Casanova Brown

As a professor on the verge of matrimony for a second time, Cooper (the unlikely Casanova here) learns he's become a new father, by his ex-wife Isabel (Teresa Wright). He wants to find out the truth for himself so visits the hospital directly. One thing leads to another and he decides to kidnap the baby, with mostly awkward and hilarious results.

I like Frank Morgan in this movie as he tries to be the practical observer and adviser. He shines with his usual wit and bumbling charm.

Cooper, being the 'outside parent' makes an interesting remark at one point about fatherhood, that men can be fine leaders and do great things but can't be considered capable enough to raise a child, all of which goes to show the roles society dictated then and even now.

This is amusing entertainment without going overboard on comedy.

Casanova Brown (1944)

A not-so-screwball comedy, but a comedy, based on the solid writing of Nunnally Johnson. The idea is a really 1940s one: can a man raise a baby? Throw in a leading man who is so thrown by his dilemma he marries or almost marries three women (all in the same room at one point), and so on and so on.

Cary Cooper is the superstar, and he's his usual likable but slightly dull (restrained) self, and he might not be the best for the role, but in a way that's the point, that the man is clumsy and awkward about anything maternal. The cast around him is terrific, including Frank Morgan (who was the wizard in The Wizard of Oz). And the third star, Teresa Wright, is her predictably sweet and perky self, once she arrives on the scene.

It's a zany plot, for sure, and if it drags a little sometimes, or is just a bit corny, that's part of it. The convergence of the various people who are at odds with each other without knowing it is almost inevitable, but when it happens it clicks. And Frank Morgan is key, more than anyone. The photography might not seem to matter in a film that is so plot heavy, and so insane, but in fact the cinematography by John Seitz is really superb, and helps make the thing hold together.

If you watch the first twenty minutes you'll know whether to watch the rest. I really think some people will find this too old fashioned in its humor, and a little to contrived and silly, too. But others will be glad for the non-stop absurdity, for the nice filming, and for the almost surreal strangeness of events.

This one gets a lot of flak for being simply ridiculous--and I can see why--but if you come with a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief you will enjoy it.

A case in point--a cigarette butt ends up burning an entire house--which some viewers might see as over-the-top but I thought was simply laugh-out-loud hilarious. There are other laugh-out-loud moments for me too, but the movie nosedives when the Gary Cooper character kidnaps his own baby: he's a college professor and is unable to understand the rate of growth of a newborn baby? Seriously stretches credulity, but watch it for Gary Cooper and the earnest Teresa Wright.

For a lighthearted comedy as described, the subjects are quite serious, a man sees his short intense relationship with his fiancée end very suddenly because the introduction to his future mother-in-law does not exactly go smoothly, to put it mildly.

That is a kind of flashback by the way because in the meantime he already has a new relationship, one in which he is going to get married tomorrow.

But when he finds out that his ex has just given birth to a daughter and that she wants to give the child up for adoption, he more or less kidnaps the child.

His current girlfriend is very easily pushed aside as filler and that results in a strangely unbalanced film, it is also strange to see how fathers then were already seen at that time as people who actually had little right to their child while mothers were already considered to be the rightful owners for the upbringing .

There are a lot of negative reviews for this movie. But I have to disagree with most of them. While it is not the best movie you will ever see it is not as bad as everyone says it is. Gary Cooper is one of his lovable characters that he always is. While sure nowadays this movie would seem almost criminal but the movie not meant to be taken seriously it is a comedy. There is no amazing performances or outstanding direction. But their is something lovable about Cooper's character. I saw a review once that said this was a pathetic attempt at screwball comedy. Well I have to say that is a little harsh I can think of at least 5-10 movies that are worse at screwball comedies than this. So in my opinion don't skip this one you might just enjoy it.