The same year Rosalind Russell made the funny "marital" comedy Hired Wife and Melvyn Douglas made the hilarious "marital" comedy Third Finger, Left Hand, they teamed up for another "marital" comedy: This Thing Called Love. With a plot that's both dated and timeless, Roz stars as a magazine writer with a theory she wants to write about. Her editor will only allow it if she puts into practice, and the only way to put it into practice is to implement it in her own life. What's the theory? That marriages end in divorce because couples haven't put in the time of getting to know each other outside the bedroom. She argues that if newlyweds spent the first three months of their lives together without having sex, the foundation will be much stronger in the long term. What's the catch? Her fiancé Melvyn Douglas has no idea of her plan! And he's been anxiously awaiting their wedding night.
You can imagine the hilarity of this battle of the sexes as Mel tries to get her into bed and Roz tries to get out of bed, all within the strict confines of the Hays Production Code. There's also a fantastic sequence that's straight out of a Fraser episode, in which a dinner party goes drastically wrong at the newlyweds' honeymoon cabin. Roz's sister is mad at her husband for having an affair with his secretary, and when all three arrive, it's chaos. Melvyn's prospective client, Lee J. Cobb (in another over-the-top Italian role), will only sign on the dotted line if Mel proves himself to be an established family man. So, in a moment of panic, Mel, his business partner (Roz's brother-in-law) and secretary (the femme fatale), lie and say that Roz is pregnant - hence the sudden marriage. Only, they warn Lee not to let on that he knows, since Roz has to hide her pregnancy from her boss (also coming to dinner) since he doesn't like children. Upon meeting the boss, Lee doesn't bother with formalities. Instead of, "Nice to meet you," he blurts out, "And what do you think the world would be like without children?" If you have the time to catch your breath in between bouts of laughter, you can absolutely imagine this story played out on the stage in its original form.
I absolutely recommend this one, especially if you like old-fashioned sex comedies that say a lot without saying anything. It's thoroughly entertaining, and a perfect example of the escapism humor of the time period. With two actors with impeccable comic timing in the leads, it's a cinch they'll keep you laughing from start to finish.
