My Favorite Wife
The funniest, fastest honeymoon ever screened!
1940 | 88m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Garson Kanin |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Bella Spewack, Sam Spewack, Leo McCarey |
| Staring: |
| Years after she was presumed dead in a shipwreck, Ellen Arden returns home to the surprise of her husband recently remarrying. But he too gets a shock when he learns that Ellen spent her time alone on an island with another man. | |
| Release Date: | May 17, 1940 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Garson Kanin |
| Writer: | Bella Spewack, Sam Spewack, Leo McCarey |
| Genres: | Comedy, Romance |
| Keywords | jealousy, judge, shipwreck, marriage, bigamy, confusion, presumed dead, screwball comedy, deserted island, hilarious, comedy of remarriage |
| Production Companies | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $2,057,000
Budget: $921,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Irene Dunne | Ellen Wagstaff Arden |
| Cary Grant | Nick Arden |
| Gail Patrick | Bianca Bates |
| Randolph Scott | Steve Burkett |
| Ann Shoemaker | Ma |
| Scotty Beckett | Tim Arden |
| Mary Lou Harrington | Chinch Arden |
| Donald MacBride | Hotel Clerk |
| Hugh O'Connell | Johnson |
| Granville Bates | Judge Walter Bryson |
| Pedro de Cordoba | Dr. Kohlmar |
| Jean Acker | Postponed Case Witness (uncredited) |
| Murray Alper | Yosemite Bartender (uncredited) |
| Leon Belasco | Waiter - Pacific Club Poolside (uncredited) |
| Joe Cabrillas | Phillip (uncredited) |
| Bill Cartledge | Page Boy Paging Burkett (uncredited) |
| Chester Clute | Shoe Salesman (uncredited) |
| Corky | Corky the Dog (uncredited) |
| Franco Corsaro | Waiter Bringing Wine (uncredited) |
| Florence Dudley | Postponed Case Witness (uncredited) |
| Hal Gerard | Assistant Court Clerk (uncredited) |
| Roque Guinart | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Earle Hodgins | Court Clerk Beside Judge Bryson (uncredited) |
| Edna Holland | Johnny Weissmuller Inquirer (uncredited) |
| Thelma Joel | Miss Rosenthal (uncredited) |
| Cy Kendall | Police Detective Arresting Nick (uncredited) |
| Ellen Lowe | Weissmuller Inquirer's Companion (uncredited) |
| Margarita Martín | Minor Role (uncredited) |
| Horace McMahon | Truck Driver Giving Lift to Ellen (uncredited) |
| Sue Moore | Maid Drying Ellen's Clothes (uncredited) |
| Bert Moorhouse | Postponed Case Lawyer (uncredited) |
| Clive Morgan | Postponed Case Lawyer (uncredited) |
| George Noisom | Page Boy Bringing Steve's Robe (uncredited) |
| Bob Reeves | Policeman Arresting Nick (uncredited) |
| Ronald R. Rondell | Bellboy #1 (uncredited) |
| Matty Roubert | Page Boy Paging Mr. Arden (uncredited) |
| Eli Schmudkler | Janitor (uncredited) |
| Pat West | Caretaker at Arden's Mountain Place (uncredited) |
| Donald Kerr | Poolside Waiter (uncredited) |
| Max Linder | Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) |
| Cyril Ring | Nick's Lawyer (uncredited) |
| Russell Wade | Bellhop (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Garson Kanin | Additional Writing, Director |
| Roy Webb | Original Music Composer |
| Rudolph Maté | Director of Photography |
| Robert Wise | Editor |
| Van Nest Polglase | Art Direction |
| Bella Spewack | Original Story, Screenplay |
| Mel Berns | Makeup Artist |
| James H. Anderson | Assistant Director |
| Ruby Rosenberg | Assistant Director |
| John E. Tribby | Sound Recordist |
| Sam Spewack | Original Story, Screenplay |
| Howard Greer | Costume Design |
| Darrell Silvera | Set Decoration |
| Mark-Lee Kirk | Assistant Art Director |
| Leo McCarey | Original Story |
| Alfred Tennyson | Poem |
| John McClain | Additional Writing |
| Bill Cartledge | Stunts |
| Eugene Joseff | Other |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Leo McCarey | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 8 |
| 2024 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 7 |
| 2024 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 6 |
| 2024 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 6 |
| 2024 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 5 |
| 2024 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 5 |
| 2024 | 11 | 9 | 19 | 5 |
| 2024 | 12 | 9 | 19 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
Whilst it has it's moments; this is really quite a jaded comedy romance. Cary Grant ("Nick") has just married "Bianca" (Gail Patrick) when his previous, presumed dead, wife "Ellen" (Irene Dunne) who went missing seven years earlier in a shipwreck turns up alive and kicking. To add to the rather conv ... oluted storyline, "Ellen" has been stuck all this time on a desert island with Randolph Scott ("Stephen") and as you can imagine loads of confusion ensues now as they all try to decide who actually wants to be married to whom! Grant is his usual, affable, self but the others didn't really do it for me - except, maybe Granville Bates as the hopelessly indecisive judge "Bryson". I'm afraid that I found the story really quite thin - the one joke has some legs, but they tire midway through and the whole thing just becomes too contrived.