Theodora Goes Wild (1936)

Undescribable Perfection

Absolutely the worst movie.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Even though this is Lynnsburg Connecticut and not River City Iowa, you'll be tempted to break into a chorus of "Pick a Little, Talk a Little" every time the old biddies of the town's literary committee pick up their party lines either to gossip or listen. You see, one of their own is the author of a scandalous novel that they've been trying to get condemned, and once she has enough of them running her life with their babbity provinciality, she tells them off, leaves for New York, and really gives them something to gossip about."She" is Theodora Lynn (Irene Dunne), the seemingly sweet church organist who is followed by one of the representatives (Melvyn Douglas) of the publishing firm her book was released through, threatening to blow her goody two-shoes image out of the water for good. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and she turns the tables on him and his upper-crust family. Once Dunne comes out of her shell, she dresses up in outrageous feathered outfits, is named in divorce suits and shows up for a town function with a baby. You really want to see these clucking hens choke on their metamusil once they find out a thing or two or get caught in a vindictive spread of mostly unsubstantiated rumors.Dunne is the whole show and her transition to comedy after musical dramas (like "Sweet Adeline" and "Show Boat") and weepers is the surprise of 1936. She's got a good sparring partner in the whistling Melvyn Douglas. Elisabeth Risdon and Margaret McWade display overly proper dignity with authoritative superiority with Spring Byington the town's big gossip, a flibbertigibbet that is delightfully hypocritical, one of those "church lady" types that needs more time in confession than on the phone. A superb screenplay burlesques the ridiculousness of both small town societies of the 1930's and church lady community groups altogether, reminding audiences comically about the viciousness and destructiveness of "the tongue" and the wages of sin that go with it.

All hell breaks loose when a woman in a small, conservative New England town writes a steamy best-seller under a pseudonym. Although described as such, it is not really a screwball comedy. The comic potential of the premise is never fully mined, but it is entertaining enough, thanks to the appeal and chemistry of the two stars. Although she had previously eschewed comedies, Dunne shows herself to be a deft comedienne and would go on to have more success in the genre. Douglas is charming as usual as a book illustrator who threatens to expose her secret while harboring a secret of his own. Sadly, Boleslawski directed only one more film after this before his untimely death at 47.

Irene Dunne plays Theodora, a straight-laced young woman living with her two spinster aunts in a prudish small town, who just happens to be the secret author of a scandalous and best-selling series of romance novels. When the illustrator for her books, played by the always engaging Melvyn Douglas, figures out her secret, he blackmails her into giving him a job as gardener just so he can be close to her. When the town's gossip mongers become too much to bear, and Douglas takes off after her declaration of love, Theodora decides she's tired of being straight-laced and goes wild.Dunne and Douglas have a lot of chemistry in this, and even if the movie overall doesn't make much sense (what screwball romance ever did?), the two of them keep it fun and energetic. I'm not sure Dunne's performance warranted the Oscar nomination she received, and I don't know what in the world the Academy was thinking to nominate the movie for its editing, but it's a solid comedy from the old days.Grade: B+

As a fan of Irene Dunne's, and not having managed to catch up with Theodora Goes Wild, I was looking forward to finally getting to see this movie after having read the lavish praise heaped on it on this site. Having said that, I have to admit that while, yes, it was amusing, it was very much of a one-note idea that was stretched very thin. Dunne, as always, was at the top of her form and her talents in all departments were very much on display. What did let the movie down was a weak script and an irritatingly hammy performance by the usually reliable Melvyn Douglas. One only has to look at Ninotchka to see how good he can be when his comedy acting has a serious side to it. His character in Theodora Goes Wild was just too silly to be believable. The smalltown sequences were charming in their way but after a while became tedious with repetition. Thomas Mitchell's scenes (as editor of the local newspaper) were rip-roaring first class, which made one want for more. Would I recommend this movie? Yes, if you're a fan of Irene Dunne's and want to watch her comedic talents at work. Several postings on this site have recommended The Awful Truth as a must-see. Well, yes, if you're a Dunne fan but here again there are moments when the script sags and both Dunne and Cary Grant, both consummate professionals, are skating on very thin ice, pulling the movie onward through sheer force of personality. If you really want to see Irene Dunne at her very, very best then you should catch her in the much better written My Favorite Wife, or Love Affair, both infinitely superior to their later remakes. In these two movies her talents REALLY soar!