The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)

63% of users liked it
(545 ratings)

Neither James Cagney nor Bette Davis were particularly pleased with the outdated screwball comedy The Bride Came C.O.D., but both performers behaved with thorough professionalism, doing a lot more for the film than the film did for them. Davis stars as flighty heiress Joan Winfield, whose impending… More Neither James Cagney nor Bette Davis were particularly pleased with the outdated screwball comedy The Bride Came C.O.D., but both performers behaved with thorough professionalism, doing a lot more for the film than the film did for them. Davis stars as flighty heiress Joan Winfield, whose impending marriage to bandleader Allen Brice (Jack Carson) does not rest well with her oil-rich father Lucius K. Winfield (Eugene Pallette). When Joan announces that she intends to defy her father's wishes and elope with Brice, Winfield hires charter pilot Steve Collins (Cagney) to kidnap the girl and deliver her back home, C.O.D. Nearly bankrupt, Steve goes along with the scheme, but on the return flight his plane crashes in the desert. Realizing that he's only a few miles from civilization, Steve schemes to keep Joan from signalling any potential rescuers by chasing her into an old tunnel and convincing her that they're hopelessly lost. When Joan tumbles to the scheme, she forces Steve to let her marry Brice. The surprisingly cooperative Steve agrees, knowing full well that he still has a few aces up his sleeve. So guess who Joan ends up with at fadeout time? Genuine laughs are few and far between in this hectic farce, but at least Bette Davis has one hilarious moment, predicated on her outraged delivery of the word "Mustard!" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: William Keighley
Written By: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1941 Wide
On DVD: Apr 24, 2007

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
At best it amounts to average fare.
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Great stars having a blast overcome a plodding plot.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
a forced comedy that fails to show its two stars to their best advantage

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lanning :

I'm convinced that some of the brilliance of this little gem must come via inspiration for the writers gleaned from It Happened One Night. I do not know Bette Davis's oeuvre well enough to be sure, but I'll bet one dollar she never regretted doing… More
I'm convinced that some of the brilliance of this little gem must come via inspiration for the writers gleaned from It Happened One Night. I do not know Bette Davis's oeuvre well enough to be sure, but I'll bet one dollar she never regretted doing this screwball comedy. She performs her romantic co-lead beautifully, and she surely looks like she's having a great deal of fun doing it. James Cagney too, I think, is very often only remembered for his dramatic roles, more specifically, his heavy dramatic roles. But when you see him romping through this fluffy little fairy-tale romance, you can't help but notice both that he is a very good comedic actor and that he seems to be enjoying himself as well. For Davis fans and for Cagney fans this is a must-see, and for huge Jack Carson fans like me, this should not be missed. As all of his fans know only too well (and usually hate) poor Jack Carson gets the raw end of the deal again : ) He really does make any film he's in better. Truly a remarkable actor.
AJ V

Cagney and Davis are fantastic together, and the story is really outrageous, it's so very funny. This is a great movie.
jay n

Some will see it as slumming but Bette and Jimmy seem to having a good time cutting loose in this comedy

Cast

            James Cagney as Steve Collins

            Bette Davis as Joan Winfield

            Stuart Erwin as Tommy Keenan

            Jack Carson as Allen Brice

            Eugene Pallette as Lucius K. Winfield

            George Tobias as Peewee

            Harry Davenport as Pop Tolliver

            William Frawley as Sheriff McGee

            Edward S. Brophy as Hinkle

            Harry Holman as Judge Sobler

            Chick Chandler as 1st Reporter

            Herbert Anderson as Reporter

            Lucia Carroll
            
            Eddy Chandler as Policeman

            Sol (Saul) Gorss as Reporters' Pilot

            Creighton Hale
            
            Sam Hayes as Announcer

            William Hopper as Keenan's Pilot

            J. Anthony Hughes as Policeman

            Olaf Hytten as Valet

            Douglas Kennedy as Reporter

            Alphonse Martell as Headwaiter

            Frank Mayo
            
            Jack Mower as Reporter

            William Newell as McGee's Pilot

            Lee Phelps as Policeman

            John Ridgely
            
            Cliff Saum as Airport Mechanic

            Charles Sullivan as Ambulance driver

            Richard Travis as Airline dispatcher

            Richard Clayton as Newsboy

            Reid Kilpatrick as Announcer

            Peter Ashley
            
            Mary Brodel as Second operator

            Garrett Craig
            
            Peggy Diggins as First operator

            Claude Wisberg as Newsboy
See full cast