Casanova Brown

Moviecut—Casanova Brown

source: Casanova Brown

Directed by Sam Wood, this Gary Cooper comedy re-paired the actor with Teresa Wright (after The Pride of the Yankees (1942), also directed by Wood) and was produced by its screenwriter Nunnally Johnson. The source material was a play by Floyd Dell and renowned character actor Thomas Mitchell. Coop plays the title role, referred to as 'Cass' Brown throughout, a man that learns on the eve of his nuptials (to Anita Louise's character) that his first wife Isobel (Wright) has just given birth to their daughter! Her parents had his marriage to their daughter annulled almost immediately after her mom (Patricia Collinge) discovered, through astrology, that Cass was a "disaster waiting to happen", shortly before he'd accidentally burned down their $750,000 home with a cigarette that refused to be put out. Cass's new father- in-law to be is played by Frank Morgan, a kept man who resents his wife (Isobel Elsom) putting him on an ever decreasing allowance that advises Cass not to marry his daughter. Edmund Breon plays Isobel's father and Jill Esmond plays the maternity hospital's doctor. She learns that Isobel had informed Cass of their baby daughter in order to bring about his return, which it does, and that she'd never intended to give the child up for adoption. But before Cass learns this, he kidnaps his own daughter and manages to care for her in a hotel with the help of a maid (Mary Treen) and the bell captain (Emory Parnell). The fish- out-of-water new-dad-with-baby scenes are cute but overlong, a quest for the perfect baby formula. More hijinks occurs when his fiancée, Morgan, Isobel and her father descend upon the hotel where they learn that Cass is willing to marry the maid in order to keep (and legitimize) his daughter. But an ending that includes Cass and Isobel coming together is a foregone conclusion. Halliwell Hobbes, Irving Bacon, Robert Emmett Keane, Byron Foulger (uncredited) and Grady Sutton (also uncredited) are among those who also appeared in this first International Pictures production, a company established by Cooper (and others) before it merged with Universal two years (and nine movies) later. Received Academy Award nominations for its B&W Art Direction- Interior Decoration, Sound and Score.

Casanova Brown is an extremely dated and unfunny comedy with a great cast. Sam Wood like this film, directed "The Pride of the Yankees" with these two great leads which I love and I'm completely shocked this collaboration produced such nothingness. Much like "Bringing Up Baby" with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, but that had plenty more going for it than this. It isn't just dated though, it's not of this world, no base point with which to stand. The scene where Cass goes to the Maternity Hospital started out funny, him just doing what he's told without asking what's going on or getting up, like there's a mix-up as he just said I'm Brown, but then it's just a medical examination and that was suppose to happen.

As a professor on the verge of matrimony for a second time, Cooper (the unlikely Casanova here) learns he's become a new father, by his ex-wife Isabel (Teresa Wright). He wants to find out the truth for himself so visits the hospital directly. One thing leads to another and he decides to kidnap the baby, with mostly awkward and hilarious results. I like Frank Morgan in this movie as he tries to be the practical observer and adviser. He shines with his usual wit and bumbling charm. Cooper, being the 'outside parent' makes an interesting remark at one point about fatherhood, that men can be fine leaders and do great things but can't be considered capable enough to raise a child, all of which goes to show the roles society dictated then and even now. This is amusing entertainment without going overboard on comedy.

