The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) User Reviews

Minor film comedy - but the first to tackle "misinformation"

[theowinthrop · 6/10 · 6 May 2006]

I saw this about thirty years ago, late at night and have never seen it revived. This is understandable, for despite a good cast and director (Michael Curtiz, of all people)it is not a great comedy but a passingly acceptable one.

Jane Wyman is a woman whose reputation for honesty is important regarding her job on a magazine that is run by Robert Douglas (here not playing one of his politically ambitious historical villains for a change). She is enjoying a day on a boat when she is sunk by an experimental craft being tested by Dennis Morgan. Morgan tries to keep her from exposing this little secret, but she does not see that a government project is involved - only her credibility. So Morgan and the U.S. government do everything they can think of to get her branded a liar. And Wyman fights back to save her reputation.

One highpoint (noted in another of these reviews) is the brief appearance of William Frawley to present an award to Wyman. She expects it to be in recognition of her magazine work. Instead, it turns out to be an award from "THE LIAR'S CLUB" for best lie of the year.

The film's weakness is that it probes a subject gingerly - probably because it was the first time anyone ever considered it. The subject is government use of "misinformation" to hide activity that it does not wish to advertise at all. In the years since 1949 we are fully aware that all levels of government use misinformation - that they deny events happened or brand witnesses as liars, or frame the witnesses with evidence or other unknown/unexpected witnesses. But here it was limited to Wyman who fights without an assist by her magazine, and Morgan, who does what he can to discredit her, but finds he is falling in love with her.

As an original in tackling this government vice, I mark that the movie is a "6" for being original. But on it's own, based on comic entertainment value, it is lucky to be a "5".

Max takes top honors for this one!

[16mmRay · 6/10 · 21 June 2005]

Okay, it's forgettable fluff but Curtiz at least gives it some pep. Best of the whole magilla is Max Steiner's score. Worst of all is Robert Douglas. What in heaven's name was Warners thinking by casting him in a knockabout farce. He just sinks the whole ship. They were trying to build him up (he played another incongruous role in THE DECISION OF CHRISTOPHER BLAKE) but this was a misstep. He faired MUCH better in ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN and THE FOUNTAINHEAD. They really needed a blowhard comedian (Raymond Walburn, Thurston Hall). Come to think of it, studio regular Sydney Greenstreet would have been perfect. Hmmm... I wonder if Douglas was a substitute. Watson - The Memmos!!

The David Butler unit was doing much better comedies at Warners during this period. But, still, it's worth one look (and listen).

doesn't cut it

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 25 December 2014]

"The Lady Takes a Sailor" from 1949 is a pleasant comedy, but given the cast of Jane Wyman, Dennis Morgan, Eve Arden, and Allyn Joslyn, directed by Michael Curtiz, no less, one expects more.

Jane Wyman as a blonde was vivacious and really popped in the '30s, often as the best friend; once her hair was brunette, she scored as a dramatic actress. She had a terrific singing voice and often chose to do musicals. And like all stars, some of her films were ordinary. This is one of them.

Here Wyman is about 32 (her birth year is given as 1914 or 1917 but actresses often shaved a few years off when they started as a chorus girl, as she did, in which case they were often underage and gave an earlier birth year. It seems that 1917 is correct. Glamorous and attractive, she plays a consumer protection expert, kind of like a walking Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

During a restful day on her boat, it capsizes and she is picked up by Dennis Morgan, who is on a submarine working on a secret scientific mission for the government. Since the info is secret, when she tells her story, no one believes her and her reputation quickly starts going down the drain. In fact, William Frawley of Fred Mertz fame has a funny scene as the rep of The Liar's Club, who wants to give her an award.

The one thing that will prove her story is some photos she took, but the film has been taken from her camera. She launches a mission to steal the film.

The photography in this film is wonderful, but the script falls flat. It's not an ordinary type of film for Curtiz, and he didn't have a strong enough script. Everyone is good, but Dennis Morgan seems like a big jerk most of the time - again, poor writing.

Pretty ordinary fare.

Much better than the previous reviewers would have you think

[richard-1787 · 7/10 · 1 May 2020]

This is an above-average, enjoyable romantic comedy from an era when romantic comedies didn't have to be insufferably cute. Pre-Nora Ephron, pre-Meg Ryan, etc. It features Jane Wyman and Dennis Morgan both in their prime, with a mixture of slapstick and verbal wit that is really very enjoyable.

