In Name Only

source: In Name Only

Moviecut—In Name Only

In Name Only

Wonderful Cary Grant and Carole Lombard vehicle where the two meet and fall hopelessly in love. Lombard, a widow with a young daughter, and Grant as the wealthy scion, so unhappy in marriage to Kay Francis. In a supporting role, Francis steals the film as the possessive wife who shows her true colors at the end of the movie. The selfish Francis refuses to give Grant a divorce and threatens the Lombard character with numerous lawsuits. Charles Coburn plays the wealthy father of Grant who appears to favor his daughter-in-law Francis for good old fashioned reasons. It takes an illness to bring out the good in others and in this case, Grant's pneumonia brings out his wife's cunning, sly, selfish ways.

With all the rubbishy movies available today on DVD, why on earth is a masterpiece like this not available on that medium ? This is one of my all time favourites ( like Random Harvest, Waterloo Bridge, Last holiday etc ). I loved CG in Penny Serenade, but he is even better here. From beginning to end, your're clutching at your heart ! What a shame picture and sound quality are so bad. Can't this be re-mastered and numerized for God's sake. Performances by all involved are magnificent and you can't guess the outcome right up till the end. And of course I loved Charles Coburn (almost as good as in "Heaven can Wait" ). They just can't make films like this any more today even though the actual theme of the film is timeless. This is a must-see for all incurable romantics like myself !!!

The presence of Grant and Lombard drew me to this one on American Movie Classics, though I thought the script might a bit of a handkerchief-wringer. To my surprise the story was thoroughly absorbing and involving, as well as being a great study of the manners and mores of the era. And of course, Cary Grant and Carole Lombard carry the whole thing through with their wonderful performances. Well worth a see.

This is the perfect movie to curl up to on a winter day and get lost in a soap opera. The performances are very good and Lombard is just gorgeous. I think the best reason to see it is to see Kay Francis in a comeback performance. She had been relegated to the undesirable list by the studios at this point in her career. Her portrayal of Maida, Cary Grant's uncompromising wife, is great fun to watch. The movie is a little cornball in parts but overall it works. Lombard fans really won't be disappointed.

This practically perfect film is one of the most satisfying "weepies" ever. The stars are the incomparable Cary Grant and Carole Lombard, both displaying a consummate ability to move from comedy to drama, as the film shifts from a frothy, meet-cute beginning to a series of heartrending disappointments and near-tragedies. (Never fear--the ending won't leave you shattered.) Kay Francis is elegantly evil as Grant's manipulative wife, the perfect hissable villain; her exotic brunette sultriness is the perfect contrast to Lombard's fragile but spunky heroine. The scope of the film is small--the story of two people in love who keep trying without success to make a life together--but everything about it is polished, expert, and ultimately very moving. Don't miss this one, ladies.

After watching this you will have seen why Kay Francis was such a good actress. I know this one is billed with Cary Grant and Carole Lombard but this one was Kay Francis' show. Man does she put on a performance. She's not in it very much but she doesn't need to be. You'll get an idea what a gold digger really is and what they can do with her performance. She's just flat out evil. In this film you'll see what a good supporting cast should look like. I wish they still made these melodramas like this. I'm grateful though that there are plenty to choose from on DVD from this time period. I know this line is old and tired and said all the time but..."they just don't make em like this anymore."