Holy Matrimony

I found this on YT by searching Monty Wooley. Unknown to me, the revelation is Gracie Fields, an established stage actress with few screen roles. John Stahl and Nunnally Johnson were golden age storytellers cranking out a couple solid films a year. Surprised there are no remakes.

"Holy Matrimony" existed for me only as legend for the longest time. My father's friend Bill Gitt (renowned projectionist and elder brother of film preservationist Bob) was a great fan of this and often spoke of it, though I can't recall ever seeing it as a young lad. But I searched long and hard and finally tracked down a DVD of it (not a bad print at all), and it is truly enchanting. Marvelous, marvelous performance by Monty Woolley, in a very understated mood -- those who know him only from "The Man Who Came to Dinner" will, I think, be quite pleasantly surprised by his work here and, from Gracie Fields, a miraculous one. The first time I watched it I thought, well, she doesn't do much. But then I wanted to see it again almost immediately. And it's true, she doesn't do much, but the little things she does are simply exquisite. A great, really subtle performance, not at all played for laughs, but funny all the same. Her delivery of the simple line, "That's it," is a lesson in charming simplicity. John M. Stahl, that strange, almost mythical director, has a marvelous effect on actors (see, for example, Adolphe Menjou in "Letter of Introduction," where he really plays sincerity... well, sincerely): without fancy photography, he seems able to give them an almost mystical radiance. And he has an amazing cast of character actors to work with here: Eric Blore, Una O'Connor, Alan Mowbray, George Zucco, Laird Cregar, Melville Cooper, Ethel Griffies. A superb Nunnally Johnson script (his best?) and an excellent score (Cyril Mockridge) -- typical of Fox films of the 40s and early 50s. A film worth seeking out, one you will want to watch time and again.

This is a virtually flawless little gem. Quiet, perfectly paced.

Actors who do only caricature in most movies - Franklin Pangborn - show that they can actually act here. Eric Blore gets a death scene. Imagine that! Everything just moves on, with a warm charm that never descends into the sentimental, much less the saccharine. The timing is perfect.

It's not witty. It's not particularly clever, though it is certainly humorous at times. You like the main characters, though they certainly have their faults.

I'm starting to repeat myself here to fill enough lines, and I don't want to blather on. But if you get a chance, watch this movie. It's just very well done.

Monty Wooley is British artist Priam Farll in "Holy Matrimony" from 1943.

Farll is a reclusive painter living in a remote area with his manservant, Henry Leek (Franklin Pangborn). The two return to London when Farll is told he is going to receive a knighthood.

Leek, however, becomes ill with pneumonia and dies. When the physician mistakes him for Farll, Farll goes along with it and takes on Leek's identity. This way, he can avoid the knighthood ceremony, which he dreads.

Then Farll receives a letter from one Alice Chalice (Gracie Fields), a widow who has been in correspondence with Leek through a marriage bureau and is expecting to meet him. A complication.

That's a tame complication compared to what's coming. Leek, apparently, was already married (to Una O'Connor) and has two grown sons. She sues for bigamy.

Farll and Chalice marry, and he continues to paint, but that causes problems too. His paintings are being sold as originals, but he was supposedly dead when they were painted.

Amusing film with wonderful performances and a good story. Wooley is great as a stubborn man who is determined to protect his privacy and hold onto the life he has.

Gracie Fields gives a very straightforward, honest performance as the strong Alice. And Franklin Pangborn is his usual delightful self, though we see way too little of him.

This gentle and beautiful comedy has a tone and mood uniquely its own. It is so soft and so gentle that it seems to be made of liquid, and with such a great cast it is a delicious liquid. Monty Woolley and Gracie Fields are wonderful together - they are both such warm and truthful performers. And the entire supporting cast is superb. The script is strong, and the direction finely-tuned. A truly lovely picture.