Vivacious Lady (1938)
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100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
79% of users liked it
(998 ratings)
James Stewart and Ginger Rogers were "an item" when Vivacious Lady was filmed, and their obvious real-life affection for one another pours over onto the screen. Stewart plays Peter Morgan, a young botany professor who while on a visit to New York impulsively marries free-spirited nightclub… More James Stewart and Ginger Rogers were "an item" when Vivacious Lady was filmed, and their obvious real-life affection for one another pours over onto the screen. Stewart plays Peter Morgan, a young botany professor who while on a visit to New York impulsively marries free-spirited nightclub singer Francey (Rogers). A few obstacles lie in the path of connubial bliss, however, including Peter's bitchy ex-fiancee Helen (Frances Mercer) and his stern college-dean father Peter Morgan Sr. (Charles Coburn). Hoping to break the news of his marriage gently to Helen and his father, Pete contrives to keep the union a secret, with the expected embarrassing results. Before the final fade-out, both Morgan Senior and Morgan Junior are on the outs with their respective wives, and it takes an uproariously tearful reunion on a passenger train to straighten things out. In his first outing as a producer, director George Stevens shows off his two-reel-comedy training with a number of hilarious comedy setpieces (the best is a slapsticky cat-fight between the two rivals for Pete's affections), though things tend to slow down towards the end. Stevens also finds room for several of his favorite character actors, including Grady Sutton, Franklin Pangborn and Willie Best, to do their time-honored specialties. Best of all is Beulah Bondi as James Stewart's mother (one of several such assignments), delivering a most unusual and touchingly funny performance. In short, Vivacious Lady was a guaranteed box-office smash even before the cameras began to turn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- George Stevens
- Written By
- P. J. Wolfson, Ernest Pagano
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- May 13, 1938 Wide
- Studio
- RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Vivacious Lady is entertainment of the highest order and broadest appeal.
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, Time Out
Rogers is the accomplished centrepiece of the film, slightly atypical as the soft-focus romantic heroine, but with welcome eruptions of her tough and shrewd persona throughout.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Vintage George Stevens comedy, dating from the brief period in which his deliberate style was a deepening virtue, stopping short of the ossification that cursed his later work.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A charming, fast-moving comedy.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Lighthearted screwball comedy that serves its two stars, Ginger Rogers and James Stewart, very well.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Ginger Rogers
as Francey Brent
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James Stewart
as Peter Morgan
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James Ellison
as Keith Morgan
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Beulah Bondi
as Martha Morgan
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Charles Coburn
as Peter Morgan Sr.
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Frances Mercer
as Helen
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Franklin Pangborn
as Apartment Manager
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Grady Sutton
as Culpepper
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Jack Carson
as Charlie
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Alec Craig
as Joseph the Chauffeur
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Sleep 'n' Eat
as Porter
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Bobby Barber
as Italian
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Lee Bennett Sobel
as Student
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Maurice Black
as Headwaiter
- Stanley Blystone
- William Brisbane
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George Chandler
as Man on Train
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Spencer Charters
as Husband in Couple
- Edgar Dearing
- Vernon Dent
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Maude Eburne
as Wife in Couple
- Phyllis Fraser
- Helena Grant
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Hattie McDaniel
as Hattie the Maid
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Vinton Haworth
as Druggist
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June Johnson
as Miss Barton
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Phyllis Kennedy
as Jenny the Maid
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Dorothy Moore
as Hat Check Girl
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Ed Mortimer
as Publisher
- Barbara Pepper
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Floyd Shackelford
as Porter
- Kay Sutton
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Frank M. Thomas
as Train Conductor
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Lloyd Ingraham
as Noble the Professor
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Ray Mayer
as Man on Train
- Dennis O'Keefe
- Dorothy Johnson
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Tom Quinn
as Maitre d'
- June Horne
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Marvin Jones Darrin Smith
as Boy on Bus
- Vivian Reid
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Katharine Ellis
as uncredited
- Robert Holton
