''That Uncertain Feeling'' 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
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...
and starring
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
,
Melvyn Douglas and
Burgess Meredith. The film is about the bored wife of an insurance salesman who meets an eccentric pianist and seeks a divorce. The screenplay by
Walter Reisch
Walter Reisch (May 23, 1903 – March 28, 1983) was an Austrian-born director and screenwriter. He also wrote lyrics to several songs featured in his films, one popular title is "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne". He was married to the dancer and a ...
and
Donald Ogden Stewart
Donald Ogden Stewart (November 30, 1894 – August 2, 1980) was an American writer and screenwriter best known for his sophisticated golden age comedies and melodramas such as '' The Philadelphia Story'' (based on the play by Philip Barry), ''T ...
was based on the 1880 French play ''Divorçons'' by
Victorien Sardou and
Émile de Najac
Comte Émile de Najac (December 1828 – 11 April 1889) was a French librettist. He was a prolific writer during the Second Empire and early part of the Third Republic, supplying plays and opéra comique librettos, many in one act.
Biography
É ...
.
Plot
![That Uncertain Feeling 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/That_Uncertain_Feeling_2.jpg)
At the suggestion of one of her friends, Jill Baker visits psychoanalyst Dr. Vengard for her intermittent
hiccups, which appear when she gets nervous or irritated. He soon has her questioning her previously happy marriage to her business executive husband Larry.
In Vengard's waiting room one day, Jill meets a very odd and individualistic pianist, Alexander Sebastian. He considers himself the best in the world when playing for a single listener, but has trouble performing in front of a large audience. She eventually invites him to an important dinner for Larry's prospective insurance buyers. When Larry realizes that Jill is infatuated with Sebastian, he gives her a friendly divorce, in which Larry is represented by a lawyer named Jones whose secretary is Sally Aikens.
Jill gets engaged to Sebastian, but after she learns that Larry is seeing an attractive woman, she realizes that she still loves her ex-husband. When she visits his apartment to reconcile with him, he goes into the next room and talks loudly, pretending Sally Aikens is in the room and that she is his girlfriend. His deception is revealed when Sally enters the apartment while he is in the next room breaking a dinner date with the distraught "Sally" (her supposed cries of anguish voiced by Larry). Jill and Larry get back together, and her hiccups vanish forever.
Cast
*
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
as Jill Baker
*
Melvyn Douglas as Larry Baker
*
Burgess Meredith as Alexander Sebastian
*
Alan Mowbray as Dr. Vengard
*
Olive Blakeney as Margie Stallings, Jill's friend
*
Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to:
* Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor
* Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer
* Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House ...
as Jones, Larry's lawyer
*
Sig Ruman as Mr. Kafka, Larry's prospective client
*
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 ...
as Sally Aikens
*
Richard Carle as The Butler
*
Rolfe Sedan as Art Dealer (uncredited)
Reception
The film was a failure at the box office.
Award and honors
Werner R. Heymann
Werner Richard Heymann (14 February 1896 – 30 May 1961), also known as Werner R. Heymann, was a German-Jewish composer active in Germany and in Hollywood.
Early life and education
He was the younger of 4 boys born to a corn merchant. His olde ...
was nominated for an
Oscar for
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture.
See also
* ''
Let's Get a Divorce
''Let's Get a Divorce'' is a 1918 American silent comedy film starring Billie Burke and written for the screen by husband and wife team John Emerson and Anita Loos. The film was produced by the Famous Players-Lasky company and distributed through ...
'' (1918)
* ''
Kiss Me Again'' (1925)
References
External links
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{{Ernst Lubitsch
1941 films
1941 romantic comedy films
1940s screwball comedy films
American romantic comedy films
American screwball comedy films
American black-and-white films
Comedy of remarriage films
1940s English-language films
American films based on plays
Films based on works by Victorien Sardou
Films directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Films set in New York City
United Artists films
Films with screenplays by Donald Ogden Stewart
Articles containing video clips
Films produced by Sol Lesser
1940s American films