''John Loves Mary'' is a 1949

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 o ...

directed by David Butler and written by

Henry Ephron Henry Ephron (May 26, 1911 – September 6, 1992) was an American playwright, screenwriter and film producer who often worked with his wife, Phoebe (née Wolkind). He was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s. Ea ...

and

Phoebe Ephron Phoebe Ephron (née Wolkind; January 26, 1914 – October 13, 1971) was an American playwright and screenwriter, who often worked with Henry Ephron, her husband, whom she wed in 1934. Ephron was born in New York City to Louis and Kate (née ...

. The film stars

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, Patricia Neal and Jack Carson. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 19, 1949. It's based on a Broadway play of the same name written by

Norman Krasna Norman Krasna (November 7, 1909 – November 1, 1984) was an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and film director who penned screwball comedies centered on a case of mistaken identity. Krasna directed three films during a forty-year ca ...

, which ran from February 4, 1947, to February 7, 1948, at the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance ...

and

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, the Music Box Theatre was designed by C. Howard Crane in a Palladian-inspir ...

in New York City.

Plot

John Lawrence (

) is a returning GI. Mary McKinley ( Patricia Neal, in her film debut) is the woman he left behind. But their reunion will have to wait: John has returned with English war bride Lilly Herbish ( Virginia Field) in tow. It seems that John married Lilly as a favor to get her into the U.S., intending to go to Reno, Nevada and divorce her so that she can wed her true love, John's old pal Fred Taylor ( Jack Carson). The plan is complicated by the unexpected arrival of Mary's parents, Senator James McKinley ( Edward Arnold) and his wife Phyllis ( Katharine Alexander). When John asks for the blessing of Mary's father to wed her, the senator insists that the wedding be held immediately. Later, John learns that Fred is already married and that his wife is expecting a baby. John and Fred then come up with a scheme to put off John's wedding until he can get a divorce from Lilly. Fred pays off their former lieutenant, Victor O'Leary ( Wayne Morris), to don his old uniform and pretend to order John to go to Reno on some Army business. The next day, Mary is so distraught at the thought of delaying the wedding that she insists her father use his political connections to get John out of his assignment. When John refuses to accept any special treatment, Mary leaves along with her parents. While they are gone, Lilly arrives and discovers that Fred already is married. Mary tries again to get John out of his assignment by asking General Biddle (

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

) to intervene, but John again refuses any such help. Mary becomes convinced that John does not love her and breaks off the engagement, forcing John to come clean and admit to the entire scheme. Lilly then reveals that she was married to Victor, but had received a letter purporting to be from his mother claiming that he had died from double pneumonia. An unwilling, and inebriated Victor is reunited with Lilly, and since Lilly's marriage to John is invalid he is free to wed Mary.

Cast

as John Lawrence * Patricia Neal as Mary McKinley * Jack Carson as Fred Taylor * Wayne Morris as Lt. Victor O'Leary * Edward Arnold as Sen. James McKinley * Virginia Field as Lilly Herbish * Katharine Alexander as Phyllis McKinley *

as Gen. Biddle * Ernest Cossart as Oscar Dugan

Original play

The play was directed by Josh Logan who called it "very light but terribly funny". He was introduced to it by Leland Hayward who was unable to produce it himself. Logan invested the play in partnership with Rodgers and Hammerstein, whom he invited in to thank them for ''Annie Get Your Gun''. The play received good reviews — Logan said "Krasna had written and constructed a brilliant piece of machinery; I had simply staged it. Because of my admiration for him, a guilt set in that kept me from enjoying my success. I began to drink a bit."

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''The New York Times'' wrote a negative review of the film, finding that it "does not have the natural spontaneity nor the artificial smoothness of the play. Something has been subtracted in the transmission to the screen, and this time 'John Loves Mary' carries neither conviction nor charm." ''Variety'', however, called it "a punchy laugh-getter ... Pacing of David Butler's direction is very sharp, whipping the laughs together in rapid-fire order as the visual and verbal gags are brought on. It's good fun, even at its silliest, with a minimum of sagging moments." ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' declared, "A highly amusing romantic comedy-farce ... The story itself is thin and improbable, but these weaknesses are more than overcome by the many comical farcical situations that will keep audiences laughing throughout." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' wrote: "This film is good largely because of its witty and humorous dialogue. The portrayals are good, and Ronald Reagan and Jack Carson are amusing." John McCarten of ''The New Yorker'' called it "a thin war comedy on the stage and it's even thinner as a movie."

References

Notes

External links

* * * * *
1953 ''Best Plays'' radio adaptation of original play
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Review of play
at Variety {{Norman Krasna 1949 films Films directed by David Butler American black-and-white films American films based on plays Warner Bros. films 1949 musical comedy films 1949 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films 1940s romantic musical films Films scored by David Buttolph 1940s English-language films 1940s American films