MR. AND MRS. SMITH

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 106, 4 July 1941, Page 16

MR. AND MRS. SMITH

(RKO Radio)

ERE is another clever comedy, this time with Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery in the leading roles. Mr. and Mrs. Smith

(no relation to the Washington Smiths)" are a young couple who, even as you and I once did, try to make their mar-

Triage as perfect as possible by adhering in times of inevitable domestic upheaval to a set of rules. There is, for instance, one very important rule which states that in the case of a quarrel, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Smith may leave the room until it is made up. This rule is naturallly a rather awkward one and has been responsible for several contretemps but fortunately Mr. Smith possesses a very accommodating and understanding business partner (Gene Raymond) who makes allowance for such crises, even when, as on one occasion, hostilities kept Mr. Smith at home for eight days. The film begins in the midst of such a quarrel and it is in the reconciliation which follows that Mrs. Smith (as wives will!) puts the fateful question: "If you were free again, would you marry me?" and instantly reminds her spouse of Rule 7--" Always Speak the Truth to One Another." -And so, when Mr. Smith replies, truthfully but tactlessly, "I love you, darling, but, no, I wouldn’t," the plot begins to take shape. Because when (Continued on next page)

FILM REVIEWS (Continued from previous page) he finally arrives at work a gentleman waits upon him to tell him that owing to a geographical cum typographical error he and Mrs. Smith are not legally married and never have been, and returns him the two dollars that he paid for his "marriage" licence. With this minor sidelight on the legal complications of life in the U.S., I can leave the stage set and leave you to enjoy the story at first hand. Carole Lombard is in her element as Mrs. Smith and it is difficult to tell whether it is her clowning or Alfred Hitchcock’s direction that is responsible for so many clever and amusing scenes. Montgomery is at his best but it is Lombard’s picture. I must confess, though, that for me the surprise of the evening was Gene Raymond. He has, as they say in the U.S. " matoored" and has become so much a dyed-in-the-wool actor that I didn’t at first recognise him, The fact that, with dark hair, he appeared to be literally dyed-in-the-wool probably helped to mystify me. There was one delightful sequence when he and Montgomery indulged in some mutual back-slapping and here Raymond’s clever timing was quite worthy of Olivier himself. One scene did jar a little on me, when Carole Lombard seized handfuls of snow and rubbed them ecstatically (but carefully) over her face. Years ago, Garbo did the same thing much better in Queen Christina, and for a more practical reason, and Miss Lombard lost somewhat in the comparison. However, you will remember innumerable clever touches when you have forgotten this rather awkward moment; you will remember Montgomery being shaved, the cat that wouldn’t eat the soup, the under-the-table scene at breakfast with Carole Lombard’s bare feet tucked up the legs of her husband’s trousers, and a dozen others. I think you will like. Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I certainly did.