Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Swanson, Desi Arnaz, John Howard, with Helen Broderick and Florence Rice star in "Father Takes a Wife," from 1941.
Much is made of the fact in this film that shipping magnate Frederick Osborne Sr. (Menjou) is marrying a much younger woman in the famous actress Leslie Collier (Swanson). We see him exercising and doing different things to try and stay young. In truth, Menjou was around 50-51 when this movie was made, and Swanson was around 42. Not much of an age difference.
Fred Jr. (Howard) is shocked and worried -- dad has a temper, is used to getting his way, and Leslie, alas, is the same way. In fact they quarrel immediately before and after the wedding.
Their honeymoon is a sea voyage, and Fred meets Carlos (Desi Arnaz), who is a stowaway, going to New York to make it as a singer. Fred takes pity on him and wants him to stay with him and Leslie at their home.
When Leslie hears this, she hits the ceiling. Fred is thinking that since Leslie promised to quit acting, helping Carlos in show business will give her the attention she has always had. She says no.
When she is introduced to Carlos, suddenly she's all smiles and insisting he stay with them. Carlos has his own floor but he still manages to drive them insane singing the same passages over and over as he prepares for his debut, arranged by Leslie. Between the singing and the lack of attention from Leslie, Fred Sr. leaves and goes to his son's home.
Junior and Enid decide to let Carlos stay with them. Father and son then get together and decide they need to somehow have Carlos' career take place elsewhere.
I actually enjoyed the Desi Arnaz sequences the best. They were very funny. Carlos is first off, a complete egomaniac, and his rehearsals would drive anyone insane.
Swanson is very good, but this really isn't much of a story for her. She doesn't come off as Fred's young wife at all and for me, her performance was more of a stage performance.
Menjou also was very good, but I felt they made an odd couple. Each would have done better with someone else playing their spouse. For Menjou, maybe Claudette Colbert, who was 39 at the time but less aggressive; and for Swanson, perhaps Edward Arnold, who would have been funny exercising etc.
Worth seeing especially for Swanson. There are certainly opportunities to see her on film, but not a heck of a lot, and she usually played more exotic roles. This is a chance to see her in something slightly different.
