That Wonderful Urge, from 1948, is a fun little romantic comedy starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney. It is a remake of the 1937 film Love Is News, which also stars Power, along with Loretta Young. I haven't seen the original film, but I am definitely going to put it on my "must watch" list, just to see how much difference there is between the two films.
News reporter Thomas Jefferson Tyler (Power) has been having a field day writing scathing articles about grocery store heiress, Sara Farley (Tierney). With his stories being tabloid in nature, Tyler has succeeded in raising the ire of the heiress; therefore, when on vacation in Sun Valley, Sara meets a small-town newspaperman who wants to write an article about her in rebuttal to Tyler's stories, she is all too willing to open herself up to him. What Sara doesn't realize, though, is that the supposed "small-town newspaperman" is none other than Tom Tyler himself, and his real intent is not to refute the previous stories, but to gather more information to expound on them.
Things don't go quite as planned, however, because, after meeting Sara, Tom has second thoughts about putting a negative spin on her. Additionally, Sara discovers Tom's true identity, and, furious, she decides to get even with him by telling the press that she and Tyler were married while in Sun Valley. After the story of their "marriage" goes public, Tom finds himself in trouble with his employer and his girlfriend, and though he tries, he cannot get Sara to retract the story. Eventually, Tom determines that his best bet is to play along like he is her husband---her very hillbilly, goober-eating, embarrassing husband, who is insisting on his marital rights. Now will Sara back down and recant her story? Does she even want to? More importantly, does Tom want her to?
Yes, this film is totally predictable (as most romantic comedies are), but it's definitely cute and loads of fun. The acting is nothing spectacular, but Tyrone Power is incredibly handsome and Gene Tierney is utterly beautiful, so looking at them both is a delight in itself. Plus, they were great together, which really made for an enjoyable hour and a half.
The film is out on DVD (with the original 1937 version); plus, it is available in its entirety on YouTube (HERE). Happy viewing!!
