This Man Is Mine

A young married couple (Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy) have their union threatened when his old girlfriend (Constance Cummings) shows up freshly after having gotten a divorce. The wife's friend (Kay Johnson) provides moral support and tries to look out for her.

Despite a decent premise and the three strong female actors who all perform well in their roles, the way the story plays out is bound to irritate modern viewers, say what you will about it providing a window into the time period. The film is only 76 minutes long so while maddening, it's somewhat forgivable that the husband's head is completely turned so quickly, despite his saintly wife being so tolerant of his less than ideal nature (among other things, he jokes that she's getting fat early on). And there is a moment where she asserts herself and begins playing hardball with him and his old girlfriend, one that looked promising, but unfortunately it doesn't last.

The ending is disappointing as hell but not too surprising, and I wouldn't have actively disliked the film as much as I did for it alone, but two quotes capture aspects that sent it over the edge for me:

1. On the husband's adultery, from her friend: "Look here, Tony. You'll see Jim through pneumonia, typhoid, or even something as loathsome as smallpox, wouldn't you? ... Well, Fran is sort of a cross between a tidal wave and a smallpox epidemic, but she'll pass."

2. On a woman's black eye, from the wife: "How lovely. But I think it highly probable that every now and again Romeo took a little poke at Juliet."

The first emphasizes the central message of the film, that a wife should simply endure her husband's infidelity because it's natural. Nothing at all is said about her own sexual desires, because she's cast in the role of the saint, whereas the "other woman," the man-eating Cummings, is a devil. In this respect, this pre-Code film feels more like something from the Production Code era (and indeed, despite the indiscretion of staying out late with the girlfriend, the film explains that they haven't actually had sex, which certainly looks like it has Joseph Breen's fingerprints on it). The second quote has a woman explaining away a man's violence to another woman, that it's natural and sometimes called for, which is difficult to stomach.

There are other little annoying bits, such as the husband saying that the wife has psychologically projected her issues with her mother onto the whole thing, and this is clearly the film's view as well. Bellamy's character is just so damn unlikeable, but his meanness, adultery, violence, and gaslighting are all given such a cloak of respectability. It's a shame, because seeing Irene Dunne sing, Kay Johnson dole out world-weary advice, and Constance Cummings manipulate everyone around her made for some entertaining moments.

This film was described as a comedy on the cable station listing, and with a cast that includes those great screwball stars Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy (see "The Awful Truth"), I expected a light and zany marital farce. Far from it. Despite the nonstop string of quips, clever insults, and arch comments, this film is at its core a rather cynical and serious take on the institution of marriage. Given that it was directed by John Cromwell, I guess I should have anticipated that there'd be something more substantial lurking under the glossy comic veneer.

Things start straying from the formula-comedy path in the very first scene. When hubby Ralph talks to his doting wife Irene, the expected marital banter soon devolves into a rather distasteful display of selfish rudeness on his part. There's not the slightest glimpse of any qualities that would make his wife so devoted to him. His subsequent behavior with old flame Constance Cummings stamps him indelibly as a cad and a fool. Still, I expected him to come to his senses after one night's infidelity and do something noble to win back Irene. But he kept on behaving like such a louse that I found myself rooting for her not to take him back.... even though I knew this was not likely to happen in a Hollywood film from this era, especially when the couple in question had a child.

Another noteworthy departure from the standard-issue Hollywood formula is the affair between bad-girl Constance Cummings' character and the character portrayed by Sidney Blackmer. It's made quite explicit that she had picked him up under disreputable circumstances and that they have some sort of kinky relationship going on. Blackmer manages to show us a man who is suave, creepy, and admirable in one package.(He may behave amorally, but at least he's honest about it.)

