Tonight's Movie: The Trouble With Women (1947)

THE TROUBLE WITH WOMEN has a rather silly plot yet is quite entertaining, thanks to a fine cast headed by Ray Milland.

Milland is charming as Gilbert Sedley, an innocent professor -- he's apparently been isolated working in the Orient too long -- who is baffled by his strong reactions to a young newspaper reporter, Kate Farrell (Teresa Wright). Why does he think of Niagara Falls whenever he's around her? Gilbert's determined to figure it out, which naturally means he should be with her whenever possible...jotting down notes about all his mysterious reactions to being in Kate's company.

The plot is some silliness about Gilbert having written psychology textbooks with controversial views on women. Gilbert is forced to file a lawsuit against a newspaper, there's an attempt to blackmail Gilbert into dropping the suit, and eventually Gilbert's job is on the line. It's all just an excuse for the cast to have a good time in two favorite comedy settings, a newspaper office and a college campus. It's an enjoyable 80 minutes.

Wright is appealing as the leading lady, and Brian Donlevy is roguishly delightful as her perenially broke newspaper editor boss, who'd like to marry Kate himself.

The supporting cast is filled with familiar faces, starting with Lloyd Bridges in a small role as a newspaper employee. Other character actors in the film include Rose Hobart, Iris Adrian, Norma Varden, Frank Ferguson, Dorothy Adams, Mary Field, Rhys Williams, Byron Foulger, Edward Gargan, Robert Middlemass, and Nestor Paiva. The little boy on the train in the opening sequence is played by Jimmy Hawkins, who was one of the Bailey children in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946).

THE TROUBLE WITH WOMEN was directed by Sidney Lanfield, whose other comedies included the very enjoyable STANDING ROOM ONLY (1944).

This Paramount film may be hard to track down, but fans of the three leads will find it worth the effort.