But there are things about this movie that will bother viewers in 2020, and they merit being addressed. Principally, there is the fact that this movie makes it quite clear women should give up careers for marriage. Eve Arden makes that quite clear when she recalls how she gave up a muscular lug of a guy in order to run her own business. Wyman hands her resignation from an important corporate position in just before Morgan takes her in her arms and seals their forthcoming marriage with a kiss. Yes, it's really as blatant as that, and it will quite understandably offend modern women who want more out of life than just cooking and cleaning for hubby.

But remember that 1) such was the generally held view in America until decades after this movie was made, and 2) such was particularly the view in 1949, when women were being eased out of the once-male work roles they had taken on during the war. That doesn't excuse the attitude in this movie, of course, but it does explain it.

If you can bracket that and watch the movie anyway, you'll find an enjoyable romantic comedy with interesting main characters - and, yes, very stereotypical minor characters. Wyman gets to play a woman with a mind and an education in science, and that isn't something you will find much of in American movies for decades yet to come, outside The Story of Marie and Pierre Curie. And there the brilliant scientific female mind belonged to a foreigner, and so was less threatening. Morgan is at his charming best, which was very charming - think a close runner-up to Errol Flynn and Clark Gable.

If you can accept that you will be in for a "blast from the chauvinistic past" before you start it, you might find you really enjoy this movie.

Charming

[fandomfatale · 7/10 · 20 November 2021]

I'm surprised at the rating and the reviews. I found this very amusing and charming. The romance was the highlight but the comedy wasn't bad at all. I will definitely be watching it again.

Sorry, Lady

[jdsuggs · 4/10 · 14 January 2017]

Romantic comedies usually involve two characters in conflict. To make it work, for starters, they need to be likable, somewhat evenly matched, and in a fun and funny situation. That's why "The Lady Takes A Sailor" doesn't work.

Jane Wyman and Dennis Morgan are in an interesting (not fun or funny) situation: her career and personal reputation- like Aimee Semple McPherson's, a few years earlier- hinge on proving the truth of a wild story behind her brief disappearance, while Morgan's career depends on keeping that truth a military secret. Since Jane is clearly the wronged party- she's shipwrecked, kidnapped, drugged, mocked, and lied to by Morgan- we're rooting for her, but amid mixed messages that she should sacrifice everything for an ungrateful military.

Wyman and Morgan are not equally matched. There's no cleverness (or fun) in their conflict, just a lot of confrontation, in which he effortlessly bullies, stalks, and taunts her. She's a helpless victim and he's basically a cad and a thug.

Morgan's character is therefore totally unlikable, and the idea that he might win this fight, much less get the girl, clouds any fun that this film has to offer. With all that, it hardly matters that the film is completely unfunny, or that the message is (once again) that women don't really need careers when a man- (even a repellent one!)- comes along.

Incidentally, nothing against Wyman, Morgan, director Michael Curtiz, or Eve Arden, who all had fine careers and did excellent work elsewhere.

Bad to worse when it tries to do slapstick

[mdonath · 3/10 · 3 May 2002]

Wyman is fine and Arden does her usual duty, but the rest is an awful mess. The main flaw is very weak plot is all over the place. First we're in Wyman's potentially interesting workplace that, after a big setup, we'll never see again. Then we have the ridiculously stupid underwater tractor where our two leads meet. After that we just have dumb slapstick and unwitty dialogue. The pacing is terrible, nothing makes sense, and there's little chemistry with the love angle. Give it a miss.