Gary Cooper in the first half of the Forties made four films for director Sam Wood. Three of them were big budget items, Pride of the Yankees, For Whom The Bells Toll, and Saratoga Trunk. The fourth is a pleasant and innocuous little comedy called Casanova Brown. The film was adapted by Floyd Dell who wrote the novel and play it was based on called Accidental Father. It had previously been filmed twice by Warner Brothers and once by the French cinema. It ran on Broadway in the 1929 season and probably got closed with the stock market crash. All the names were changed in this adaption, but the plot line remained essentially the same. Gary Cooper is about to get married to Anita Louise when he gets a cryptic note from Teresa Wright. He confides in Anita's father, Frank Morgan who is a fellow colleague at the college where Cooper is an English professor. Morgan also seems to function more as a western sidekick for Cooper than a father of the bride for Louise. Cooper's little secret is that he was ever so briefly married to Teresa Wright. Her cryptic note says he should go to a maternity hospital in Chicago and see a certain doctor there. Cooper of course arrives at some logical conclusions. Teresa of course has an agenda of her own and I can't say too much more as both women fight for Cooper. Of course with that baby, Ms. Wright definitely has the upper hand. Casanova Brown was the second of two films Cooper and Wright did together, the first being the highly acclaimed Pride of the Yankees. This film isn't anything like the epic story of Lou Gehrig, but it is definitely a pleasant enough diversion. It's an opportunity to see Frank Morgan in a rare appearance outside the MGM studio. He has some very good moments in Casanova Brown as Cooper's confidante. However Casanova Brown has one claim to immortality. There is a flashback sequence where Cooper is telling Morgan about the relationship with Wright. After they've eloped Wright brings Cooper to meet her parents who are played by Edmond Breon and Patricia Collinge. Collinge is a believer in astrology and no smoking. Cooper in an effort to hide the fact he smoked a cigarette in their house, manages to burn their house down. It is one of the most hilarious things ever put on film. The rest of the film is good and entertaining, but it doesn't match up to that scene. See Casanova Brown for that alone.

It's usually not a good sign when, as I sit watching a film, I keep questioning to myself whether it's a good film or not. And I that throughout this film. On the plus side, it's really nice to see Gary Cooper in something that is quite different than his usual work. It's not exactly a screwball comedy, but it approaches that. And, he's cute with the baby; no question about that. And, it's nice to see one of my favorite character actors -- Frank Morgan -- in the film, although...I don't know...it seemed like the part (not so much Morgan) was trying too hard with his character. A good character actress here is Mary Treen. On the other hand, we see darned little of the romantic lead in the film -- Teresa Wright. But, I guess that made it clear that this was Cooper's picture. What bothered me the most, however, were the improbabilities that I found a little hard to swallow. Chief among them that a man can kidnap a baby and not be chased by the police. Bottom line here...despite loving old films, this is one I had somehow missed. I'm glad I saw it...but once is enough.

Gary Cooper was equally at home doing drama or comedy, as he proves in "Cassanova Brown", a 1944 Paramount vehicle that reunited the winning team of "The Pride of the Yankess". Sam Wood directed again and Teresa Wright played the female lead. Based on a play co-written by veteran actor Thomas Mitchell, this hardly seen movie is worth a look whenever it shows on cable. Nunnally Johnson, one of the geniuses of that era in Hollywood adapted the material for the screen and produced it. Mr. Cooper makes a great contribution to the film as the absent minded English professor who returns back to his small mid western town vowing never to set foot in New York. Casanova, or Cass, asks Madge to marry him and just as they are about to say "I do", a letter, somewhat mysterious, arrives from a maternity hospital in Chicago. Intrigued by the missive, he decides to solve the puzzle, but little does he know what is in store for him. In flashbacks we get to know what happened to Cass in New York. It involved his having fallen in love with the beautiful Isabel Drury. As he is about to ask for her hand, Mrs. Drury, a woman who is into horoscopes, planets, and stars, sees trouble ahead. An incident with a lit cigarette butt causes much unhappiness to all and he flees in horror, leaving Isabel to fend for herself. When Cass arrives at the hospital, he is made to take a physical that Dr. Zernerke has ordered. After the tests, Cass finds out the real reason for his being there, Isabel has delivered a healthy baby and it's going to be given for adoption! Cass takes an instant attachment to the baby girl and takes her away to his hotel. Eventually Isabel traces him and they are reunited, much to the consternation of the Drurys and the would be in-laws, the Ferris. Although Mr. Cooper and Ms. Wright are more than perfect in their roles, some of the joy we found in the movie was watching superior performances by Frank Morgan, Jill Esmond and Patricia Collinge, who as Mrs. Drury, is marvelous. Mary Treen and Emory Parnell play the maid and the bellhop that help Cass take care of the baby. Anita Louise appears as Madge Ferris. "Casanova Brown" is a fun film, so tune in whenever it shows again.

