''Bedtime Story'' is a 1941 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Alexander Hall and starring

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary ''Variety'', April 16, 1975, p ...

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...

, and

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, thro ...

. The supporting cast includes

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 ...

and

Joyce Compton Olivia Joyce Compton (January 27, 1907 – October 13, 1997) was an American actress. Biography Compton was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the daughter of Henry and Golden Compton. (Despite frequent reports to the contrary, her name was not ...

Plot

Jane Drake (

) wants to retire from the stage to a Connecticut farm. Her husband Luke (

) feels differently and continues working on his latest play, which is being written for her. Fed up, Jane takes off for Reno to get a divorce. Reading an article in the newspaper that Luke is not well and has given up working, she rushes back to his side, only to find that it is not true. She sees through his charade and in a fit of anger, she leaves. Jane goes back to Reno to get the divorce and she begins dating William Dudley. Luke gets her to agree to go out with him and they accidentally cross the border into California, where they run out of gas. They get a hotel room so that they can have someplace to sit down. She gives him advice on how to fix the script of this new play and then tells him to cast someone else in it. She pays for the room and for the gas, telling Luke her owes her $4.40 for his share of the gas and lodging. She comes home to find an article in the paper that Luke has cast Virginia Cole (

) as the lead in his play. Luke explains to Virginia that the story in the paper was a fake to upset Jane. Virginia agrees to fool Jane by pretending to be cast in the new play. Jane and Luke agree to auction off all of their furniture. A man named Dingelhoff buys everything, including the desk Jane bought for Luke, except for a vase that Luke gave Jane, which Jane buys. Pretty soon rehearsals for the play are underway – with Virginia playing Jane's part. Luke finds out that Jane is engaged to William. Luke tricks Jane into coming to a rehearsal for the play. She gives Virginia some tips and Virginia pretends to be upset and "storms off". With the prospect of Luke losing all the money he's sunk into the play being lost without a leading lady, Jane reluctantly agrees to fill in, but only until Luke can find someone else. Then she learns that Luke and Eddie have tricked William into getting arrested. Jane leaves to bail William out of jail. The next morning Luke and Eddie come around with flowers to apologize, and find out from the servants that Jane has run off and married William. Luke hires two men to act as inspectors, questioning Jane on the validity of her marriage. The fake inspectors insist that she had to have stayed in Reno for six weeks straight without leaving the hotel room. She hands William all of her Reno receipts, and then comes across the one from California, that has one night's lodgings listed on it. She refuses to give Luke the satisfaction of showing him that receipt, so he admits the inspectors are fake. They all leave. Their friend Emma comes over to tell Jane that the production has shut down for good and that Luke paid them off with the last of his money. Realizing how much he loves her, Jane hands Emma the receipt and tells her that she wants the money Luke owes her. Luke, Emma, and Eddie sit around drinking, saddened by the end of the production and about Jane's marriage. It takes Luke a while to realize that with the receipt he can prove that Jane's marriage is not legal. At the hotel, Luke sends a whole host of people – from plumbers to electricians to maids – to interrupt Jane and William on their wedding night. William gets fed up with all of the interruptions, but Jane is merely amused. A fight breaks out in their hotel room and Jane leaves with Luke. They reconcile when Luke takes them back to their old apartment where she learns that he hired Dinglehoff to buy all of their furniture.

Cast

as Luke Drake *

as Jane Drake *

as Eddie Turner *

Allyn Joslyn Allyn Joslyn (July 21, 1901 – January 21, 1981) was an American stage, radio, television and film actor, known for his roles playing aristocratic wealthy snobs. Biography Allyn Joslyn was born in Milford, Pennsylvania, the son of a mining en ...

as William Dudley *

as Virginia Cole *

Helen Westley Helen Westley (born Henrietta Remsen Meserole Manney; March 28, 1875 – December 12, 1942) was an American character actress of stage and screen Early years Westley was born Henrietta Remsen Meserole Manney in Brooklyn, New York on March 28, ...

as Emma Harper *

as Beulah * Tim Ryan as Mac *

Olaf Hytten Olaf Hytten (3 March 1888 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1955. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, while sitting in his car ...

as Alfred *

Dorothy Adams Dorothy Adams (January 8, 1900 – March 16, 1988) was an American character actress of stage, film, and television. Early years Adams was born in Hannah, North Dakota. She later moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, and was educated there. ...

as Betsy *

Clarence Kolb Clarence William Kolb (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) was an American vaudeville performer and actor known for his comedy routines that featured a Dutch dialect. Biography Kolb started out as one half of a vaudeville comedy team, Kol ...

as Collins *

Andrew Tombes Andrew Tombes (29 June 1885 – 17 March 1976) was an American comedian and character actor. Biography The son of a grocer, originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, Tombes was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy. Early in his career, he worked as a v ...

as Pierce

References

External links

* * * {{Alexander Hall 1941 films Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Alexander Hall American comedy films 1941 comedy films Films produced by B. P. Schulberg American black-and-white films 1940s American films