The Lady Is Willing, from 1942, is a romantic comedy starring Marlene Dietrich and Fred MacMurray. While the film is primarily a light romantic comedy, it does have a few dramatic moments, and I even found myself getting slightly misty-eyed at one point.
Marlene Dietrich plays Elizabeth Madden, an unmarried stage actress with financial problems. As the film begins, Elizabeth arrives home at her posh apartment, a baby in her arms. The baby had been abandoned, so Elizabeth took her, fully intending to adopt her. When she calls in Dr. Corey McBain (Fred MacMurray) to examine the child, she discovers that the dressed-in-pink child isn't a girl after all. No matter, though...Elizabeth still wants the child and sets out to adopt him.
Adopting the little one isn't as easy as Elizabeth had hoped or expected, though. It seems that all her debt is working against her. According to the court, Elizabeth must either be solvent or married in order to make the baby hers. Since becoming solvent isn't easily accomplished, she must locate a husband...and Dr. McBain fits the bill nicely.
Elizabeth and Dr. McBain's marriage is supposed to be a marriage of convenience. Will it stay that way? What happens when Elizabeth's leading man kisses her? What happens when a couple shows up, claiming to be the baby's real parents? And what about the sudden presence of Dr. McBain's ex-wife? These are the questions that will play out in this delightful film.
The Lady Is Willing is totally predictable, but it's also completely sweet and adorable. I found myself smiling through the entire film and commenting over and over how much I was enjoying it. As a side note, I will mention that I'm not a huge Marlene Dietrich fan; while I don't hate her, I just don't consider myself a fan of hers. Despite that, though, I enjoyed this film immensely and really found Dietrich to be delightful in her role. This is a film I will watch over and over. Definitely, highly recommended!
While I don't believe the film is out on DVD, I know it is available through You Tube. Try to catch it there or on TCM. Happy viewing!
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011
2 comments:
There are many wonderful blogs out there in blogland---and so little time to read them all. Therefore, I am truly humbled that you took the time to not only stop by my little place in the blogosphere, but to share your thoughts as well. Thank you for visiting...and for commenting. I hope your visit here was enjoyable and that you will return again soon.
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You have posted many reviews to movies, I have not yet seen. Thank you for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteOh, Dawn, you are most welcome. While I do have alot of favorite films that I've watched over and over again, I DO love discovering some of those hidden gems.
ReplyDeleteThis one, TCM aired on Marlene Dietrich's day during Summer Under the Stars. Since I'm not a huge fan of hers, I almost didn't even look to see which of her movies they were showing. But I decided to check out the schedule for her day, and this one sounded adorable to me, so I decided to record it.
I don't think I've ever seen Marlene looking so lovely. And Fred MacMurray was definitely quite the handsome guy. They were a very cute couple.