Screwball March: You Belong to Me (1941)

We are feeling squirrely from being cooped up all winter. It's time for some screwball comedies to release that tension.

RODNEY BOWCOCK: Well, what we have here is the story of Peter Kirk (Henry Fonda) who literally runs into Helen, a lady doctor (can you imagine???) while on a ski trip. Peter is injured in the collision and feeling guilty for him, Helen is determined to oversee his recuperation. Peter decides to use this time to badger her into marrying him, which she agrees to do, as long as she can remain a doctor. Having a lifestyle full of idle time, Peter then decides to occupy himself by various bouts of petty jealousy and fights while Helen tries to aid her patients.

SAMANTHA GLASSER: Her name is Helen Hunt, and her first mistake was getting roped in by his long eyelashes and accepting a marriage proposal from a man who overrode her requests at every turn to suit himself and didn’t approve of her career. Meeting someone in a vacation setting is completely different from meeting them in real life. Had they bothered to date for a while first, they would have realized they were incompatible. I realize in these days of no-sex-before-marriage, people often said their vows so they could jump into the sack.

RB: If none of this seems particularly funny to you, well, you aren’t alone. Movies about short relationships are certainly not unusual in classic cinema, but this one is a bit of a stretch. There’s no real reason to understand why Helen would agree to marry someone who obviously is more concerned with getting his own way than actually entering a partnership with her.

SG: The comedy runs thin as the jealous outbursts happen again and again. This guy is a jerk, so why does she keep coming back to him? The character reminded me a bit of Howard Hughes, a wealthy eccentric who dated many women in Hollywood and made odd demands.

RB: Stanwyck and Fonda always have good chemistry together, but The Lady Eve this isn’t.

SG: The strengths of the film are the character actors. (Are we playing a broken record?) Fritz Feld is the spunky hotel desk clerk who suspiciously and reluctantly acquiesces when the couple request an adjoining room. Ruth Donnelly (my birthday twin) is Stanwyck’s nurse and confidant. I was delighted to see Applejack, AKA Edgar Buchanan, as an advice-giving domestic staff member. Our old friend Byron Foulger plays a patient.

RB: Buchanan is really the voice of reason in this film, and his appearance is welcome. I should also point out that a minute or two after Byron Foulger’s appearance, another of our favorites, Grady Sutton appears in an uncredited role.

SG: It is interesting to note that blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo worked on this script given the social commentary on the uproar that a millionaire working in a department store was immoral because he was taking away jobs from the poor.

RB: It’s also classic Trumbo that the solution to the problem, is the nobility of having Peter give away much of his money to benefit his community. It’s a nice turn for a character that was a creep for the last hour and a half, but it’s also the kind of thing that we pay special attention to in Trumbo’s work knowing what eventually sadly happened in his life.

SG: The leads shared a lighthearted relationship and did things to try to make the other break during their scenes. Fonda also did his best to elicit laughs from the crew in his scenes.

Film Bulletin’s reviewer said, “This is no ‘Lady Eve’ and, although director Wesley Ruggles has vainly attempted to brighten up a formula script, the film has none of the charm or frothy quality of the Preston Sturges opus.”

Screenland also compared the films, saying, “Here, their fun must be forced—and even their heroic efforts are tiresome at times.”

The New York Herald Tribune called the film, “Ponderous… and second-rate.”

“We can't understand either why a producer would make such a sap out of a popular hero,” said the manager of the Star Theatre in Hay Springs, Nebraska.

RB: The film was released initially during the weekend of the Pearl Harbor bombing that led to the United States’ involvement in World War II. As you can imagine, we were collectively starved for distraction, which may account for the opinions of the film at the time among audiences.

A very good romantic comedy that created a number of giggles from the audience and held interest. Business was good on our giveaway nights, therefore no complaints. — A. E. Andrews, Emporium Theatre, Emporium, Pa.

Swell picture with two top notch stars playing their parts to perfection. Business only fair but not the fault of the picture. Many favorable comments. Ritz Amusements, Inc., Park Theatre, North Vernon, Indiana.

With the "dead-pan" comedy of Henry Fonda combined with the humor of one of the better liked actresses, Barbara Stanwyck, the most natural thing to develop is a good picture. And so it was. This film with its many amusing situations, especially the wedding night, was thoroughly enjoyed by our audience. Much praise was given to the excellent acting of the supporting players, who at times aided the plot and dialogue no little, and certainly helped to keep the picture moving rapidly. J. A. Reynolds, Director of Education and Recreation, New Jersey State Prison Theatre, Trenton, N. J

SG: Well, the prisoners liked it, maybe because they didn't have many options. From a feminist standpoint, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Three stars.

RB: Yes, you make a good point. I’d also note that in spite of the film making a lot of lists of screwball comedies, there isn’t much that’s screwball about this film, and I’d barely even consider it a comedy. It’s just a movie that manages to slide by on the good looks and traits of the stars. Columbia remade it with Larry Parks and Barbara Hale in 1950 with Emergency Wedding, and for the life of me, I can’t quite understand why. Two and a half stars.