The Moon's Our Home (1936) User Reviews (10)

good chemistry

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 29 August 2017]

Wow, was Henry Fonda cute. And when I see him in these old films, you can see that Jane looks just like him.

In "The Moon's Our Home" from 1936, Fonda stars with his ex-wife, Margaret Sullavan, in this delightful comedy. Sullivan is Cherry Chester, a brat of a movie star who is summoned by her grandmother so that she can announce her engagement to someone she doesn't want to marry.

At the same time, a popular author, Anthony Amberton (Fonda) is being chased around town by people - women - wanting him to sign his latest book. Anxious to escape them, he jumps into a carriage transporting Cherry. The two hit it off, but he leaps off of the carriage again when it's safe. All she has to trace him is a card with the address of a place in New Hampshire.

Cherry escapes her family and goes there incognito, using the name Sarah Brown. She finds Anthony there too, incognito using the name Smith. Neither has any idea of the other's true identity.

Meanwhile the newspapers are full of Cherry's disappearance - was it a kidnapping? I found this interesting because I just finished watching "Agatha Christie: Her Life in Pictures" which dealt with the publicity surrounding her 11-day disappearance in 1925.

Cute screwball with engaging performances by both stars. I always prefer Henry Fonda in his earlier films - for me later on he became too internalized.

The supporting cast is great - Margaret Hamilton, Walter Brennan, Henrietta Crosman, and Beulah Bondi.

Very entertaining.

Celebrities of different worlds

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 15 April 2018]

In the only film that they did together former married couple Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan teamed together for Walter Wanger in a nice screwball comedy The Moon's Our Home. Both come from different worlds and both use pseudonyms in their professional lives.

Sullavan is a temperamental movie star not totally unlike the real Sullavan was reputed to be. She was not a fan of the studio system of the day and wasn't shy about letting people know it. Fonda is a novelist who uses a pen name like Samuel Langhorne Clemens did. For this to work you have to believe that Sullavan wasn't much of a reader and Fonda disdained the cinema.

Both however had the habit of using their rather pedestrian real names of John Smith and Sarah Brown when they wanted to just get away. And the two do meet in a New York taxi under those real names and Fonda offers her a chance to go to a nice New Hampshire rural inn he always holidayed at. She takes him up and the romance begins.

It could happen that way. When Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe were courting it was a fact that Monroe knew he was an ex-ballplayer but had no concept of his legend in his field. We do lead compartmentalized lives and have our set interests.

The former marrieds get some nice support from Spencer Charters and Margaret Hamilton as the inn proprietors, Walter Brennan as a deaf justice of the peace, Charles Butterworth who is the silly playboy ever ready to marry Sullavan and Beulah Bondi and Henrietta Crossman as her aunt and grandmother respectively. Bondi has a classic scene with Butterworth as she gets him away from Sullavan. And Butterworth is always fun delivering those wonderful dead pan lines.

Whatever chemistry the stars had that made them both take the first steps to marriage and to each other, Fonda and Sullavan had enough left to turn out a good typical screwball comedy of the Thirties with The Moon's Our Home.

He writes, she acts, all fights, no facts.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 12 October 2016]

Introducing Cherry Chester! What is she, some kind of soft drink? So says author Henry Fonda when he learns that movie star Margaret Sullavan is aboard his New York bound train. They never meet, that is, until he hides his identity while trying to escape amorous female fans. Wanting to be anonymous, she does the same, and soon they are alleged cousins staying at a quaint inn in New Hampshire, ultimately falling in love.

This is an adorable light screwball comedy filled with a ton of character actor favorites, with Beulah Bondi being delightfully acerbic as her much abused secretary, Henrietta Crossman as her very imperious grandmother, Walter Brennan as an all 'round "I do anything" New Hampshire local yokel, Charles Butterworth as the buffoon whom granny tries to set Sullivan up with, and Margaret Hamilton as the domineering hotel proprietor in New Hampshire who turns to mush when Sullavan gifts her a lavish shear night gown.

This has many very funny moments, from Sullavan's temper tantrums to her attempts to sled and ski. It's a fast moving mix of the literary world, film cronies and provincial hicks. The fact they these two should have seen each others photos in the paper doesn't matter. When you are dealing with a group of selfish yet likable eccentrics like this, all that matters is the zany situations, not any lack of reality that finds its way into the script.

