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| Vivacious Lady - 1938 |
Coming up next we have 1938's "Vivacious Lady", a story about a serious college professor who falls in love and marries a New York nightclub singer after a whirlwind romance. When he brings her home to meet his family, telling them about his new wife might not be as easy as it seems.
The film's cast includes Ginger Rogers, James Stewart, James Ellison, Beulah Bondi, Charles Coburn, Frances Mercer, Jack Carson, Hattie McDaniel, Franklin Pangborn, and Grady Sutton.
While on a trip to New York to fetch his profligate cousin Keith, botany professor Peter Morgan meets nightclub singer Francey. She captivates him with a performance of "You'll Be Reminded Of Me".
They spend the rest of the night talking and getting to know one another. Peter apologizes for talking so much, telling Francey that he wants to make an impression. She says she'd like to make an impression, too. Peter replies, "You speak for yourself, and very eloquently, too!"
After a whirlwind romance, the two get married. Francey gives up life in New York and they head to Old Sharon, where Peter teaches botany at the university. Francey asks him what a professor's wife does, and Peter replies, "Oh, mostly just keep the professor happy. That's all."
Their happiness is interrupted at the train station when Peter's father and his "fiancée" arrive to greet him. Peter's cousin Keith quickly whisks Francey away so that Peter can tell his father about his marriage. Before she goes, Francey gets a good look at Peter's intended bride, Helen. Peter isn't serious about her. Helen is somebody his father picked out for him.
At a college dance, Peter tells Francey that he is going to tell his parents about their marriage that night and everything will be okay.
While waiting for Peter in the powder room, Francey inadvertently meets his mother. The two bond over a forbidden cigarette. (Peter's mother feigns heart trouble and isn't allowed to smoke.) The two women seem to like each other a great deal.
When Mrs. Morgan is called back to the party, maid Hattie has to remind her to "snuff out that snipe." After she goes, Hattie tells Francey, "If my husband wouldn't let me smoke, I'd find a way to get me a husband that would."
Francey's response shocks Hattie to the core. She stares wide-eyed in disbelief as Francey makes her way back to the dance.
Before she can meet Peter's parents, Francey has a showdown with Helen. "Now are you going to mind your own business, or must I really give you a piece of my mind?" asks Helen. "Oh, I couldn't take the last piece," Francey quips back.
With that, the battle royale is on. Hair pulling, slapping, kicking, and a pin in the patoot all happens right when Peter's father arrives on the scene. "Don't you think it's a little rough?" he asks his son.
Eventually, Peter confesses that Francey is his wife, which makes his father furious.
However, Mrs. Morgan has the complete opposite reaction. She goes to see Francey and is genuinely glad that she is now a part of the family.
When Keith arrives for a visit, he gets Francey to show Mrs. Morgan the dance steps to the "Big Apple". They get busy shuffling, doing the Susie Q, dropping the apple, and praising Allah. Mr. Morgan arrives and can't believe what his wife is up to. When the party disbands, he tells Francey that the best thing would be for her to give Peter up and leave town. Eventually, she decides that quick divorce might be better for all involved. However, Mrs. Morgan opposes her husband vehemently.
Upon hearing that Francey is leaving him, Peter decides to blacken his name in order for his father to think that Francey is too good for him. He gets drunk and prepares to teach a class in front of his father and a potential university donor. The result is hilarious. The donor can't keep a straight face, though Mr. Morgan is mortified at his son's behavior.
After class is dismissed, Peter gives his father a lesson in being a good husband, which makes his dad think twice about the way he's treated his own wife.
With his father's blessing, Peter and Francey are free to be together and begin their married life out of the shadows.
Cast rundown:
Ginger Rogers............................Francey Morgan
James Stewart...........................Prof. Peter Morgan
James Ellison.............................Keith Morgan
Beulah Bondi.............................Mrs. Morgan
Charles Coburn..........................Peter Morgan Sr.
Frances Mercer...........................Helen
Jack Carson...............................Charlie
Hattie McDaniel..........................Hattie
Franklin Pangborn.......................Apartment Manager
Grady Sutton.............................Culpepper
And that's all for Vivacious Lady. At the time, Ginger Rogers' legs were insured for $500,000. To save them from injury during the fight scene at the dance, her legs were strapped with boards and padded for protection. Rogers was cast first, and she recommended James Stewart, whom she was dating at the time, for the role opposite her.
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