, young lady. Come on. Get up.
Jennifer: [she stands] I'm listening, Mr. Wooley.
[he stares at her]
Jennifer: Why do you look at me that way? Oh, my dress. Do you like it?
Wallace Wooley: I-I don't know. It's such a shock to see you dressed. I mean... you're beautiful.
Jennifer: Enough to make a man fall in love?
Wallace Wooley: Mere physical beauty isn't everything.
Jennifer: [disappointed] That's what I thought.
Wallace Wooley: [clears his throat] Look here, Jennifer.
Jennifer: I don't like the tone of your voice!
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Monsterama Sci-Fi Late Night Creature Feature Show Vol. 1 (1996)

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Soundtracks

"A Hot Time in the Old Town"
(1896) (uncredited)
Music by Theo. A. Metz
Played by a marching band

User Reviews

Nicely-done comedy with a good cast

Very well-crafted comedy with some memorable work by Veronica Lake and a charming role for Cecil Kellaway (perfectly cast in this picture). Considering some of the fluffy, forgettable comedies of this era, this one deserves a much better following than it has enjoyed so far. Well worth watching.