''Unfinished Business'' is a 1941 American romantic

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 ...

produced and directed by

Gregory La Cava Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 – March 1, 1952) was an American film director of Italian descent best known for his films of the 1930s, including ''My Man Godfrey'' and ''Stage Door'', which earned him nominations for Academy Award for Best ...

and starring

Irene Dunne Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she performed in films of other gen ...

, Robert Montgomery and

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

. The screenplay concerns a young woman who quickly falls in love with a playboy, but when he shows no interest in making her his wife, marries his brother.

Plot

On a train to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, small-town singer Nancy Andrews meets a sophisticated playboy, Steve Duncan, and quickly falls head over heels in love. Steve barely gives her a second look once they reach their destination. Rejected during an audition for the opera, Nancy has to settle for a job as a telephone operator, doing singing telegrams. Nightclub impresario Billy Ross likes her voice and offers her a job. At the club, attorney Tommy Duncan, brother of Steve, gets drunk. When a heartbroken Nancy learns that Steve is about to marry another woman, Tommy gets her tipsy and elopes to a

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

justice of the peace with her to be married. Next day, Tommy finds to his surprise that he is in love with Nancy, but it is not mutual. After they return to New York and throw a party, Nancy kisses Steve, to the consternation of Steve's new wife Sheila as well as Tommy's old girlfriend Clarisse. A disappointed Tommy enlists in the Army and leaves for a year. Upon returning, he punches his brother and prepares to grant Nancy her divorce. That's when he learns that he and Nancy are parents of a baby boy, and that she is overjoyed to know that Tommy still loves her.

Cast

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

gave the film a decidedly mixed review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', praising Dunne, Montgomery and "a good cast", as well as director La Cava, but felt they were not quite able to save "a foolish script with glib action".

References

External links

* * * 1941 films 1941 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films Films directed by Gregory La Cava Universal Pictures films 1940s American films {{1940s-comedy-film-stub