"Casanova Brown" is a 1944 comedy, based on a play that ran on Broadway. Apparently Warner Brothers filmed this story something like two times previously. In those days, the studios many times would do an "A" movie and then do it again as a "B" movie. This apparently is an RKO movie. I can't believe if it was done so many times, no one bothered to fix the script. The play was done in 1929, but this was 1944. I don't suppose it occurred to anyone to mention World War II. Gary Cooper plays Cas Brown, who is about to marry Madge Ferris (Anita Louise), receives a letter from a maternity hospital in Chicago. It really doesn't say anything, just that he should contact a certain doctor. Nervous, he confides in his father-in-law to be (Frank Morgan) that he had been married previously, very briefly, to Isabel (Teresa Wright). Her parents had it annulled because she did not have their consent. However, this all took place in New York, not Chicago. Mystified, Cas heads for Chicago before his wedding. When he arrives at the hospital, he finds out that his former wife has given birth to his child, a girl, and is giving the baby up for adoption. He falls in love with the baby the minute he sees her (and who wouldn't - she's adorable). In a panic, he kidnaps her and goes to a hotel. Enlisting the help of a maid there, he cares for the baby while everyone looks for him. The film had some very funny moments but the script was not tight. No war, as I mentioned, but also, I don't know my adoption law for every state, but wouldn't the father have had to sign off on the adoption as well? The baby wasn't illegitimate. The other problem is that Cas seems to just forget about his wedding, which was to take place I believe the day after he went to Chicago. We don't really find out the effects of that. And what about the adoptive parents? It's mentioned the baby was going to a great family, but there's no mention of them either. Still, it's a pleasant and occasionally fun film with a scene that is probably one of the best ever. Wright's mother is her mother in Shadow of a Doubt, Patricia Collinge. Her character is batty, a believer in astrology and a strict code of behavior which includes no smoking. After they elope, Isabel brings Cas to meet her family. He takes a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and when Isabel's mother disapproves, he says someone gave him the pack. Then she says worse than a smoker is a liar. To cover the fact that he was smoking, Cas has a cigarette in his suit jacket pocket which starts to burn. Ultimately he burns their house down. I'm talking razed to the ground. It's absolutely hilarious. If only the whole movie had been like that. Excellent performances from all involved, with Frank Morgan playing a curmudgeon very well. Cooper is incredibly handsome and delightful as the determined father, and Teresa Wright is lovely as the conflicted mother. Collinge is a riot. I recommend this - it doesn't deserve all the bad reviews. It's not great but it's far from awful. And who can beat tall, dimpled Cooper and that baby?

Casanova Brown (1944) A not-so-screwball comedy, but a comedy, based on the solid writing of Nunnally Johnson. The idea is a really 1940s one: can a man raise a baby? Throw in a leading man who is so thrown by his dilemma he marries or almost marries three women (all in the same room at one point), and so on and so on. Cary Cooper is the superstar, and he's his usual likable but slightly dull (restrained) self, and he might not be the best for the role, but in a way that's the point, that the man is clumsy and awkward about anything maternal. The cast around him is terrific, including Frank Morgan (who was the wizard in The Wizard of Oz). And the third star, Teresa Wright, is her predictably sweet and perky self, once she arrives on the scene. It's a zany plot, for sure, and if it drags a little sometimes, or is just a bit corny, that's part of it. The convergence of the various people who are at odds with each other without knowing it is almost inevitable, but when it happens it clicks. And Frank Morgan is key, more than anyone. The photography might not seem to matter in a film that is so plot heavy, and so insane, but in fact the cinematography by John Seitz is really superb, and helps make the thing hold together. If you watch the first twenty minutes you'll know whether to watch the rest. I really think some people will find this too old fashioned in its humor, and a little to contrived and silly, too. But others will be glad for the non-stop absurdity, for the nice filming, and for the almost surreal strangeness of events.