Meanwhile, I was surprised and delighted to hear two strong, intelligent, independent-minded female characters (Irene Dunne's and Kay Johnson's) expressing some rather enlightened ideas about marriage and womanhood. No doubt this had something to do with the fact that both the screenplay and the play upon which it was based were written by women. As the film progressed, I began to hope for something truly revolutionary: that Irene would dump her unworthy husband even if he decided to return to her. If I'm not mistaken, she looks like she's not completely surrendering to him in the final clinch that closes the film. The ending is not the definitive feminist statement I was hoping for, but it's just ambiguous enough to leave the door open for that sort of interpretation if you're inclined to see it that way. It's a great illustration of how "Pre-Code" signifies much more than overt sexuality and "immoral" behavior; had "This Man Is Mine" been made just one year later, there's no doubt Irene would have pulled the noble self-sacrifice routine to win back her boorish husband, if only for the sake of their child.

This is an original, deftly-written film that keeps you guessing throughout. I appreciated the attention given to creating interesting, complex characters—even the minor ones have distinctive personalities and quirks. And hooray to the scriptwriter, director, and Ralph Bellamy for not trying to show in the end that his character is a great guy underneath it all! Performances by just about the entire cast are nuanced and compelling, with the three leading ladies meriting special praise.

Those who view this film as a lesser version of "The Women" are I think missing the point.... there's a lot more going on here than the bitchy (albeit well-written) catfights. Give it another look and see if you agree.

IRENE DUNNE may have had a blossoming film career that led to much better things in the '40s, but her early '30s films were potboilers and this sophisticated comedy among the idle rich is one of them.

It's a thin comedy about a catty woman who threatens the happiness of IRENE DUNNE and RALPH BELLAMY, coming between them to the point where Dunne is all ready to sue for divorce until the woman (CONSTANCE CUMMINGS) turns to SIDNEY BLACKMER for her marriage partner. The script is full of catty one-liners but none of it is worthy of Dunne's presence. She did much better with screwball comedy material that came later.

A serious waste of time with a weak first half-hour that only picks up steam when Constance Cummings enters the scene. Ralph Bellamy is a bore as a bumbling husband in one of his rare leading man roles.

Summing up: Only for serious Irene Dunne fans.

There are three terrific women's roles in this nifty little comedy/drama that stars Irene Dunne as a loving wife whose husband (Ralph Bellamy) gets involved with an old girlfriend (Constance Cummings). There's nothing new in the plot here, but the dialog is sharp, funny (catty), and fast paced. Dunne is super and gets to show off her comic and musical talents as well as her dramatic chops. Cummings is wonderful as the bitch girlfriend who uses men like Kleenex. Bellamy is solid in a rare starring role as the dumb-cluck husband. Kay Johnson (the star of early DeMille talkies) has a great role as the droll neighbor. Sidney Blackmer is terrific as a smarmy boyfriend Cummings is stringing along. Charles Starrett (usually seen in Westerns), Vivian Tobin, and Louis Mason are good in support. But what really lifts This Man Is Mine a cut above other women's pictures of the day is the stingingly funny dialog among the three female stars. It's a total joy to watch Dunne, Cummings, and Johnson snap and claw at each other in a vein similar to The Women and First Lady (an underrated Kay Francis comedy). I still think Irene Dunne may have been the most versatile actress of the 1930s, and gorgeous Constance Cummings should have been a much bigger star. This film is not to be missed!

Irene Dunne plays Chopin and Hoagy Carmichael, paints landscapes, and has a toddler by husband Ralph Bellamy, whom she loves. Along comes Constance Cummings. She used to be engaged to Bellamy -- presumably before Miss Dunne married him -- and had abandoned him. She proceeds to wrap him around her finger and makes Bellamy ask his wife for a divorce.

This looks like it snuck in just before the Code descended on Hollywood, and while it starts off treacly and annoying as you wonder how Bellamy can fall for Miss Cummings' BS again, by the third act you accept that he's a fool. That's because Miss Dunne has decided to give him a divorce, but in New York State, where the only grounds are infidelity, and while Miss Collier enjoys taking other women's husbands from them, she doesn't think it polite for anyone to mention it. There's also the fun of Charles Starrett called up to act, and doing a decent job of it under the direction of John Cromwell, and Sidney Blackmer, before he became typecast, as a smug brute.

It's the sort of film I don't much care for, and it takes a while to get moving. However, by the end of it, it's a lot of fun.