RIOTOUS ROMANTIC COMEDY!
1936-11-12
N/A
94 min
The small-town prudes of Lynnfield are up in arms over 'The Sinner,' a sexy best-seller. They little suspect that author 'Caroline Adams' is really Theodora Lynn, scion of the town's leading family. Michael Grant, devil-may-care book jacket illustrator, penetrates Theodora's incognito and sets out to 'free her' from Lynnfield against her will. But Michael has a secret too, and gets a taste of his own medicine.
Irene Dunne takes top billing here, but as usual it's Melvyn Douglas who steals the show - this time alongside an on form Thomas Mitchell. It's the latter man, "Jed", who is the editor of the local newspaper who has spent a small fortune on the serialisation rights to a best selling and rather steamy novel. The local women's guild types are outraged and threaten him with the ultimate sanctions - the disapproval of the "Lynn" family. Thing is, though, we quite quickly learn not only is the paper selling like hot cakes, but that one of that very family - using the pseudonym of "Caroline Adams" (Dunne) is the one doing a bit of the George Eliot. This is where "Grant" (Douglas) comes in. He designed the book sleeve, smells a rat and quickly discovers the book's true identity. What now ensues sees a series of comedic spats between the two - who are obviously destined for... The writing is pithy at times, exposing the hypocrisy and double standards of a population who do anything but practice what they preach in a town of busy-bodies and gossip-mongers well led by a perfectly cast and mischievous Spring Byington. It's entertainingly paced with plenty of quick-wittedness throughout and though maybe there's little jeopardy as to the story's trajectory, there's bundles of chemistry between Dunne and Douglas and this is well worth ninety minutes.
