''Cafe Society'' is a 1939 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

Edward H. Griffith Edward H. Griffith (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1975)F ...

and starring

Madeleine Carroll Edith Madeleine Carroll (26 February 1906 – 2 October 1987) was an English actress, popular both in Britain and America in the 1930s and 1940s. At the peak of her success in 1938, she was the world's highest-paid actress. Carroll is rememb ...

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

and

Shirley Ross Shirley Ross (born Bernice Maude Gaunt, January 7, 1913 – March 9, 1975) was an American actress and singer, notable for her duet with Bob Hope, "Thanks for the Memory" from ''The Big Broadcast of 1938''. She appeared in 25 feature films bet ...

. A wealthy young woman marries a reporter to win a bet.The AFI Catalog of Feature Films:''Cafe Society''
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Plot

The wealthy Christopher "Chris" West is a member of the

cafe society A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

. To win a bet, she marries reporter Crick O'Bannon, who believes Chris married him for love. When Crick overhears Chris telling one of her friends about the bet, he decides to get even by writing a story about her betrayal. In response, Chris's grandfather, Christopher West Sr, apologizes for his granddaughter's behavior and requests that the couple live together until the divorce is quietly finalized in order to avoid a scandal. Because he dislikes Chris' society friends, Crick refuses and lives apart from her. While still married, Chris and Crick constantly argue. When she notices that Crick is close to nightclub singer Bells Browne, Chris becomes jealous but resigned that Crick prefers Bells. She decides to sail for Europe, but is surprised when Crick appears on the ship, having been alerted to Chris's departure by her grandfather. Crick explains that Bells is only a friend and Chris returns to shore with him. However, Chris's jealousy resurfaces upon seeing Bells singing at the club that night and she persuades the club's owner to fire Bells. When the bartender, Bill, calls Chris out on her brash behavior, a contrite Chris asks that Bells be rehired and admits to Crick that she has been an awful fool.

Cast

as Christopher West *

as Crick O'Bannon *

as Bells Browne * Jessie Ralph as Mrs. De Witt *

Claude Gillingwater Claude Benton Gillingwater (August 2, 1870 – November 1, 1939) was an American stage and screen actor. He first appeared on the stage then in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1939, including the Academy Award-nominated ''A Tale of Two ...

as Old Christopher West *

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 Sonny De Witt *

Paul Hurst Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of club Grimsby Town. As a player, he was a defender from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, ba ...

as Bartender *

Lillian Yarbo Lillian "Billie" Yarbo (March 17, 1905 – June 12, 1996) was an American stage and screen comedienne, dancer, and singer. Early life Born Lillian Yarbough

as Mattie Harriett (uncredited)

References

Bibliography

* Stephens, Michael L. ''Art Directors in Cinema: A Worldwide Biographical Dictionary''. McFarland, 1998.

External links

* 1939 films 1939 romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films American romantic comedy films Films directed by Edward H. Griffith Paramount Pictures films American black-and-white films 1930s American films {{1930s-romantic-comedy-film-stub