In Name Only (1939)

Very disappointing...

Lack of good storyline.

Just perfect...

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Shrewdly acted soaper. Usually these weepies milk over-emoting but not here. Grant, Lombard and Francis under-play despite strong feelings, thereby highlighting character rather than emotion. That opening scene at the river is delightful, a great hook. The remainder, however, switches to understated drama. Seems Grant's trapped in a loveless marriage that his influential but misled parents embrace. But when he meets the winsome Lombard, he's smitten. He'd like to divorce the icy Francis and marry Lombard, but remains torn until the conniving wife becomes impossible. However, now Lombard's too wary of his complications to follow through, and wants to take a job in faraway Paris. So what will happen, as if you didn't know.Kay Francis as the ice-queen wife is truly unsettling. With an unblinking stare, a majestic bearing, and a regal wardrobe, she's almost scary. In fact, it's sort of hard seeing how Grant could have fallen for her, except for her deadpan good looks. Note that the star-crossed Lombard remains deglamorized throughout much of the movie. So her rivalry with Francis dwells on personality instead of glamour. That's a tribute, I think, to her ego as an actress. However, except for the river opening and bar scene, Grant's celebrated comedic touch is mostly secondary to his romantic quandary. Still, his innate charm shines through. Anyhow, I didn't recognize Helen Vinson, who plays the cruel Suzanne, but I sure do now. And finally, catch little Peggy Ann Garner as the tyke—given more screen time, she could have stolen the show. Except for the car crash, there's no action to speak of. Still, the talk moves along smoothly enough, without dawdling. Fortunately, fans of the three principal players should find plenty to enjoy, which all in all, amounts to a bigger draw than the rather patchy storyline.

"In Name Only" begins with Carole Lombard trying and failing to fish in a lake. Her fishing line keeps getting tangled in the trees, providing Carole with a few moments of comic frustration. Along comes Cary Grant, dashingly sophisticated, and he begins to flirt with her and picnic lunch. So far, everything is exactly as you would expect.And suddenly the whole movie does a 180. For the rest of this film, Carole Lombard plays her role, as the desperate and frustrated lover of a man who cannot get a divorce from his current wife, completely straight. And although Cary Grant's character is the center of the plot, Lombard shines through as the real star of the movie. In fact, I would suggest that Lombard is absolutely remarkable; this is one of her best. Lombard struggles heroically with her emotions, sometimes asserting her independence from Grant as a sop to her pride, at other times giving in to her desperate love of Grant. But Grant can't give her the commitment she wants, and Lombard can never quite finally decide what to do (until the end). More than any film I have seen, "In Name Only" demonstrates what a fine fine actress Ms. Lombard was.Of course Kay Francis has a very high-profile role here as well, playing one of the most evil and manipulative female roles in black-and-white history. This is the kind of character Joan Crawford specialized in. But whereas Joan's characters usually gave us some reason to be a little sympathetic towards her, Kay is the absolute epitome of selfish despicability. You will absolutely hate her. It is all quite delicious.One great moment to look for is the first time Grant kisses Carole Lombard, up against a rock one night. The camera movement is absolutely gorgeous, and the passion of the moment is exquisite. A great few seconds.The supporting cast is fine, and Kay Francis' mastery and control of those around her is infuriating - and we really wonder how she will finally be defeated. This is a truly satisfying classic from the RKO studios, and I highly recommend it.

Boy meets girl. Boy is married. Girl is widowed with a child. They fall in love, but his wife won't let him have his freedom. She will do anything to hold onto him. That is In Name Only in a nutshell...and what a masterpiece it is. With so many major films released in 1939, it is understandable how a film about 3 people in a grueling triangle can be overlooked. It seems that today, thanks to TCM, so many wonderful moments of screen history may once again be viewed and shared. I can remember as a child seeing this moving film on television. It was wonderful then, and even better now. The years have not left a mark on it. The evil portrayed by Kay Francis, subtle at times, flagrant at others keeps the viewer from feeling this is a sappy soap opera. As good as both Carole Lombard and Cary Grant are in this film, Kay outshines them. It's about time the world once again discovers the merits of Kay Francis. In this movie, she not only steals each scene she is in, but proves herself to have been thoroughly underrated as an actress. She was so much more than just a great beauty or a clotheshorse for the most stunning wardrobes in Hollywood. Try to catch each and every film she made and visit http://www.kayfrancisfilms.com/

In Name Only stars Cary Grant, Carole Lombard & Kay Francis. It's directed by John Cromwell and adapted by Richard Sherman from the novel "Memory of Love" written by Bessie Breuer. Plot finds Grant as Alec Walker who is stuck in a loveless marriage to Maida (Francis). She only married him for money and social standing. One day Alec meets Julie Eden (Lombard) fishing on the lake and they fall in love, but Maida refuses to grant Alec a divorce and the lovers seem fated to never be together.View as a romantic melodrama with the odd light touch and you shouldn't be disappointed in this very professional production. The film was originally planned as the fourth pairing between Grant & Katharine Hepburn. But Hepburn had severed her ties with RKO after the fall out from "Bringing Up Baby" (a flop on release that helped create the ridiculous notion of her being box office poison). In came Lombard who wasn't actually that keen to do the picture. Massively popular at the time, she had just married Clark Cable and was looking to spend more time at home. However, money and contracts talk, and Lombard got a tremendous deal that included profit percentages and top billing. This annoyed Grant who then threatened to quit the picture, but after some renegotiation's and haggling the film thankfully got made with Grant & Lombard in place.Director John Cromwell was coming off his hit movie "Made for Each Other" with Lombard & James Stewart in the lead roles. In Name Only is not a million miles away from that picture in tone and story telling. It's a fine movie, a three-star romantic triangle piece that thematically is a time capsule from a time when attitudes to fidelity and divorce were vastly different than today. But thanks to the emotional depth from Lombard and a delicious bitch turn from Francis, the film is able to hold its own in any decade. Of course having Grant handsomely nestling between these two polar opposite pillars of sexuality is also a selling point. Audience reaction was mixed, understandably so. Lombard & Grant between them had done some fast and popular comedy movies in the 30s, so for many the tone of this film was unexpected. However, the film was a commercial hit for RKO and it stands up as a good reference point to the merits of Lombard & Francis' dramatic worth. Grant would appease the screwball lovers the following year with the quite brilliant "His Girl Friday" for Howard Hawks.A film to warm the cockles of your heart on a blustery winters day, In Name Only is recommended to romantic drama fans. 7/10