Casanova Brown (4 stars)

Casanova Brown, from 1944, is the second pairing of Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright.  Their first pairing was in The Pride of the Yankees (5 stars from me) in 1942, and they had great chemistry together there. Here in Casanova Brown, which is a rather slapstick comedy, they also work great together.

On the eve of his wedding to Madge, Casanova (Cass) Brown (Coop) receives a letter from a maternity hospital in Chicago.  After first dismissing the letter as nothing more than an advertisement or perhaps a mistake, Cass begins to question whether there is more to the situation than he's aware of.  He relates to his future father-in-law (fabulously played by Frank Morgan) of how the previous fall, on a trip to New York, he had met lovely Isabel Drury (Teresa Wright), had a whirlwind romance with her and gotten married.  However, her parents didn't approve of Cass due to the fact that the "stars weren't in the right alignment on the day of his birth"...thus, they annulled the marriage, and Cass left New York, once again a single man.  (The scene where Isabel's parents disapprove of the marriage is very slapstick...and quite entertaining.)

Unsure if his and Isabel's one night together resulted in pregnancy, Cass decides that he must respond to the letter from the maternity hospital, so he heads off to Chicago before ever marrying Madge.  After consulting with the doctor, he discovers that Isabel did, in fact, have a child and that she intends to put the child up for adoption.  Cass, however, refuses to allow his baby to be "given to strangers," so he kidnaps the baby from the hospital nursery and hides out with her in a nearby hotel.

Although Cass has zero knowledge about how to take care of a baby, he is determined to try.  And he is just as determined to not be discovered by Isabel or the doctor.  It's a series of comical moments---and alot of fun---watching the new daddy in action.

As I said, this movie is often slapstick, but this crazy-about-Coop gal finds it completely and totally delightful.  It's really Coop's show; although Teresa Wright gets second billing, you don't see all that much of her.  Frank Morgan actually gets more screen time than Teresa does...and he's quite hilarious.

Anyhow, this cute but silly movie is out on DVD and should be readily available.  Also, it's on Net Flix in their "instant viewing" inventory.  Hope y'all get a chance to see it.

Happy viewing!!