FORGOTTEN FLICKS – ‘THE AWFUL TRUTH’
by Bethany Joy Galeotti
I’m a sucker for Cary Grant and those sad eyes, cleft chin, high-waisted pants and that “so ve-ry par-tic-u-lar wa-ay of tawl-king”. So, it’s no surprise that one of his less-remembered (by my generation anyway) films is my first entry for “Forgotten Flicks”.
THE AWFUL TRUTH, co-starring starring the hilarious and comedically ahead-of-her-time Irene Dunne, is based on the play from 1922 by Arthur Richman and is a story we’ve seen many times over since A Midsummer Night’s Dream… couple marries, divorces and gets married to each other again… but the on-screen chemistry between Grant & Dunne pos-i-ti-vely oozes through the black and white. There’s also a dog called Mr. Smith of whom our couple has joint custody, bringing them back together day in and day out while they both try and spoil the other’s new-found rebound romances. And then there’s the actress playing Dunne’s Aunt Patty and I don’t know who she is but she’s super saucy for 1937. On top of all this, Irene Dunne’s wardrobe is to die for.
I’m not a big fan of the poster (below) — it looks a little fluffy for the smart comedy The Awful Truth actually is, but I figured you ought to know what you’re looking for if you go rent it.
This is definitely one of those flicks to curl up on the couch and pay attention to. The comedy is in all the unwritten moments, so if you are just half-way watching you’ll probably be bored. And it’s probably funnier to watch with another person… even better with a date (if you can find a guy these days who won’t roll his eyes at the idea of a black & white movie).
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