{"id":11333,"date":"2010-06-24T11:50:51","date_gmt":"2010-06-24T18:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11333"},"modified":"2022-07-28T11:17:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T18:17:34","slug":"awful-truth-the-1937","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11333","title":{"rendered":"Awful Truth, The (1937)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;ve come back and caught me in the truth &#8212; and there&#8217;s nothing less logical than the truth.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Awful-Truth-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Awful-Truth-Poster-236x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-62470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Awful-Truth-Poster-236x300.png 236w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Awful-Truth-Poster-101x128.png 101w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Awful-Truth-Poster-212x270.png 212w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Awful-Truth-Poster.png 687w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA husband (Cary Grant) and wife (Irene Dunne) seeking a divorce find that they&#8217;re actually still in love with one another.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cary Grant Films<\/li>\n<li>Divorce<\/li>\n<li>Irene Dunne Films<\/li>\n<li>Leo McCarey Films<\/li>\n<li>Marital Problems<\/li>\n<li>Ralph Bellamy Films<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Winning Him\/Her Back<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, &#8220;there&#8217;s nothing special&#8221; about the story underlying this beloved screwball comedy about a divorcing socialite couple who are too prideful to admit that they really still love each other &#8212; but it remains an enduring treat due to its &#8220;terrific&#8221; stars (Grant and Dunne) who make &#8220;amusing lines sound downright sophisticated&#8221;, and who fearlessly employ both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/27419\/the-awful-truth#articles-reviews\">improvisation<\/a> and physical comedy. Indeed, in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book, Peary gives both Dunne and Grant awards as best actor and actress of the year, thus duly acknowledging their expert comedic work in the film. In <em>&#8230;Oscars<\/em>, he argues that while Grant&#8217;s ghostly character in the same year&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5923\"><em>Topper<\/em><\/a> was simply irritating (as is that entire film, truth be told), his &#8220;Jerry&#8221; in <em>The Awful Truth<\/em> &#8220;remains likable even when deliberately annoying Lucy [Dunne] or the other men in Lucy&#8217;s life&#8221;. And, while he&#8217;s consistently charming, Grant is &#8220;never afraid to be the total fool&#8221; &#8212; as in the classic top hat sequence (surely inspired by director Leo McCarey&#8217;s earlier work with Laurel and Hardy), or when he&#8217;s &#8220;putting on&#8221; Dunne&#8217;s unsophisticated new love interest (Ralph Bellamy). <\/p>\n<p>As for Dunne, while she&#8217;s never been a favorite actress of mine, she is indeed (in Peary&#8217;s words) &#8220;charming and funny&#8221; in this film, as she gamely &#8220;[lets] fly with one-liners&#8221;, and &#8220;has a field day showing there&#8217;s fire under her ladylike facade&#8221;. Bellamy deserves special note as well for his pitch perfect portrayal of a &#8220;dull, mother-dominated&#8221; bumpkin; as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s763truth.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> puts it, &#8220;Bellamy deserved an Oscar for the self-effacing thankless performances he provided&#8221; in this and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11297\"><em>His Girl Friday<\/em> (1940)<\/a>. Watch for plenty of humorous moments sprinkled throughout the otherwise predictable screenplay &#8212; including the truly inspired final bedroom scene, featuring the most creative use of a cuckoo clock in a film &#8212; ever. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cary Grant as Jerry Warriner<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-grant.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-grant.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11337\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Irene Dunne as Lucy Warriner<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-dunne.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-dunne.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11345\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ralph Bellamy as Dan Leeson<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-bellamy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-bellamy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11346\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Plenty of hilarious, largely improvised sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-dance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-dance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11347\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-sister.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-sister.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11348\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-wind.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-wind.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11349\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The final &#8220;bedroom scene&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-final-scene.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/awful-truth-final-scene.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11350\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a fine screwball classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0028597\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/awfultruth.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s763truth.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/awfu.html\">Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/27419\/the-awful-truth#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cH_CogWsTWM\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve come back and caught me in the truth &#8212; and there&#8217;s nothing less logical than the truth.&#8221; Synopsis: A husband (Cary Grant) and wife (Irene Dunne) seeking a divorce find that they&#8217;re actually still in love with one another. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cary Grant Films Divorce Irene Dunne Films Leo McCarey Films Marital Problems Ralph Bellamy Films Romantic Comedy Winning Him\/Her Back Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As Peary notes, &#8220;there&#8217;s nothing special&#8221; about the story underlying this&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11333\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11333"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85888,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11333\/revisions\/85888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}