''An Innocent Affair'' is a 1948 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage, and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director, he made films in numerous genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, and c ...

and written by Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman. The film stars

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

, Madeleine Carroll, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Rita Johnson, Louise Allbritton and

Alan Mowbray Alan Mowbray MM (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood. Early life Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army ...

. It was released on October 15, 1948 by

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the film was released under the title ''Don't Trust Your Husband''.

Plot

Advertising man Vincent Doane is assigned to land Margot Fraser's perfume account. Anxious that his wife Paula might become jealous, he tells her that the account is with a Mr. Fraser. Paula becomes suspicious and plays a trick on Vincent. She hires an actor to pretend to be a gigolo who is interested in her, but she does not know that Vincent knows about the ruse. Business tycoon Claude Kimball is mistaken for the gigolo and is ensnared in the Doanes' schemes. Vincent is shocked when Claude arranges for a multimillion-dollar tobacco account to come his way. Paula demands a divorce during the confusion, convinced that Vincent has been having an affair with Margot. At a train station, Margot slaps Paula, who finally realizes that her husband has been faithful to her all along.

Cast

as Vincent Doane * Madeleine Carroll as Paula Doane * Charles "Buddy" Rogers as Claude Kimball (as Chas. "Buddy" Rogers) * Rita Johnson as Eve Lawrence * Louise Allbritton as Margot Fraser *

as Ken St. Clair * Michael Romanoff as Venetian Room

Maître d'hôtel The ; ), head waiter, host, waiter captain, or ''maître d'' ( , ) manages the public part, or "front of the house", of a formal restaurant. The responsibilities of a ''maître d'hôtel'' generally include supervising the waiting staff, welcom ...

(as Mike Romanoff) * Pierre Watkin as T.D. Hendricks * William Tannen as Gaylord * James Seay as Lester Burnley * Matt McHugh as Ted Burke * Marie Blake as Hilda *Susan Miller as Venetian Room Vocalist * Anne Nagel as Gladys *Eddie Le Baron as Venetian Room Orchestra Leader *Jane Weeks as Dori

Production

bought the story from writers Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman and then sold it to Nasser Productions for $75,000, returning him a large profit. MacMurray was paid more than $150,000 for his role in the film and also received a percentage of its profits. Norma Shearer and

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. As a performer, she was known for her ability to adapt to her screen partner's acting style. Born in Helena, Monta ...

were considered for the role of Paula Doane. Nasser Productions made a lucrative offer to Italian conductor

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

to compose the film's music but eventually hired Hans J. Salter. Buddy Rogers received ballroom dance lessons from

Arthur Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman; April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

for the film. Filming was delayed by the late arrival of Madeleine Carroll but began on March 15, 1948. After positive preview screenings, producer James Nasser purchased another comedy script written by Breslow and Hoffman titled ''You Made Me Love You'' for $100,000. Nasser intended the project as a sequel of sorts to ''An Innocent Affair'', with director

, Rogers, MacMurray and Carroll returning, but the film did not materialize.

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic Thomas M. Pryor wrote: "Perhaps the writers didn't try hard enough, or perhaps this picture represents their level best, but, in any case, the truth of the matter is that the merriment is spread rather thin and unevenly. 'Bounce' is what this farcical excursion lacks."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Innocent Affair, An 1948 films American black-and-white films United Artists films 1948 comedy films American comedy films Films directed by Lloyd Bacon Films scored by Hans J. Salter 1940s English-language films 1940s American films