This may be the only movie ever made that concerns the U. S. Army Redistribution program of World War II. For that reason, it has some historical value as well. But, mostly this is a very good comedy with an original plot - and one that could have been still better with an improved script. And, just maybe one cast change.
It's a bit of a stretch that the female lead, Norah Hunter, shies away from the pubic eye and has a friend, Sylvia Lockwood, impersonate her at Christening of ships from the Hunter shipyard, and other functions. But then, anyone who knows history may recall the reclusive aviation magnate, Howard Hughes (1905-1976). Although he didn't have someone impersonate or stand in for him, after he became famous for his flying, Hughes went into hiding from the public. So, in this story it's a female industrial magnate, and one whose picture isn't even known in the public.
That's part of the setting. The other is the Army Redistribution center next door to her mansion. The two come together when she throws a party for the Army pilots - it was the Army Air Corps then, which would become the U. S. Air Force after the war. The party was Sylvia's idea, so that Norah might find the right man among the officers, and then she, Sylvia, can go off to Washington D. C. with her man. Husband Phil Vernon is a crackerjack Middle-Eastern analyst and linguist with the State Department. For some more background, Norah was raised since around age eight after both of her parents had died and Jonathan Connors had been named her ward and guardian to bring her up.
All of the cast are good in their roles - Laraine Day as Norah, impersonating her secretary Sylvia, and Marsha Hunt the secretary impersonating Norah. Edgar Buchanan plays Connors. And in the male lead is Alan Marshal as Capt. Anthony Travis. He's the one who will ultimately be for Norah. Australian-born Marshal had some leading roles and second roles in a variety of films but he didn't have the flair for comedy that some actors had. This would have been a perfect role for Brian Aherne who was hilarious in "The Great Garrick" of 1937, "Merrily We Live" of 1938, and several other comedies.
The best performance in this film is by Allyn Joslyn. His scenes as a frustrated husband with angst are great as he fumes inwardly and occasionally outwardly over the attention other men are paying his wife who is playing Norah. With some more work on the script, this could have been a great comedy. Still, it is a very good one.
Another possible first in this film is the scene of surf-fishing on the Pacific Coast. Anyone who has ever surf-fished before will get a chuckle or two out of this scene. The first is with the novice Capt. Travis trying his first cast that plunks right in front him. But, less obvious except for real fishers, is the whole party standing on dry, very flat and level beach, and casting into the incoming small waves. I surf-fished several years on the Atlantaic Coast, where a narrow trough follows along the shoreline of beaches from Florida to New Jersey. I have also surf-fished for flounder inside the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon; and I have fished from shore with spinning tackle off rocks into surf that has some depth. But, I have not surf-fished on the Pacific as shown in this film. At the very least, these people would have to have waded into knee-deep water to make long casts into water deep enough to contain fish.
For a little more history - the Army had a number of redistribution stations in the U. S. for GIs returning to the States form combat duty overseas. The centers had multiple purposes. They were to rehabilitate GIs to civil life in the U. S., to update their personnel records for service experiences and skills, to prepare and process them for their next assignments, and to provide R & R (Rest and Relaxation). The latter was a big part of the centers and helped many combat veterans deal with combat fatigue or stress. Today, those terms have been replaced with PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"Bride by Mistake" is a comedy that centers around an Army Air Corps Redistribution Center. In the film, it is at the La Playa Hotel in Santa Barbara, California. The humor is set right away in the opening scenes and brief prologue that reads, "Due to military precautions, the exact locale of our story must remain a secret." Then, from the driver's seat of a small Army truck (a three-quarter ton) the audience sees a billboard welcoming visitors to Santa Barbara. That's followed by a service van that passes our vehicle, with ads painted on it acclaiming the best painting company in Santa Barabara. Then, the audience sees one after another roadside billboard advertising the best this and that in Santa Barbara.
So, with the "secret" out - and, there was nothing secret about these centers, as the film shows, the film follows an original plot that has potential for great comedy. It is a very good comedy, but the script needed some work to bring out its full potential.
When this movie came out in late June of 1944, the newspapers of the day, and the theater newsreels, were filled with the latest news about the Allied advance against the Germans in Europe, since the D-Day landings in northern France on June 6. Had RKO known of the precise date by the time "Bride by Mistake" was filmed, it would certainly have had some notice of it in the film. But, that was a situation that faced all of Hollywood during WW II, especially around major offenses and changes in the war.
