Cary Grant reportedly had little faith in this film, and wanted to quit the project, but it came to garner six Oscar nominations and earned the Best Director statuette for director Leo McCarey.
Thanks to McCarey, "The Awful Truth" is a comedy gem. With a running time of only 1.5 hours, it is packed with funniness. This is due in large part to McCarey's sense of comedy, his ability to retain control over the editing process, and the way he improved the script throughout filming. Also, it certainly didn't hurt that he had worked with Laurel and Hardy, whose physical style of humor translates well on Cary Grant. For another example of his comedy chops, check out "Ruggles of Red Gap".
Grant plays Jerry Warriner, husband to Lucy Warriner (Irene Dunne). They have a breezy, free-wheeling marriage that heads for divorce when they suspect each other of indiscretions. They go to court to determine custody of the dog, Mr. Smith (Skippy, who most viewers will recognize as Asta in "The Thin Man") then go their separate ways. Except they somehow keep bumping into each other.
Despite Grant's misgivings about the production, he is his usual, charming self. Dunne is delightful in return. In one scene, she pretends to be Jerry's uncultured sister as a means of embarrassing him before a genteel assemblage. Watching the two of them together is like watching a master class in comedy---under the expert tutelage of Mr. McCarey, of course.
Ralph Bellamy plays an Oklahoma oilman and rancher who has the expressive personality of a cowboy in a drawing room. Alexander D'Arcy plays Armand, Lucy's suggestively suave vocal instructor. And Cecil Cunningham is Lucys' Aunt Patsy, who tries to help the couple steer a sensible course through the stormy waters of matrimonial disunion. Bellamy and Dunne received Oscar nominations.
Thanks to McCarey, "The Awful Truth" is a comedy gem. With a running time of only 1.5 hours, it is packed with funniness. This is due in large part to McCarey's sense of comedy, his ability to retain control over the editing process, and the way he improved the script throughout filming. Also, it certainly didn't hurt that he had worked with Laurel and Hardy, whose physical style of humor translates well on Cary Grant. For another example of his comedy chops, check out "Ruggles of Red Gap".
Grant plays Jerry Warriner, husband to Lucy Warriner (Irene Dunne). They have a breezy, free-wheeling marriage that heads for divorce when they suspect each other of indiscretions. They go to court to determine custody of the dog, Mr. Smith (Skippy, who most viewers will recognize as Asta in "The Thin Man") then go their separate ways. Except they somehow keep bumping into each other.
Despite Grant's misgivings about the production, he is his usual, charming self. Dunne is delightful in return. In one scene, she pretends to be Jerry's uncultured sister as a means of embarrassing him before a genteel assemblage. Watching the two of them together is like watching a master class in comedy---under the expert tutelage of Mr. McCarey, of course.
Ralph Bellamy plays an Oklahoma oilman and rancher who has the expressive personality of a cowboy in a drawing room. Alexander D'Arcy plays Armand, Lucy's suggestively suave vocal instructor. And Cecil Cunningham is Lucys' Aunt Patsy, who tries to help the couple steer a sensible course through the stormy waters of matrimonial disunion. Bellamy and Dunne received Oscar nominations.