I can't believe neither Bette Davis nor James Cagney liked the comedy they made together, The Bride Came C. O. D. - it's delightful! Funny, clever, and cute, and all wrapped up in the charm of the silver screen, there's nothing to dislike about it. True, it's not a vehicle for great dramatic acting, but it's very good.
Bette plays a frivolous society dame about to elope with Jack Carson, a silly bandleader who only speaks in rhymes. Her father, Eugene Pallette, wants to stop the marriage, so he hires James Cagney, a private pilot, to fly Bette back to Texas and away from Jack. Jimmy pretends to aid and abet the elopement to get Bette in the plane, and he distracts Jack and goes airborne without him. But what's supposed to be a simple abduction goes terribly wrong. From plane crashes to cactus pricks, ghost towns to cave-ins, Jimmy and Bette never have a dull moment while they're waiting for either Jack or Eugene to rescue them.
Part of the reason why this movie is so great is the high energies of both leads. It's an over-the-top comedy, and since both Bette Davis and James Cagney naturally have an "affected" style of acting, their talents fit right into the script. Jimmy is a playboy with a very large black book; when the girls start to get too clingy, he just pulls out a photo of his wife and kids. "Hello old timer, hiya sweetheart," he coos to his children, making the homewreckers understand why they can't, in fact, wreck his home. Bette's idea of a hard day is getting a chip in her nail polish, so when she wails over every little mishap, it's to be expected. And although they start off the movie hating each other, when they're forced to rely on each other for survival. . . We've all seen Six Days, Seven Nights, right? We know how adventure breeds romance, but it doesn't make it any less charming. And Bette has the best comeback to a kiss I've ever seen in a movie! After Jimmy gives her a smackaroo, she recognizes a familiar taste from his mouth (so revealing during the Production Code) and shouts, "Mustard!"
Bette plays a frivolous society dame about to elope with Jack Carson, a silly bandleader who only speaks in rhymes. Her father, Eugene Pallette, wants to stop the marriage, so he hires James Cagney, a private pilot, to fly Bette back to Texas and away from Jack. Jimmy pretends to aid and abet the elopement to get Bette in the plane, and he distracts Jack and goes airborne without him. But what's supposed to be a simple abduction goes terribly wrong. From plane crashes to cactus pricks, ghost towns to cave-ins, Jimmy and Bette never have a dull moment while they're waiting for either Jack or Eugene to rescue them.
Part of the reason why this movie is so great is the high energies of both leads. It's an over-the-top comedy, and since both Bette Davis and James Cagney naturally have an "affected" style of acting, their talents fit right into the script. Jimmy is a playboy with a very large black book; when the girls start to get too clingy, he just pulls out a photo of his wife and kids. "Hello old timer, hiya sweetheart," he coos to his children, making the homewreckers understand why they can't, in fact, wreck his home. Bette's idea of a hard day is getting a chip in her nail polish, so when she wails over every little mishap, it's to be expected. And although they start off the movie hating each other, when they're forced to rely on each other for survival. . . We've all seen Six Days, Seven Nights, right? We know how adventure breeds romance, but it doesn't make it any less charming. And Bette has the best comeback to a kiss I've ever seen in a movie! After Jimmy gives her a smackaroo, she recognizes a familiar taste from his mouth (so revealing during the Production Code) and shouts, "Mustard!"