Comedies do not usually perform very well at the Oscars, with very few winning in the acting categories and even fewer winning Best Picture. In the mid-1930s, though, it was impossible for the Academy to ignore the massive success of the screwball comedy genre. The genre, which blended comedy, romance and completely ridiculous situations, continued to be popular until the end of the decade, culminating with Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday in 1940. Along the way, there were fantastic films like It Happened One Night (1934), Twentieth Century (1934), My Man Godfrey (1936) and so many more. They starred the likes of John Barrymore, William Powell, Rosalind Russell, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert and Irene Dunne and were directed by names like Hawks, Gregory La Cava and Frank Capra. To me, the best of the genre was Leo McCarey’s 1937 hit The Awful Truth, which starred Dunne and the one and only Cary Grant. The film was nominated for six Oscars, but only won Best Director.
The Awful Truth centers on Lucy (Dunne) and Jerry Warriner (Grant) who want to get a divorce. The only problem is that they can’t see one another going out with another person, so they get in the way of each other’s relationships. It might seem a little episodic, but each set-piece only serves to out-do the previous. Lucy is the one that has the most success, falling head-over-heels (or at least trying to pretend she has) for the first man she sees, Oklahoma oil man Dan Leeson (Ralph Bellamy). Jerry continues to try to find a replacement for Lucy while getting in the way of her relationship. Later, Jerry falls for a wealthy socialite (Molly Lamont), which sets up one of the funniest moments in the film, where Lucy tries to sabotage the relationship by pretending to be Jerry’s sister.
It’s tough to look at The Awful Truth critically because every part of it comes together so well and effortlessly. It’s like watching a ballet where everything is perfectly staged and everything goes off without a hitch. The Cary Grant we all know and love was born in this movie, Irene Dunne shows off why she was one of the criminally underrated actresses of her period and then there’s the great Ralph Bellamy in his typical third-wheel role. (He did the exact same thing in His Girl Friday.)
The story goes that when McCarey picked up his Oscar, he told the Academy that they were honoring him for the wrong film, referring to his wonderful drama, Make Way For Tomorrow. That film was a bomb, but is regarded today as one of the most touching dramas to come out of Depression-era Hollywood, telling the story of two elderly parents separated by their children. While that is a truly wonderful, moving film, The Awful Truth highlights the funny side of McCarey’s talents. This is the same man who teamed with Stan Laurel with Oliver Hardy and directed the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup, after all. It would have been great if he could have won for both, but he did a great job on The Awful Truth.
The best comedies are ones that you can watch over and over again and still break into laughter because you know what’s coming. I know Grant is going to fall over in that chair and I know Dunne is going to ask “Well isn’t that swell?,” yet I’ve still watched this move more times than I can count and I’ll continue to watch it. The Awful Truth is not only one of the best screwballs ever made, but one of the best comedies ever made.
The Awful Truth won for Best Director. Dunne was nominated for Best Actress, Bellamy for Best Supporting, Best Editing and Best Screenplay for Viña Delmar’s great script. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, losing out to the droll and boring The Life of Emile Zola.