Classy-Looking Bore

[glofau · 4/10 · 4 December 2014]

The concept for this romantic comedy is kind of interesting: consumer-protection-expert Jane Wyman gets picked up by submariner Dennis Morgan on a secret mission and finds herself discredited by government misinformation. Wyman and Morgan are charming, ably supported by Allyn Joslyn, Robert Douglas and Eve Arden as comic foils. William Frawley has an amusing bit as the representative of the Liar's Club. Michael Curtiz' direction is efficient, the Max Steiner score is effective and excellent, the production is beautiful and beautifully photographed. Jane Wyman, in particular, is made to look especially glamorous and gorgeous; Eve Arden also looks exceptionally beautiful. These positive elements, however, are torpedoed by a tedious, unfunny script. Maybe the movie could have been better if the secret-mission concept had been more thoughtfully worked out or if the core of the picture had been slightly more "true" to better propel the farce; as it is, the various story elements feel arbitrary and disconnected. For instance, Jane Wyman plays a consumer protection expert, but her expertise has nothing whatsoever to do with the story; the story centers on her fight to regain her ruined reputation. The story is clearly intended to be farcical; why not have Wyman use clever inventions from her business (amusingly presented in the first scene) to fight Dennis Morgan instead of the boring, imagination-free ruses she employs? Morgan, meanwhile, comes off as a womanizing liar for much of the film; is he a hero, or just a jerk? It's difficult to decide. Comedy characters are often idiots, by design, but you need to feel sympathy for them as well; these characters were just off-putting. Between the script problems, and the poorly-motivated slapstick comedy, this movie falls flat. As a rule, I adore fluffy comedies, but this one made me squirm in my seat, thankful at my release once it had ground its way to a conclusion. If you're a fan of any of the principal players or makers, as I am, the film is worth seeing because it has some bright performances (particularly by Eve Arden), clever scoring, and attractive photography. If you're into fashions of the postwar era, this film has some wonderful clothes and hair. For most people, I would say, do yourself a favor and skip this misfire of a film. It's not good enough to be worth your time, nor is it bad enough to be fun. It's just beautiful and kind of annoying, a change-of-pace experiment for Michael Curtiz that doesn't really work. For Completists only.

A cute movie

[style_grrl · 9/10 · 16 April 2002]

This is a very cute classic movie. A woman meets a guy in a very unusual circumstance, however her professional career is on the rocks soon afterwards! I noticed that William Frawley aka Fred Mertz from the "I love Lucy" show makes a quick appearance here. Anyways I would reccomend it for anyone who's into classic movies.

Eve Arden couldn't even save it

[mls4182 · 3/10 · 18 November 2021]

When Jane Dylan is good, she's amazing. She was a wonderful dramatic actress. She also had charm and appeal. Dennis Morgan was a decent actor, as well as handsome and appealing.

Unfortunately, neither of them had a flair for comedy. I mean you really have it or you don't. They also have no chemistry whatsoever.

Usually when this happens they go back and punch up the second lead. It has often been Eve Arden. Unfortunately, her part isn't large enough to save this stink bomb.

I agree...it just misses the mark.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 29 May 2020]

"The Lady Takes a Sailor" is a kooky comedy that I wanted to like...but really didn't. Now I am not saying it's a bad film, after all the story idea is highly creative...but overall the film seemed forced and I agree with one reviewer who says it just misses the mark.

Jennifer (Jane Wyman) is out in her sailboat when the weather turns bad. But this is not her major problem...the problem is that her boat was just sunk by an experimental submarine-tank hybrid that was out being tested. When she later tells folks about it, no one believes her and they think she's mentally ill. so, it's up to her to find the guy from the sub (Dennis Morgan) and get pictures of this craft.

This is an interesting idea....so why did the film leave me a bit cold? I think it's a great case where the film tried so hard to be kooky and silly that it seemed to try too hard and felt contrived. Even more contrived was the love that came completely out of the blue at the end....more formulaic than realistic in any way. Not a great film...but the actors try despite indifferent writing.

Somewhat amusing screwball

[michaeljhuman · 5/10 · 26 December 2014]

I got stuck, in my brain with the constant feeling the government could have admitted that some details were true with a simple statement and come to an agreement with her to eliminate all of the ensuing problems. Which made it a bit hard to solider on watching it

The leading man and lady were both fine. Dialog is strictly average, but delivery of dialog is good.

I very much liked the lady's independent nature and tenacity. It's marred by the standard Hollywood Dislike to love switch that seems to happen quickly and not for very good reasons

Anyway, it's amusing in spots, and mildly interesting to see how it's all going to end so 5/10.

As I personally see this as a bit of a screwball comedy, if you like that sort of thing, you might prefer to watch the movie What's Up Doc, which is better in every way :)