''Blonde Fever'' is a 1944 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Richard Whorf Richard Whorf (June 4, 1906 – December 14, 1966) was an American actor, writer and film director. Life and acting career Whorf was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah (née Lee) Whorf. His older brother was linguist Benjamin Le ...

and starring

Philip Dorn Philip Dorn (born Hein van der Niet; 30 September 1901 – 9 May 1975), sometimes billed as Frits van Dongen (his screen name for German films prior to World War II), was a Dutch American actor who had a career in Hollywood. He was best kno ...

Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...

Felix Bressart Felix Bressart (March 2, 1892 – March 17, 1949) was a German-American actor of stage and screen. Life and career Bressart (pronounced "BRESS-ert") was born in East Prussia, Germany (now part of Russia). His acting debut came in 1914 as Malvo ...

Gloria Grahame Gloria Grahame Hallward (November 28, 1923 – October 5, 1981) was an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. She began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in ''It's a Wond ...

. It is also known as ''Autumn Fever''.

Plot

Peter Donay (

) is the not-so-happy owner of the Café Donay, which is a fancy roadside establishment somewhere between

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

and Lake Tahoe in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. His marriage is not what it should be, and he has a

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

addiction. One day, he meets nightclub waitress Sally Murfin (

), who is a lot more interested in Peter's money and business than in anything else. Peter’s wife, Delilah (

), knows about her husband's love affair and is determined to get rid of Sally by tricking her into believing that there is no money to be had from Peter by telling Sally about the gambling and lying about the business being poor. Her plan does not work, so Delilah tries to split them up by hiring Sally’s beau Freddie Bilson (

Marshall Thompson James Marshall Thompson (November 27, 1925 – May 18, 1992) was an American film and television actor. Early years Thompson was born in Peoria, Illinois. He and his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Laurence B. Thompson, moved to California when he was a ...

) as a waiter and letting him stay above their garage. Her plan goes to waste when Sally overhears that Peter is the winner of $40,000 in a lottery. Now Sally is more determined to lay her hands on Peter. Sally's advances on Peter makes Freddie very jealous. Eventually, Freddie pulls a gun on Peter and threatens to shoot him. Peter confesses that he and Sally are in love and going to get married. Delilah asks Peter for a

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

, asking him for the winning lottery ticket as her settlement. Peter refuses at first, but eventually he gives in and gives her the money. Full of regret, he then tells Sally’s friend Johnny about his mistake, and that he wants his wife back. Sally is outraged when she hears about the settlement and is more interested in Freddie, now that Delilah has bought him a new motorcycle. Sally disappears with Freddie, and Peter begs his wife Delilah for forgiveness, and gets it. It turns out she was bluffing about divorcing and leaving him all along, when her suitcase opens as they kiss and make up, revealing that it is empty.

Cast

as Peter Donay *

as Delilah Donay *

as Johnny *

as Sally Murfin *

as Freddie Bilson *

Curt Bois Curt Bois (born Kurt Boas; April 5, 1901 – December 25, 1991) was a German actor with a career spanning over 80 years. He is best remembered for his performances as the pickpocket in ''Casablanca'' (1942) and the poet Homer in ''Wings of Desi ...

as Brillon *

Elisabeth Risdon Elisabeth Risdon (born Daisy Cartwright Risdon; 26 April 1887 – 20 December 1958) was an English film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1913 and 1952. A beauty in her youth, she usually played in society parts. In later ...

as Mrs. Talford * Arthur Walsh as Willie *

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British-American actress. Tandy appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe ...

as diner at inn (uncredited) *

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor and writer. Early life Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn, Sr., was a businessman and ...

diner at inn (uncredited)

External links

* *{{TCMDb title, 69060 1944 films 1944 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films American films based on plays Films based on works by Ferenc Molnár Films directed by Richard Whorf Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films scored by Nathaniel Shilkret 1940s American films