A Classic Screwball Comedy

[EightyProof45 · 5 February 2004]

The Moon's Our Home is a fast moving, machine-gun fire paced romantic comedy from 1936. It is the story of the romance of Cherry Chester, a movie star, and Anthony Amberton, a travel writer. Ms. Chester, travelling under her birth name, Sarah Brown, can't stand the writings of Anthony Amberton. Amberton, using pseudonym John Smith, detests "marshmallow-faced" movie stars, most of all Cherry Chester. For better or for worse, however, Cherry and Anthony don't know the real names when they meet, and subsequently are able to fall in love.

The novelty of this film is that the two stars, Margaret Sullavan and Henry Fonda, were married and divorced by the time the production started. The fights (verbal and phsyical) seem wonderfully real and the love and chemistry seem genuine also. There is a bitter-sweet feeling with this bit of trivia, especially when the couple separates (a few times).

The cast, in addition to the leads, are wonderful. Especially Oscar-winner Walter Brennan, as the justice of the peace. In one of the best and funniest marriages ever to take place on the screen, Brennan recites the ceremony and Amberton and Chester have a fight. It just so happens, however, that each time the j.p. asks "do you take..." they just happen to say in their own conversation "I do." It's irresistable.

Although it rarely turns up, get your hands on this film by all means. Besides being a lot of fun, it is also the screwball comedy that has the most innuendo that seemed to sneak by the censors. Fonda's character "has conquered the highest peaks known to travellers." And a personal favorite, the fact that Cherry won't "mind the bumps" on a truck ride... Modern audiences may not get it, but to the keen ear, this film is a delight as well as to the eyes...

The Moon's Our Home is a classic example of Hollywood movie-making of a bygone era.

Fly Me To The Moon

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 7 November 2016]

It's interesting to note that the two leads both married several times in real life including to each other between 1931 and 1933 and Sullavan was divorced from one husband in March, 1936 and married another in December of that same year, the year, in fact, that this movie was shot. Be that as it may this is a very typical 'screwball' comedy which means, as we know, that it is charming, zany, and romantic in equal measures and fields a mandatory supporting casts culled from the pick of 'character' actors then working or, to put it another way, the best in the business. The plot is also up to snuff, a 'meet-cute' leading to misunderstandings that have around eight reels to resolve themselves. Must-see.

The Whole of the Moon

[mmallon4 · 10/10 · 5 March 2015]

The Moons Our Home is one of my favourite super obscure films with only 139 users ratings on IMDB as of writing this review and a proclamation from Bill Murray as one of his favourite films (look up his appearance on the Siskel and Ebert Holiday Gift Guide 1988 in which he mentions he would like a video cassette of the film for Christmas). The Moons Our Home has only recently seen its due on DVD on the Universal Vault Series although when I watched the film I had to access it through a torrent. Not the greatest image quality but as a big fan Margaret Sullavan and a Henry Fonda enthusiast I was overjoyed to get a hold of the film and was not let down in the slightest.

What surprised me about Margaret Sullavan's performance as movie star Cherry Chester (real name Sarah Brown) is how much she reminded me of Jean Harlow, always changing mood within a split second. Sullavan and Harlow are two actresses I didn't think I would ever compare so it's fascinating to see this aspect of her screen persona I didn't even know existed. Right from the beginning of the film Cherry Chester is screaming, throwing tantrums and acting like an all-round pretentious drama queen. There is even a Hepburn-esque quality to her character with her fierce desire to be independent as well as clothing choices of a turtleneck and trousers.

Henry Fonda's role as the explorer Antony Amberton is very much the same as we are introduced to his character escaping from a group of screaming fans which he compares to his daring exploits from the jungles of Africa to the peak of Mount Everest like a male Greta Garbo. Also, notice how all his fans are giddy women, yeah I don't think he's exactly Roald Amundsen. Sullavan and Fonda had previously been married, making their pairing feel more tender and genuine with moments like their histrionics in the snow being as adorable as they are funny. The Moon's Our Home also features innovative use of split screen in which Sullavan and Fonda are given half of the screen to represent different rooms in which they move in parallel and symmetrical tandem.

