A best-selling author of women's issues and a medical academic find it is to their mutual advantage to falsely claim that they are married.A best-selling author of women's issues and a medical academic find it is to their mutual advantage to falsely claim that they are married.A best-selling author of women's issues and a medical academic find it is to their mutual advantage to falsely claim that they are married.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
956
YOUR RATING
- George Seaton(screen play)
- Ken Englund(screen play)
- Aleen Leslie(story)
- Stars
- George Seaton(screen play)
- Ken Englund(screen play)
- Aleen Leslie(story)
- Stars
Helen Ainsworth
- Amazon in Book Store
- (uncredited)
Erville Alderson
- Harrison - Printer
- (uncredited)
Dorothy Appleby
- Woman in Book Store
- (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
- Extra
- (uncredited)
- George Seaton(screen play)
- Ken Englund(screen play)
- Aleen Leslie(story)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was meant to star Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.
- GoofsWhen Tim is passed out drunk on June's bed, the hair on his forehead disappears and then reappears between shots.
- Quotes
June Cameron: Look, Johnny. I don't know anything about marriage.
John R. Pierce: Oh, what's that got to do with it? Dante didn't have to go to hell to write his "Inferno."
- Crazy creditsCredits are written in chalk on the sidewalk as pedestrians walk over them.
- ConnectionsReferenced in 1941 (1979)
- SoundtracksBridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)
(1850) (uncredited)
from "Lohengrin"
Written by Richard Wagner
Played for a church wedding in Greenwich, Connecticut
Later sung by an unidentifed singing telegram boy quartet with modified lyrics
Review
Featured review
Catching romance
While not being crazy about the title, and the story didn't sound overly special being not an awful lot different from other comedies at the time there were still enough interest points to make me want to see 'The Doctor Takes a Wife'. Loretta Young was always very well suited to this type of film, Edmund Gwenn was always watchable and it was interesting to see Ray Milland in a comedic role, being more familiar with him in drama (i.e. 'The Lost Weekend', 'Dial M for Murder').
Fortunately, 'The Doctor Takes a Wife' turned out to be very enjoyable. Nothing original or exceptional, but good fun all the same once you get past a beginning that makes one conflicted whether to switch off or not. Young shows why this type of role suited well and Milland works remarkably well in comedy. Despite things that could have been done better, 'My Doctor Takes a Wife' has a lot to recommend and generally doesn't deserve to be as overlooked as it has been.
To me, and a few others it seems, 'The Doctor Takes a Wife' doesn't start off particularly promisingly. Found it too busy and noisy, at times too in need of a tightening. And Young's character is not likeable at all and is quite irritating actually to begin with, while she does become much more tolerable as the film progresses it takes time to get there.
Not unexpectedly, the story is very silly and some situations are unlikely and a bit overdone.
However, there is so much to like about 'The Doctor Takes a Wife'. A big selling point being the cast. Milland shows a surprising deftness for comedy, with wonderfully varied and amusing expressions that never came over as forced or artificial. Young is very charming and with sparkling comic timing as her character becomes easier to root for, and does her best when the character was problematic. Gwenn is always endearing, while Gail Patrick is cute and amusing and Reginald Gardiner is very funny without going over the top or mugging. Despite having different acting styles, Milland and Young have great chemistry together.
Alexander Hall directs with a sure, adept hand, showing ease and engagement with the material once getting past the first portion of the film. A lot of the dialogue is both acidly witty and at times surprisingly sophisticated and the slapstick didn't feel over-engineered or repetitive. The pace generally is lively and the production values are slick and elegant.
Summarising, good fun if nothing outstanding. 7/10
Fortunately, 'The Doctor Takes a Wife' turned out to be very enjoyable. Nothing original or exceptional, but good fun all the same once you get past a beginning that makes one conflicted whether to switch off or not. Young shows why this type of role suited well and Milland works remarkably well in comedy. Despite things that could have been done better, 'My Doctor Takes a Wife' has a lot to recommend and generally doesn't deserve to be as overlooked as it has been.
To me, and a few others it seems, 'The Doctor Takes a Wife' doesn't start off particularly promisingly. Found it too busy and noisy, at times too in need of a tightening. And Young's character is not likeable at all and is quite irritating actually to begin with, while she does become much more tolerable as the film progresses it takes time to get there.
Not unexpectedly, the story is very silly and some situations are unlikely and a bit overdone.
However, there is so much to like about 'The Doctor Takes a Wife'. A big selling point being the cast. Milland shows a surprising deftness for comedy, with wonderfully varied and amusing expressions that never came over as forced or artificial. Young is very charming and with sparkling comic timing as her character becomes easier to root for, and does her best when the character was problematic. Gwenn is always endearing, while Gail Patrick is cute and amusing and Reginald Gardiner is very funny without going over the top or mugging. Despite having different acting styles, Milland and Young have great chemistry together.
Alexander Hall directs with a sure, adept hand, showing ease and engagement with the material once getting past the first portion of the film. A lot of the dialogue is both acidly witty and at times surprisingly sophisticated and the slapstick didn't feel over-engineered or repetitive. The pace generally is lively and the production values are slick and elegant.
Summarising, good fun if nothing outstanding. 7/10
helpful•21
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 26, 2020
Details
- 1 hour 28 minutes
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Top Gap
By what name was The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940) officially released in Canada in English?
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