TOO MANY HUSBANDS (1940)
A nice little glass of champagne. Jean Arthur's first husband is lost and presumed dead. A few months into her second marriage, the first husband turns up alive. Hijinks ensue.
If Howard Hawks had directed this, it would have been faster and funnier but he didn't have enough of a heart to be sympathetic to such an imperfect woman. Jean Arthur is excited about having two men vying for her even though she knows that makes her a jerk.
This movie is often compared to MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940) but the gender flip isn't the crucial difference. It's a question of category. MY FAVORITE WIFE is a story. TOO MANY HUSBANDS is a situation. Stories have endings. Situations merely stop. Don't get me wrong. I liked TMH, but stories are always better than situations, no matter how many laughs you can squeeze out of them.



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