Four Lesser Known Cary Grant Movies

Today is the 120th anniversary of Cary Grant's birth. In his honour, then, I thought I would list my four favourite, lesser known Cary Grant movies. By "lesser known" I mean that the average person is not likely to have heard of them. I trust that most film buffs have not only heard of these four movies, but have seen them as well.

The Awful Truth (1937): Whenever I think of Cary Grant's leading ladies, it is Irene Dunne who is the first to come to mind. Much of this is due to The Awful Truth, which is one of my all-time favourite Cary Grant movies. In The Awful Truth, Jerry Warriner (Cary Grant) and Lucy Warriner (Irene Dunne) decide to divorce after suspecting each other of infidelity. As it turns out, they find it difficult to let each other go. The Awful Truth blends physical comedy, one-liners, and great characterization in what is possibly the perfect screwball comedy. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are perfectly matched and have excellent chemistry together. As to Miss Dunne, she plays a character that is both intelligent and fun-loving. As to Mr. Grant, an argument can be made that The Awful Truth is the first film featuring Cary Grant as most of us have come to think of him, sophisticated yet mischievous.

Holiday (1938): Holiday is not as well as Bringing Up Baby (1938) or The Philadelphia Story (1940), two other films starring Cary Grant and Katarine Hepburn, but it really should be. In Holiday Cary Grant plays Johnny Case, a self-made man about to marry a wealthy socialite, only to find his plans complicated after he meets her sister, Linda Seton (Katharine Hepburn). Holiday is particularly effective as a criticism of amassing large amounts of money simply for the sake of amassing large amounts of money, as well as an effective comedy and romance. Both Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn are in top form in the movie.

Mr. Lucky (1943): Mr. Lucky finds Cary Grant playing a gambler and conman who operates a gambling ship who has an attack of conscience when he falls for a charity worker (Laraine Day). Cary Grant gives an excellent performance as Joe "the Greek" Adams, who starts having second thoughts about his chosen profession. Laraine Day is also excellent as Dorothy Bryant, the charity worker and socialite who falls for Joe despite her better judgement. It would be a mistake to think of Mr. Lucky as simply another romantic comedy, as there is so much more going on in the film.

My Favorite Wife (1940): My Favorite Wife once more pairs Irene Dunne with Cary Grant. This time Irene Dunne plays a woman, Ellen Arden, who is shipwrecked on an island for many years. In that time she is declared legally dead so that her husband, Nick Arden (Cary Grant) can marry another woman, Bianca Bates (Gail Patrick). As it turns out, Ellen is rescued from the island, which complicates things considerably. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne have their usual chemistry and are in top form. Gail Patrick, who so often played the other woman, also does a great job playing Louisa. Along with The Awful Truth, it is one of Cary Grant's best comedies.