Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: An Innocent Affair

Wonderland Burlesque's

Down The Rabbit Hole:

An Innocent Affair

On occasion I come across a film I feel noteworthy. Today's is a choice bit of romantic situational comedy from 1948, the rather charming An Innocent Affair. 

An Innocent Affair

(1948)

AKA: Don't Trust Your Husband, Under Suspicion

This American comedy was directed by Lloyd Bacon, written by Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman, and stars Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Rita Johnson, Louise Allbritton and Alan Mowbray. 

Advertising man Vincent Doane is assigned to land Margot Fraser's perfume account. Anxious that his wife Paula might become jealous, he tells her that the account is with a Mr. Fraser. Paula becomes suspicious and plays a trick on Vincent. She hires an actor to pretend to be a gigolo who is interested in her, but she does not know that Vincent knows about the ruse. Business tycoon Claude Kimball is mistaken for the gigolo and is ensnared in the Doanes' schemes. Big accounts are landed, promotions given, and divorce papers are served. Needless to say, sophisticated hilarity ensues.

Fred MacMurray is a very smart cookie. He bought the story from writers Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman and then sold it to Nasser Productions for $75,000, returning him a large profit. MacMurray was paid more than $150,000 for his role in the film and also received a percentage of its profits. And don't worry about Breslow and Hoffman; based on the positive buzz from preview audiences, they got a whopping $100,000 for their next screenplay, which was supposed to reunite the cast of this film and serve as a sequel. But, unfortunately, it never got made.

Norma Shearer and Myrna Loy were considered for the role of Paula Doane. And production was delayed due to the late arrival of Madeline Carroll. Note: Madeline Carroll, a British actress, was, at the height of her fame in 1938, the highest paid actress in the world. 

Buddy Rogers received ballroom dance lessons from none other than Arthur Murray for the film.

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Thomas M. Pryor wrote: "Perhaps the writers didn't try hard enough, or perhaps this picture represents their level best, but, in any case, the truth of the matter is that the merriment is spread rather thin and unevenly. 'Bounce' is what this farcical excursion lacks."

And those are the basics, now here's my two cents: 

Now, I couldn't disagree more with Mr. Pryor; I found the whole affair absolutely charming. While it has the feel of 1950's situational television comedy, the posh urban setting and sweeping nightlife push it up a few notches and while not Noel Coward, it certainly passes muster in the wit department. 

The couple live in a penthouse apartment, to die for, with his divorcee sister. MacMurray's performance offers few surprises, especially if you know his work opposite Paulette Goddard (whom I'm surprised wasn't offered the role played by Carroll - or Rosalind Russell, for that matter), but he's as serviceable as ever. Carroll's droll British sensibility brings quite a bit of allure to proceedings, as does Rita Johnson as MacMurray's sadder-but-wiser sister. The latter two make for a great team, with Johnson serving as the voice of common sense usually provided by a servant or cook in these kind of movies (think: Marjorie Main, Thelma Ritter, Mary Wickes, and Margaret Hamilton). Charles "Buddy" Rogers makes for a lovely, under-played southern gentleman, while Louise Allbritton brings the perfect haughty beauty to her role as scheming ex-fiancée. The costumes are flamboyant and fetching and the sets perfectly capture the era of night club life; it's the New York City I wish I could visit!

You can see this film in its entirety for free on YouTube (and the print I watched was of very good quality). 

If you're a fan of the era and vintage romantic situational comedies, I urge you to take a look. I think you'll be very pleased.

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