''Perfect Strangers'', also released as ''Too Dangerous to Love'' in some territories, is a 1950 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by

Bretaigne Windust Ernest Bretaigne Windust (January 20, 1906 – March 19, 1960) was a United States–based, French-born theater, film and television director. Early life Windust was born in Paris, the son of English violin virtuoso Ernest Joseph Windust and ...

.''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' film review; March 1, 1950, page 6.''

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 publish ...

'' film review; March 4, 1950, page 35. Edith Sommer wrote the screenplay from an adaptation written by

George Oppenheimer George Seligman Oppenheimer (February 7, 1900 in New York City – August 14, 1977) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and journalist. Career In 1925, Oppenheimer cofounded The Viking Press, but becoming more interested in writing than p ...

, based on the 1939 play ''

Ladies and Gentlemen Ladies and Gentlemen may refer to: * Ladies and gentlemen (salutation), a common introductory phrase Film and television * ''Ladies & Gentlemen'' (2015 film), an Indian Telugu-language film * ''Ladies & Gentlemen'' (TV series), a 2021 Bangla ...

'' by

Charles MacArthur Charles Gordon MacArthur (November 5, 1895 – April 21, 1956) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and 1935 winner of the Academy Award for Best Story. Life and career MacArthur was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the sixth of seven ch ...

and

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...

. The film stars

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

and

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner; December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one ob ...

as two jurors who fall in love while sequestered during a murder trial.

Thelma Ritter Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American character actor, character actress who, known for her strong New York City English, New York City accent, diminutive size, and plain look, favored working-class roles. She ear ...

, Margalo Gillmore, and

Anthony Ross Anthony Ross (born Rosenthal, February 23, 1909 – October 26, 1955) was an American character actor whose career extended to Broadway stage, television and film. Born in New York City, Ross was the son of Charles M. Rosenthal and Cora S. Rose ...

co-star in supporting roles. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

on March 24, 1950, and received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Terry Scott (

), who is separated from her husband, and unhappily married David Campbell (

), the father of two children, meet when they are selected to serve on the jury of the Los Angeles trial of Ernest Craig (

Ford Rainey Ford Rainey (August 8, 1908 – July 25, 2005) was an American film, stage, and television actor.Myrna Oliver ''Los Angeles Times'', July 26, 2005. Early life Rainey was born in Mountain Home, Idaho, the son of Vyrna (née Kinkade), a teacher, ...

). The defendant is charged with murdering his wife when she refused to grant him a divorce. David attempts to get out of being a juror. Terry Scott attempts to persuade the rest of the jury that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty. While sequestered during the lengthy proceedings, Terry and David get to know each other and fall in love. Some dramatic tension is added to the plot by juror Isobel Bradford ( Margalo Gillmore), a snobby

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

who tries to sway the panel to vote for the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. Due to the mix of personalities, and cramped quarters, other tensions, some comical, arise between the fellow jurors.

Cast

as Theresa "Terry" Scott *

as David Campbell *

as Lena Fassler * Margalo Gillmore as Mrs. Isobel Bradford *

as Robert "Bob" Fisher *

Howard Freeman Howard Freeman (December 9, 1899 – December 11, 1967) was an American actor of the early 20th century, and film and television actor of the 1940s through the 1960s. Biography Freeman was born in Helena, Montana, and began working as ...

as Arthur Timkin *

Alan Reed Alan Reed (born Herbert Theodore Bergman; August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on ''The Flintstones'' and various spinoff series. He also appeared in many films, includin ...

as Harry Patullo *

Paul Ford Paul Ford Weaver (November 2, 1901 – April 12, 1976) was an American character actor and comedian, comedic actor who came to specialize in portraying authority figures whose ineptitude and pompous demeanor were played for comic effect, notabl ...

as Judge Byron *

Harry Bellaver Harry Bellaver (born Enricho Bellaver; February 12, 1905 – August 8, 1993) was an American stage, film, and television actor who appeared in many roles from the 1930s through the 1980s. Early years Bellaver was born in Hillsboro, Illinois, the ...

as Bailiff *

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the television ...

as Lester Hubley * Frank Conlan as John Brokaw * Charles Meredith as Lyle Pettijohn *

Marjorie Bennett Marjorie Bennett (15 January 1896 – 14 June 1982) was an Australian actress who worked mainly in the United States. She began her acting career during the silent film era. Early life Bennett was born in York in Western Australia. Her sis ...

as Mrs. Moore *

Edith Evanson Edith Evanson ( ''Carlson''; April 29, 1896 – November 29, 1980) was an American character actress of film, stage and television during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Life and career She was born Edith Carlson in Tacoma, Washington."Coinciden ...

as Mary Travers *

Sumner Getchell Sumner Getchell (October 20, 1906 – September 21, 1990) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1926 and 1953. He was born in Oakland, California, and died in Sebastopol, California. His last role was as Lie ...

as John Simon Unbilled (in order of appearance) *

as Ernest Craig *

Whit Bissell Whitner Nutting Bissell (October 25, 1909 – March 5, 1996) was an American character actor. Early life Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell and Helen Nutting Bissell. He was educated at the Allen-S ...

as Defense attorney *

Ned Glass Nusyn "Ned" Glass (April 1, 1906 – June 15, 1984) was a Polish-born American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television more than one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly, or deceitful characters. ...

as O'Hanlon *

Creighton Hale Creighton Hale (born Patrick Wills Fitzgerald; May 24, 1882 – August 9, 1965) was an Irish-American theatre, film, and television actor whose career extended more than a half-century, from the early 1900s to the end of the 1950s. Career Hale ...

as Reporter *

Frank Marlowe Frank Marlowe (born Frank Marlowe Riggi; January 20, 1904 – March 30, 1964), also known as Frank Riggi and Frank Marlo, was an American character actor from the 1930s until the 1960s. During Marlowe's 30-year career he would appear in ov ...

as Reporter *

Frank Cady Frank Randolph Cady (September 8, 1915 – June 8, 2012) was an American actor best known for his role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three American television series during the 1960s – '' Petticoat Junction'', '' Green Acres'', and ...

as Geologist * Isabel Withers * Weldon Heyburn

Production

Production on the film took place from late June to early August 1949. The film marked a reunion between Rogers and Morgan, who had previously co-starred together as lovers in the highly successful '' Kitty Foyle''; since that pairing, Rogers had notably become a free agent in Hollywood. Margalo Gillmore was a friend of ''Ladies and Gentleman'' writers Hecht and MacArthur.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. In his review in ''

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 ...

'',

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 some ...

described the film as "modest entertainment" of which "the limits of plausibility are unmistakably stretched"; The romance elements were negatively reviewed, a much different reception than the Rogers/Morgan pairing had received for ''Kitty Foyle''. A review for ''Rotarian'' magazine said the storyline "lacks motivation and hence will not claim much of your sympathy." Crowther had similar feelings, stating "Miss Rogers and Mr. Morgan are pretty dreary throughout the film. However, their fellow jurors are a remarkably entertaining lot, picturesque in theatrical fashion, and the minor salvation of the show." Crowther did, however, praise Windust's direction, stating that "in spite of the weak script, Bretaigne Windust has done the best with his batch of characters... Jerry Wald, who produced for Warners, should thank him more than the writers, one and all."

References

External links

* * * {{Ben Hecht 1950 films 1950 comedy-drama films American black-and-white films American comedy-drama films American courtroom films American films based on plays American legal drama films Films directed by Bretaigne Windust Films scored by Leigh Harline Films set in Los Angeles Films about juries Warner Bros. films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language comedy-drama films