The other aspect which so effectively carries The Moon's Our Home is all the great character actor moments with the likes of Beulah Bondi, Margaret Hamilton and Walter Brennan as the hard of hearing justice of the peace; a brief but very funny role. However, I think the best of these moments involves Charles Butterworth as Horace, the man who is chosen by Cherry/Sarah's grandmother as her arranged husband. This is despite in his many unsuccessful marriage proposals to different women. Listen to how mundanely and awkwardly he describes how he will "lift her off her feet" while being distracted by a game of solitaire. The Moon's Our Home is full of moments like this which are funny on different levels.

It's already a joy to discover a film I love, even more so when it's a film that almost no one else will watch in a million years. It gives me the sense that it's my movie. I guess this is what hipsters must feel like listening to bands no one else has heard off.

The moon is a very good home for this film

[AAdaSC · 4/10 · 28 September 2010]

Cherry (Margaret Sullavan) is a spoilt brat of an actress who is summoned to New York by her grandmother Lucy (Henrietta Crosman) so that Horace (Charles Butterworth) can propose to her once more. However, Cherry is still not interested in Horace. Cherry meets famous author Anthony (Henry Fonda) by chance and neither recognize each other. They fall in love and arrange to stay at a secluded inn together under assumed names. Love is in the air and they get married but they still both don't know of the other's true identity. Can love prevail when the truth is uncovered.....?......I bet you can guess the answer...

This is a film of misunderstandings but there isn't quite enough of a storyline. Henry Fonda has a plump face which is weird, Margaret Sullavan's histrionics are irritatingly childlike at times and Charles Butterworth delivers his lines like a bad actor.

There are a couple of funny moments but not many. The film just managed to keep my interest - it just wasn't very interesting.

Witty, zany, zesty, hilarious - the best comedy of Sullavan and Fonda

[SimonJack · 10/10 · 15 September 2022]

"The Moon's Our Home" is among the best comedy movies of all time. The screenplay is wacky and hilarious, and one of the wittiest ever. All of the cast are excellent. And, of all their films I can think of, Margaret Sullavan and Henry Fonda are at their funniest here. Their comedy has a liveliness about it - both in the script and in their acting it. I have seen a couple of comedies with a lead character who complains, whines and throws fits throughout. They quickly become more irritating than funny. But Sullavan plays her temperamental, tantrum-throwing character perfectly. Each fit has a rejoinder where she is sorry, warm and funny. Besides the two leads, a superb supporting cast fills out this wonderful film. Beulah Bondi, Charles Butterworth, Walter Brennan, Margaret Hamilton and more are the frosting on this cake.

Kudos to Faith Baldwin who adapted the plot from her serialized story of the same title that ran in Cosmopolitan magazine; and to the other writers who aided in her zany and zippy screenplay. The plot is so original and ingenious that it begs, bleeds, and breeds comedy. A man and woman meet, both have tempers, both are celebrities, but neither one has heard of the other one. They're very much alike. Both have terrible tempers, but with a couple of distinct differences. They both have professional names - but use their real names when not in the spotlight. She is movie star Cherry Chester, nee Sarah Brown. He is author Anthony Amberton, nee John Smith. She loves the adulation of her movie fans. He hates the flocks of female fans.

The premise here may not be so far out or unrealistic as some may think. Is it so far-fetched that two people who are well known in different fields wouldn't know or have even heard of the other? I think it's more common than one realizes. People tend to associate with the same kind in general interests, pastimes, work, entertainment, etc. Not all are movie buffs. And even among these, not all are avid readers. Not all like mysteries -- or musicals, or Westerns, or romance stories. Not all like or follow the same sports. I know many people who rarely go to movies - maybe once a year for a couple's night out. They don't read or follow celebrities online and couldn't name the top stars from 20 years ago. Movie buffs know the names of many stars, but how many know the names of top scientists, authors, and athletes of various sports?

So, in this movie, Anthony Amberton, aka John Smith, doesn't go to movies, but he travels around the world and writes about his adventures. And he's never heard of the actress Cherry Chester. She is a big name movie star, who is ensconced in the world of glamour, fame and Hollywood. She could care less about world adventurers and has never heard of Anthony Amberton. And, that's precisely what is the basis of this plot and its wacky and hilarious humor throughout. This isn't a case of mistaken identity, as in some other very good films. It's precisely because neither lead has heard of the other person, that such a hilarious script is possible.

