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IMDbPro

My Favorite Wife

  • 1940
  • Passed
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
11K
YOUR RATING
Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:40
1 Video
31 Photos
ComedyRomance

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

  • Director
    • Garson Kanin
  • Writers
    • Bella Spewack
    • Sam Spewack
    • Leo McCarey
  • Stars
    • Irene Dunne
    • Cary Grant
    • Randolph Scott
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    11K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Garson Kanin
    • Writers
      • Bella Spewack
      • Sam Spewack
      • Leo McCarey
    • Stars
      • Irene Dunne
      • Cary Grant
      • Randolph Scott
    • 98User reviews
    • 30Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    My Favorite Wife
    Trailer 2:40
    Watch My Favorite Wife

    Photos31

    Cary Grant, Pedro de Cordoba, and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant, Scotty Beckett, Mary Lou Harrington, and Ann Shoemaker in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, and Irene Dunne in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, and Irene Dunne in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, and Irene Dunne in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)
    Cary Grant and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Irene Dunne
    Irene Dunne
    • Ellen Wagstaff Arden
    Cary Grant
    Cary Grant
    • Nick Arden
    Randolph Scott
    Randolph Scott
    • Stephen Burkett
    Gail Patrick
    Gail Patrick
    • Bianca Bates
    Ann Shoemaker
    Ann Shoemaker
    • Ma Arden
    Scotty Beckett
    Scotty Beckett
    • Tim Arden
    Mary Lou Harrington
    • Chinch Arden
    Donald MacBride
    Donald MacBride
    • Yosemite Hotel Clerk
    Hugh O'Connell
    Hugh O'Connell
    • Johnson - Insurance Adjuster
    Granville Bates
    Granville Bates
    • Judge Bryson
    Pedro de Cordoba
    Pedro de Cordoba
    • Dr. Kohlmar
    Jean Acker
    Jean Acker
    • Postponed Case Witness
    • (uncredited)
    Murray Alper
    Murray Alper
    • Yosemite Bartender
    • (uncredited)
    Leon Belasco
    Leon Belasco
    • Waiter - Pacific Club Poolside
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Cabrillas
    • Phillip
    • (uncredited)
    Bill Cartledge
    • Page Boy Paging Burkett
    • (uncredited)
    Chester Clute
    Chester Clute
    • Shoe Salesman
    • (uncredited)
    Corky
    • Corky the Dog
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Garson Kanin
    • Writers
      • Bella Spewack
      • Sam Spewack
      • Leo McCarey
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, who play rivals in this film, lived together on and off between 1932 and 1944.
    • Goofs
      When Ellen has her first hot shower 'in seven years', she's wearing a bathing cap, rather than wash her hair in the shower.
    • Quotes

      Nick Arden: I came here with my wife... hum... my bride really. Now my wife, not my bride... my wife... Why should I bore you with details?

      Hotel clerk: I won't be bored.

      Nick Arden: Listen, it's just simple as A B C.

      Hotel clerk: Don't tell me you got someone in B?

    • Crazy credits
      Rather than the normal "The End" title as the movie concludes, "Good Night" is drawn in cursive handwriting.
    • Connections
      Edited into Marilyn: Something's Got to Give (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Jingle Bells
      (1857) (uncredited)

      Written by James Pierpont

      Played as part of the score when Cary Grant dons his Santa Claus costume

    User reviews98

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    An Entertaining Use of the Idea
    This gets pretty good comic mileage out of the often-used 'Enoch Arden' (or, as here, 'Ellen Arden') idea of the long-lost spouse who returns to find his/her spouse now involved with someone else. Numerous movies have used it both for drama and for comedy, and in this case, the premise is adapted to the screwball comedy formula that was so popular for a time in the 1930s and 1940s.

    The story starts by slightly revising the usual setup, with Irene Dunne as the formerly shipwrecked spouse, Cary Grant as the husband who has since become involved with another woman (Gail Patrick), plus Randolph Scott as a wild card in the relationships. Practically every stage of the story is highly implausible (probably deliberately so) but amusing, and it is generally left to the cast to make things work, which they usually do.

    Grant usually seems quite at home in this kind of comedy, and he and Dunne work well together, depicting their characters' relationship with the kinds of intangibles that help make the whole scenario more believable. Patrick is always quite good as an elegantly icy rival to the heroine, and Scott also works well here in his role. Amongst the supporting cast, Granville Bates gets some very good moments as the grouchy judge.

    For as far-fetched as the scenario seems at times, it works pretty well. The cast is strong enough to carry the weight, and it would have been hard to improve upon their combination of talents. It doesn't have quite the depth of comic variety or the subtlety of implied commentary that the best screwball comedies have, but it's an entertaining movie worth seeing.
    helpful•18
    5
    • Snow Leopard
    • Aug 24, 2005

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 17, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Meine liebste Frau
    • Filming locations
      • Ahwanee Hotel, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, and Gail Patrick in My Favorite Wife (1940)
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