Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

SHE WOULDN'T SAY YES


SHE WOULDN'T SAY YES (1945). Director: Alexander Hall.

Dr. Susan Lane (Rosalind Russell) is a psychiatrist who has no time for love or marriage. Her father, the other Dr. Lane (Charles Winninger) has his own reasons for wanting her to marry. Michael Kent (Lee Bowman), a cartoonist, becomes one of Susan's patients, but he's more interested in romancing her. And Allura (Adele Jergens), whose lovers all die, is more interested in romancing Michael. Who cares? This presents an outrageous situation in which a man somehow marries a woman without her even knowing she got married! Percy Kilbride, Sara Haden, and Mary Treen all try to liven things up, but this is pretty much a dated dog. Carl "Alfafa" Switzer is a delivery boy. Mantan Moreland is supposed to be in this, too, but I didn't spot him. The lead performances are more than adequate. At one point Haden thinks that Bowman and Winninger are going to marry each other, with the expected reaction. [Did I say this was dated?]

Verdict: Rosalind doesn't need a man but gets one anyway. **.

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