Tonight's Movie: He Married His Wife (1940)

HE MARRIED HIS WIFE is a fairly dull divorce comedy. It starts promisingly enough, as Joel McCrea and Nancy Kelly celebrate the first anniversary of their divorce with dinner and dancing, but the film soon sinks into far too much talk about alimony and horse racing. The four screenwriters and two story writers in the opening credits were perhaps a bad sign...the film attempts to be a breezy screwball comedy but instead it comes off as a lot of talking that doesn't go anywhere.

In a nutshell, the plot finds McCrea, tired of paying ex-wife Kelly alimony, seeking to marry her off to another man, with predictable results. The film picks up the comedic pace in the final 15 or 20 minutes, but it's not enough to salvage the movie.

McCrea has always been one of my favorite actors, and I've also enjoyed Nancy Kelly in films such as FRONTIER MARSHAL and JESSE JAMES. Kelly plays her role overly broadly and isn't a very sympathetic character, and McCrea doesn't have much to do but complain. I have to assess this movie as one of their minor efforts.

Cesar Romero breathes some welcome life into the movie when he comes on screen. The supporting cast also includes Roland Young, Mary Boland, and Elisha Cook, Jr. The film was directed by Roy Del Ruth. It was filmed in black and white and runs 83 minutes.

It's not available on VHS or DVD, but can be seen on cable as part of the Fox Movie Channel library.