To build a marriage on the promise of no passion for three months is like praying for a snowless winter on the north Atlantic. But that's the only way that Rosalind Russell will agree to marry Melvyn Douglas, and it's not going to be easy for either. A witty script helps this along, especially through the verbal squabbles of their friends Allyn Joslyn and Gloria Dickson, knife inserting viciousness on both sides that ignites more passions than celibate nights of boring dinners and talk about the troubled tomatoes in the garden. When Douglas makes business associates incorrectly believe that Russell is pregnant, it creates more conflict at a high society dinner party.
This is just the type of screwball comedy that William Powell and Myrna Loy were famous for, but plus the sex, a word that is never uttered yet constantly implied. The cleverness of the set-up dispels the absurdities of the no contact agreement, and it's fun to watch the overheated Douglas warm Roz up, only to foul up and cool her down very quickly. But she heats up at just the wrong moment, providing some hysterically funny situations. Some of them are very close to situations of the man-less sex farce, "The Women", the classic comedy that proved how adept that Russell was at comedy.
There's a great supporting cast, among them Binnie Barnes, Gloria Holden and Lee J. Cobb. Sig Arno adds droll humor as Douglas's valet. A great rivalry is set up between Dickson and Barnes, with Dickson starting a delicious cat fight. Douglas has it in for the gossipy Holden, referring to the former "Dracula's Daughter" as a witch traveling by broom. While not as well known as other comedy director, Alexander Hall proves himself adept at sophisticated comedy, having helmed the screwball comedy "The Awful Truth" and guiding Douglas in several very funny screwball comedies with Joan Blondell. For some reason, Columbia films outside their major classics have remained undiscovered by all but collectors, and are more than overdue for discovery.
This is just the type of screwball comedy that William Powell and Myrna Loy were famous for, but plus the sex, a word that is never uttered yet constantly implied. The cleverness of the set-up dispels the absurdities of the no contact agreement, and it's fun to watch the overheated Douglas warm Roz up, only to foul up and cool her down very quickly. But she heats up at just the wrong moment, providing some hysterically funny situations. Some of them are very close to situations of the man-less sex farce, "The Women", the classic comedy that proved how adept that Russell was at comedy.
There's a great supporting cast, among them Binnie Barnes, Gloria Holden and Lee J. Cobb. Sig Arno adds droll humor as Douglas's valet. A great rivalry is set up between Dickson and Barnes, with Dickson starting a delicious cat fight. Douglas has it in for the gossipy Holden, referring to the former "Dracula's Daughter" as a witch traveling by broom. While not as well known as other comedy director, Alexander Hall proves himself adept at sophisticated comedy, having helmed the screwball comedy "The Awful Truth" and guiding Douglas in several very funny screwball comedies with Joan Blondell. For some reason, Columbia films outside their major classics have remained undiscovered by all but collectors, and are more than overdue for discovery.