It's a bit of a stretch that the female lead, Norah Hunter, shies away from the pubic eye and has a friend, Sylvia Lockwood, impersonate her at Christening of ships from the Hunter shipyard, and other functions. But then, anyone who knows history may recall the reclusive aviation magnate, Howard Hughes (1905-1976). Although he didn't have someone impersonate or stand in for him, after he became famous for his flying, Hughes went into hiding from the public. So, in this story it's a female industrial magnate, and one whose picture isn't even known in the public.
That's part of the setting. The other is the Army Redistribution center next door to her mansion. The two come together when she throws a party for the Army pilots - it was the Army Air Corps then, which would become the U. S. Air Force after the war. The party was Sylvia's idea, so that Norah might find the right man among the officers, and then she, Sylvia, can go off to Washington D. C. with her man. Husband Phil Vernon is a crackerjack Middle-Eastern analyst and linguist with the State Department. For some more background, Norah was raised since around age eight after both of her parents had died and Jonathan Connors had been named her ward and guardian to bring her up.
All of the cast are good in their roles - Laraine Day as Norah, impersonating her secretary Sylvia, and Marsha Hunt the secretary impersonating Norah. Edgar Buchanan plays Connors. And in the male lead is Alan Marshal as Capt. Anthony Travis. He's the one who will ultimately be for Norah. Australian-born Marshal had some leading roles and second roles in a variety of films but he didn't have the flair for comedy that some actors had. This would have been a perfect role for Brian Aherne who was hilarious in "The Great Garrick" of 1937, "Merrily We Live" of 1938, and several other comedies.
The best performance in this film is by Allyn Joslyn. His scenes as a frustrated husband with angst are great as he fumes inwardly and occasionally outwardly over the attention other men are paying his wife who is playing Norah. With some more work on the script, this could have been a great comedy. Still, it is a very good one.
Another possible first in this film is the scene of surf-fishing on the Pacific Coast. Anyone who has ever surf-fished before will get a chuckle or two out of this scene. The first is with the novice Capt. Travis trying his first cast that plunks right in front him. But, less obvious except for real fishers, is the whole party standing on dry, very flat and level beach, and casting into the incoming small waves. I surf-fished several years on the Atlantaic Coast, where a narrow trough follows along the shoreline of beaches from Florida to New Jersey. I have also surf-fished for flounder inside the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon; and I have fished from shore with spinning tackle off rocks into surf that has some depth. But, I have not surf-fished on the Pacific as shown in this film. At the very least, these people would have to have waded into knee-deep water to make long casts into water deep enough to contain fish.
For a little more history - the Army had a number of redistribution stations in the U. S. for GIs returning to the States form combat duty overseas. The centers had multiple purposes. They were to rehabilitate GIs to civil life in the U. S., to update their personnel records for service experiences and skills, to prepare and process them for their next assignments, and to provide R & R (Rest and Relaxation). The latter was a big part of the centers and helped many combat veterans deal with combat fatigue or stress. Today, those terms have been replaced with PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"Bride by Mistake" is a comedy that centers around an Army Air Corps Redistribution Center. In the film, it is at the La Playa Hotel in Santa Barbara, California. The humor is set right away in the opening scenes and brief prologue that reads, "Due to military precautions, the exact locale of our story must remain a secret." Then, from the driver's seat of a small Army truck (a three-quarter ton) the audience sees a billboard welcoming visitors to Santa Barbara. That's followed by a service van that passes our vehicle, with ads painted on it acclaiming the best painting company in Santa Barabara. Then, the audience sees one after another roadside billboard advertising the best this and that in Santa Barbara.
So, with the "secret" out - and, there was nothing secret about these centers, as the film shows, the film follows an original plot that has potential for great comedy. It is a very good comedy, but the script needed some work to bring out its full potential.
When this movie came out in late June of 1944, the newspapers of the day, and the theater newsreels, were filled with the latest news about the Allied advance against the Germans in Europe, since the D-Day landings in northern France on June 6. Had RKO known of the precise date by the time "Bride by Mistake" was filmed, it would certainly have had some notice of it in the film. But, that was a situation that faced all of Hollywood during WW II, especially around major offenses and changes in the war.