Purely Joyful Movie!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Irene Dunne had been in Hollywood six years and made 20 feature films before this, her first crack at comedy. And what a success it was, and is. "Theodora Goes Wild" is a wacky comedy-romance that introduced the comedic talents of Irene Dunne to audiences. The super talented (wonderful musical voice, and dancer) Dunne continued to make a variety of films – drama, romance, musicals, mystery, war, Westerns, most of which were big hits. But none could top the comedies she would yet make. Dunne is one of the great actresses of Hollywood who never won an Oscar, though she was nominated four times. Dunne was one of the three best comediennes from Hollywood's golden age. The other two were Jean Arthur and Carole Lombard. There were some other very good female comedy performers (Myrna Loy, Claudette Colbert, etc.) but the top three were in a level above all others. They were the masters of one-liners themselves, quick quips, snappy dialog, clever witticisms and above all else, tremendous facial expressions. By their knowing glances, pursing of the lips, biting a lip, looking askance, raising eyebrows, frowning, puzzling looks, and any number of faces they could clearly broadcast the humor of a scene. They were the best at it, where many other fine female comedians were in more serious or straight-faced or blasé comedic roles. "Theodora Goes Wild" is a hilarious film of give and take. First, it's the male, Michael Grant, who is the purveyor and Theodora Lynn who is the victim. But she turns the tables and the comedy ratchets up a couple of notches. Dunne plays Theodora and Melvyn Douglas is Michael Grant. A wonderful supporting cast includes Spring Byington as Rebecca Perry, Thomas Mitchell as Jed Waterbury, Robert Greig as Uncle John, Thurston Hall as Arthur Stevenson, Nana Bryant as his wife Ethel, Elisabeth Risdon as Aunt Mary and Margaret McWade as Aunt Elsie.This is a superb comedy to add to any film library. Here are some sample lines from the movie. For more funny dialog, see the Quotes section here on this film's IMDb Web page.Michael, "Say, this place is crawling with aunts."Ethel Stevenson, "That adorable young thing is an unholy terror on wheels. There's nothing in the world more deadly than innocence on the manhunt."Jed, "I guess I know a righteous spanking when I get one."Agnes, "You know, this woman's really out to break up our marriage, Michael. Maybe you and I will root for her."

One of the best screwball comedies giving Irene Dunne still another losing Oscar nomination.This comedy tests values, traditions and brings the small town living versus the big city in plenty of view.Dunne is equally matched with fine chemistry between her and Melvyn Douglas. The film also boasts a tremendous supporting cast with Spring Byington, Thomas Mitchell, Thurston Hall and Elisabeth Risdon at their very best.When a small-town writer writes a racy book under an assumed name, all hell breaks loose in the town when excerpts of the book are run by the non-stuffy Thomas Mitchell.While in N.Y., Dunne, the writer, meets the illustrator. He follows her back to the small town and eventually she turns the tables on him. In fact, she is eventually making the same demands that he made on her.The film is enhanced by town gossip, and the strict social conservative mores of rural America. The writing is sharp and the dialogue is crisp. We also see that when possible scandal hits home, the spinster conservative aunt shall defend her niece and that the gossip will get hers in the end as well. This applies to Risdon and Byington, respectively.

I'm not a fan of Irene Dunne because - much like with Katharine Hepburn - she has these affectations in her acting style that you either love or can't stand. To me, she usually seems like she's hoity-toitily overacting. As this movie began, I was pleasantly surprised by Dunne because she was playing a repressed small-town woman and thus didn't produce any of the grand gestures that are typical of her. Those come later (unfortunately), when she "Goes Wild," so to speak. I suppose the flashy role is why she got an Oscar nomination. It's a unique story that plays out unpredictably, and that made it watchable, even if I didn't quite buy the relationship between Dunne and Melvyn Douglas, and found their characters kinda off-putting.

If you are looking for an especially deep or meaningful film, then you might want to keep looking. However, if you ignore the silliness and trivial nature of the film and just watch it for its entertainment value, then you are in for a fun little ride! Irene Dunne plays an overly prim and proper lady who lives in a town dominated by fun-hating old biddies! The town is extremely similar to the one from the Hal Roach comedy, MISS POLLY, except that THEODORA GOES WILD is a good and funny film. Unbeknownst to all the old ladies, Dunne is in reality a romance writer who wrote a number one best seller!! She is terrified they will discover her secret and she is very careful to hide her double-life. This aspect of the movie is very reminiscent of the great Errol Flynn film, FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK (another film I strongly recommend).Into this careful balancing act arrives the very playful and slightly obnoxious Melvin Douglas. Through a bit of research, he figures out her two identities and just drops in on the town and makes Dunne crazy trying to shut him up and keep a lid on his odd behaviors. Eventually, though, the truth does come out and Dunne resigns herself to marrying Douglas and revealing who she really is. However, at this point, she realizes that Douglas ALSO has a secret to hide and when the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak, he is upset and pretends he doesn't know her!! Exactly why and how all this works out in the end is something you'll just have to see for yourself. Dunne and Douglas are terrific and the film, despite its ridiculous plot, is a lotta laughs and is a good example of a "screwball comedy".