BRIDE BY MISTAKE

US, 1944, 81 minutes, Black and white.
Laraine Day, Alan Marshall, Marsha Hunt, Alan Joslyn, Edgar Buchanan.
Directed by Richard Wallace.

Bride By Mistake is a pleasant romantic comedy. It is obviously wartime propaganda and morale-boosting, representative of so many small-budget short-running features of the time.

It was directed by Richard Wallace, director of many pleasant films including The Little Minister, The Young in Heart. Lorraine Day is a pleasant if unexciting heroine, Marsha Hunt has more verve in the supporting lead role. Leading man is Australian-born Alan Marshall who had roles in such films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Lydia, The White Cliffs of Dover. There is entertaining support from Alan Josslyn and Edgar Buchanan.

The film's screenplay is based on a story by Norman Krasna and is written by Henry and Phoebe Ephron. Laraine Day plays a millionairess who wants to find the right husband. Her friend Sylvia (Marsha Hunt) married to Philip (Alan Josslyn) takes her place until Nora finds the right man. Needless to say he is Alan Marshall. The film shows the war background, officers resting at a luxury hotel. There is a pleasant blend of mistaken identity and usual romantic comedy routines. There is plenty of sentiment with a wedding.

While the material is familiar, there is a pleasant sharpness at times in the screenplay and in the performances which make it a little better than merely routine. It offers a variation on the American dream, marrying money and success, but with the humorous unreality of the '30s screwball comedies.