''The Feminine Touch'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by

W.S. Van Dyke Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Francis ...

, and starring

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...

and

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which ...

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Plot

College professor John Hathaway (

) is writing a book about jealousy, and how he doesn't believe in it. He isn't the least bit perturbed, for example, when his lovely wife Julie (

) is the object of desire in the eyes of the school's football star, Rubber Legs Ryan ( Gordon Jones). John goes to New York to meet with publisher Elliott Morgan (

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...

), and meets associate Nellie Woods ( Kay Francis), who loves Elliott, but can't get him to commit. Elliott is infatuated with John's wife Julie, but after a while, he realizes that she is faithful to her husband. Julie, though, continues to be irked at John's complete lack of jealousy. A misunderstanding leads to John being placed under arrest. Elliott's failure to help him or to contact lawyer Freddie Bond, as promised, is maddening to Julie, who wants John to knock his block off. She also catches John and Nellie in an embrace, and turns red with jealous rage, which puzzles John because they were merely celebrating his book sale. Nellie's threat to quit finally gets Elliott to propose, but one day, John finally explodes and strikes him, which leads to a fight between the two women, too. By the time a total stranger calls his wife "sugar" on the street, John is ready to come up swinging.

Cast

as Julie Hathaway *

as Prof. John Hathaway * Kay Francis as Nellie Woods *

as Elliott Morgan *

Donald Meek Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903. Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films '' You Can't ...

as Capt. Makepeace Liveright * Gordon Jones as Rubber-Legs Ryan *

Henry Daniell Charles Henry Pywell Daniell (5 March 1894 – 31 October 1963) was an English actor who had a long career in the United States on stage and in cinema. He came to prominence for his portrayal of villainous roles in films such as '' Camille'' (1 ...

as Shelley Mason *

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, t ...

as Freddie Bond * Grant Mitchell as Dean Hutchinson * David Clyde as Brighton *

Julie Gibson Julie Gibson (born Gladys Camille Soray; September 6, 1913 – October 2, 2019) was an American singer and radio, television and film actress who had a career in movies during the 1940s. Gibson, who retired from the industry in 1984, was known ...

sings "I'm Jealous"

References

External links

* * * *
''The Feminine Touch''
at Kay Francis Films 1941 films 1940s screwball comedy films American screwball comedy films American black-and-white films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke Films set in New York (state) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz 1941 comedy films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{1940s-comedy-film-stub