There are some particularly innovative and funny scenes in this film. And, its technical and production aspects are excellent. But there's so much funny dialog that I have to give some samples here. The Quotes section on this IMDb Web page has many more, but here are some funny exchanges from this superb comedy.

Train stenographer, "We've got another celebrity on board, Mr. Amberton - Cherry Chester." Anthony Amberton, "Cherry Chester? Nobody's named Cherry Chester. What is Cherry Chester - some kind of new soft drink?" Stenographer, "She's a motion picture star." Amberton, "Never go to pictures. Marshmallow-faced movie stars make me sick."

Cherry Chester, looking through the book Boyce was reading, "Anthony Amberton - sounds like a hero in a costume picture. Great adventurer? Probably afraid to cross the street. Lots of hardships - I'll bet he's lost without his hot water bottle. Ah, Mr. Amberton and his camel. Oh, I see - he's the one with the hat on."

Anthony Amberton, "I loathe women like that. Give me a simple, primitive woman with a small, high chest." Ogden Holbrook, "Well, I'm only your publisher, but I'll see what I can do."

Mrs. Boyce Medford, "Sometimes I wish I had a nice restful job as night nurse in a psychiatric ward."

Sarah/Cherry, loudly in his ear, "I say my name is Brown." Lem, "Oh, Brown. His name is Smith. Heh, heh, heh."

Sarah/Cherry, "Wait! Wait a minute. Have I told you about my temper?" John/Anthony, "I've had complaints about mine." Sarah/Cherry, "We'll fight every day." John/Anthony, "We'll make up every night." Sarah/Cherry, "I'll leave you over and over again." John/Anthony, "I'll always find you."

Sarah/Cherry, "Would you have fallen in love with an average woman?" John/Anthony, "Certainly not! Would you have fallen in love with an average man?" Sarah/Cherry, "Certainly not! What makes you think I've fallen in love?"

John/Anthony, "I married Sarah Brown, and now I find I'm the husband of Cherry Chester too. So what?" Sarah/Cherry, "I married John Smith and I find I'm the wife of Anthony Amberton besides. So what?" John/Anthony, "Darling we're bigamists, do you mind?" Sarah/Cherry, "I love it."

Anthony/John, "If you call making faces on the screen a career." Cherry/Sarah, "What?" Anthony/John, "You certainly can't call it acting." Cherry/Sarah, "I suppose you call that tripe you turn out writing?" Anthony/John, "Ah ha! So you've read my book?" Cherry/Sarah, "I started one." Anthony/John, "What one?" Cherry/Sara, "That masterpiece where you look down all six of the pyramids." Anthony/John, "There are nine pyramids." Cherry/Sarah, "Six!" Anthony/John, "Nine!"

Almost

[MogwaiMovieReviews · 5/10 · 22 April 2021]

Pleasant enough but fairly run-of-the-mill screwball comedy. The chemistry between Margaret Sullavan and Henry Fonda is fine, and there's some funny moments here and there, but the film just feels lifeless and enervated somehow. Too many far-fetched things happen, and nothing really leads you from one scene to the next. All the elements are there for a classic except for a believable and memorable story. A bit of a slog to get through, but nice to check out just the once.

Enjoyable screwball comedy

[sychonic · 8 January 2001]

If you like, as I do, the romantic comedies from the thirties and early forties then this movie might be a good choice. It's definitely lightweight, but Margaret Sullavan is utterly charming as a movie star with a sophisticated and elegant public persona, but a decidely klutzy and ditzy offscreen personality. Henry Fonda is the bestselling author, who has to run away from adoring fans in Beatlesque fashion (about twenty five years before they had to).

When they meet, they have no idea the other is really famous, and the silliness ensues. Henry Fonda is always worth watching, and the supporting cast includes some favorites like the Wicked Witch of the West herself, Margaret Hamilton, Beulah Bondi and of even in a brief part it's fun to watch Walter Brennan.

You can easily picture Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant in these parts (all the way down to Sullavan's insistence on wearing pants). The resolution is a little weak, and at places the plotting tends to sag, but all in all, a fun time.