He's unhappily married; She's a feisty widow who has just moved near by. Their love is tested because his bitchy wife will not let him go in spite of the fact that she can't stand him. The husband is Cary Grant; the wife is Kay Francis; the lovely widow is Carole Lombard in a rare dramatic performance. This is the basic synopsis for "In Name Only", released by RKO in the greatest year that movies ever saw: 1939.
By this time, Grant and Lombard were established as two of motion pictures greatest stars. Kay Francis, formerly the queen of Warner Brothers, went against type in this unsympathetic role which came at a point in her career where she was listed as "Box-Office Poison". (See my reviews for "Confession" and "The White Angel" for contrasting roles). The explanations for her holding on to a man she didn't love and her background makes her very human and not just a one dimensional villain. These three stars are dynamic together, although there is absolutely no sympathy for Ms. Francis after her "confession". You will be looking forward to her getting her come-uppance as she schemes to prevent Grant from getting his much wanted divorce to be with Lombard.
There is also Charles Coburn (one of the most delightful character actors ever!) as Grant's father, and Helen Vinson as Francis' confidante who also once had a thing for Grant. This is the type of drama that Hollywood just cannot produce anymore. There are definite comic overtones, though, which make this delightful fun! (Grant's "thank you" scene with Lombard is one of the all-time classic sophisticated comedy scenes, while the finale scene with Francis, Lombard, and Coburn is one of the greats as well.)
Sadly, Francis would only have a few more great parts ("The Feminine Touch", "It's a Date") and Lombard would die tragically a few years later; Grant continued to remain a star for the next three decades. This is all three at their very best, and highly regarded. In any lesser film year, this would have garnered more attention; In fact, this is one of few films ("Trouble in Paradise", "One Way Passage", and "Confession" are the others) where I consider Kay Francis worthy of an Oscar nomination.
By this time, Grant and Lombard were established as two of motion pictures greatest stars. Kay Francis, formerly the queen of Warner Brothers, went against type in this unsympathetic role which came at a point in her career where she was listed as "Box-Office Poison". (See my reviews for "Confession" and "The White Angel" for contrasting roles). The explanations for her holding on to a man she didn't love and her background makes her very human and not just a one dimensional villain. These three stars are dynamic together, although there is absolutely no sympathy for Ms. Francis after her "confession". You will be looking forward to her getting her come-uppance as she schemes to prevent Grant from getting his much wanted divorce to be with Lombard.
There is also Charles Coburn (one of the most delightful character actors ever!) as Grant's father, and Helen Vinson as Francis' confidante who also once had a thing for Grant. This is the type of drama that Hollywood just cannot produce anymore. There are definite comic overtones, though, which make this delightful fun! (Grant's "thank you" scene with Lombard is one of the all-time classic sophisticated comedy scenes, while the finale scene with Francis, Lombard, and Coburn is one of the greats as well.)
Sadly, Francis would only have a few more great parts ("The Feminine Touch", "It's a Date") and Lombard would die tragically a few years later; Grant continued to remain a star for the next three decades. This is all three at their very best, and highly regarded. In any lesser film year, this would have garnered more attention; In fact, this is one of few films ("Trouble in Paradise", "One Way Passage", and "Confession" are the others) where I consider Kay Francis worthy of an Oscar nomination.