As soon as I saw the title This Man is Mine I knew it was going to
be a Pre-Code women’s picture. I should not have expected anything different
from an Irene Dunne film in the early thirties these were the types of films
she made at the beginning of her film career. The film was a big mess of a
melodrama but it was not as bad as it could have been.
Tony
(Dunne) and Jim Dunlap (Ralph Bellamy) are happily married.
Their friend Bee comes over. Bee does not understand how Tony is happy in her married
life. Tony responds it is because she loves Jim very much.
An
old scandal is brought up. Jim’s ex-girlfriend Francesca is getting a divorce
and coming back to town. Francesca stays with Bee and her husband Judd. Bee
seems to not even be able to stand her the moment she walks in the door. The
only reason Francesca is staying with Bee is because she is Judd’s sister. Tony
was supposed to go over to Bee’s house for lunch but she calls with the excuse
that her son is not feeling well.
Tony
and Jim goes to Bee’s house some time later for dinner. Francesca wants to talk
to Jim and everyone watches them off in another part of the room. They all know
that Francesca still loves Jim. Francesca gets Jim alone like she wanted. She
tries to gain his sympathy she wants him to stop hating her for what happened.
He gets her to stop talking by kissing her. Everyone goes to Tony’s house. Jim
tells them he and Francesca will meet them at the house. They never show up to
the house. Bee is the only one who stays behind to be with Tony. Bee knows that
Francesca will keep going after men then move on. Tony tells Bee that with
Francesca around Jim cannot sleep. Jim and Francesca eventually make it to the
house just as Bee and Tony are going upstairs. While his wife is upstairs Jim
tells his ex-girlfriend that he still loves her. Judd walks in the room as they
are kissing. Francesca acts as if nothing is wrong. Judd is furious with her.
The
next day Tony asks Jim if he is still in love with Francesca. He says yes. She
says she has been living with Francesca’s ghost for a long time. He wants her
to give him a divorce. Tony will not but she makes a deal with him that if he
still loves Francesca in six months from now he can have the divorce. She still
has hope that Jim will stay with her.
Francesca
finds out the guy Marty she brought home has money and a yacht. Marty almost
got her to leave with him until Tony sees them kiss. Tony figures Marty was
brought to the house to make Jim jealous. Francesca puts on an act in front of
Jim that Marty hurt her. Hearing this Jim is ready to run away with her he
wants to force Tony’s hand in the divorce.
Tony
makes Jim look foolish in front of Francesca by saying she wants to get a
divorce in New York City so their scandal and name will be pulled into the
papers. She also tells Francesca that she will sue her for one million dollars
just to drag everything out to embarrass the family Francesca comes back saying
she will deny everything that is said about her to make Tony look bad too. Jim
gets furious with Francesca and slaps her. She bites him and he punches her
knocking her to the floor.
Jim
wants to talk to Tony about their son he does not want a fuss with the divorce
for their son’s sake. Tony is more upset about the whole thing because her
mother was the same way as Francesca was with men. Francesca comes over one
afternoon. She tells Tony to drop the divorce. Tony knows Francesca is scared
for herself. Tony will not back out of it. Francesca married Marty to get out
of the mess.
Needless
to say the ending is predictable with Tony and Jim getting back together.
I
am so used to seeing Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy together in The Awful Truth where they are both
really funny and silly that it was weird seeing them act together in a drama. They
were both very good actors and extremely underrated.
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