Preston Sturges is mentioned third in the writing credits for "The Good Fairy." But his wit and sense of humor clearly shine through in this marvelous screenplay. And, with a great cast, this film was a sure-fire comedy success. It is a hilarious comedy that at times becomes very warm and endearing. It's a wonderful farce that has some feel-good moments tossed in to make it a truly joyous time spent.
Margaret Sullavan and Herbert Marshall are the headline stars, but a superb supporting cast carries much of the script and comedy. The plot revolves around Sullavan's character, Luisa. Before Marshall's entry as Dr. Max Sporum, there are some riotous scenes with Frank Morgan as Konrad, Reginald Owen as Detlaff, the waiter, and Eric Blore as Dr. Metz. Blore is one of the great staid comic stalwarts of the 1930s and 1940s. Movie buffs will know him from the Lone Wolf string of movies made in those decades, as the Wolf's valet and sidekick Jamison, with nice comedy parts.
People will forever remember Morgan as the Wizard of Oz. Here he is a riot as a frustrated and flustered would-be lover of Luisa. Playing his protagonist, for some of the funniest exchanges on film that I can think of, is Owen's waiter, Detlaff. After a chance meeting with Luisa who has just come from the orphanage asylum, Detlaff feels a responsibility for her. Especially to protect her virtue against the likes of Konrad and Dr. Metz. Owen made many films and worked with top actors over the years. He gave one of the best performances of Scrooge in the 1938 movie of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
Margaret Sullavan's life was a sad one off screen and stage. She married four times and had three divorces. Two of her three children with Hollywood producer Leland Hayward left her to live with their father. She suffered depression and spent two months in an asylum. Sullavan died in 1960 from an overdose of barbiturates. She was just 50 years old. A daughter and her son later committed suicide. Her other daughter, Brooke Hayward, wrote a best-selling book about her family in 1977. "Haywire" was made into a TV movie in 1980, and starred Lee Remick and Jason Robards.
Sullavan had a reputation for her temperament. She preferred the Broadway stage to Hollywood. So, she made fewer than 20 films in the 1930s and 1940s. But not one of those was anything less than a big hit or superb film. Here is a sampling of some great lines from "The Good Fairy."
Dr. Metz; "What's your name again, my little peach blossom?" Konrad: "Yes, but she's not your little peach blossom." Luisa: "I can't tell you that." Metz: "Oh, incognito?" Luisa: "Oh, no, that's not it. You'll never guess it." Metz, laughing: "Very sharp! She reminds me of myself."
Konrad: "How's the lobster soup?" Detlaff, the waiter: "Terrible, sir." Konrad: "What?" Detlaff: "If there's one thing our chef can't make, it's lobster soup." Konrad: "Well, how's the filet of sole?" Detlaff: "Filet of sole, sir?" Konrad: "Yes, yes!" Detlaff: "Vile, sir." Konrad: "Vile?" Detlaff: "I couldn't' recommend it. We're so far from the channel, you know sir, it has to be packed in ice. I suspect that the ice gave out about half way, sir." Konrad: "You don't mean " Detlaff, gestures holding his nose. Konrad: "It's terrible." Detlaff: "Unfortunately, sir." Konrad: "Well, is there anything the matter with the moi tete of lamb?" Detlaff: "Very leathery, sir." Konrad: "What is leathery? How can lamb be leathery?" Detlaff: "I suspect it's goat, sir." Konrad: "Goat! This is ridiculous!"
Konrad: "What does he do?" Luisa: "Oh, my husband?" Konrad: "Oh, well we're right back where we started. Certainly, your husband. What does he do?" Luisa: "I never asked him." Konrad: "Oh, you never asked him. What does he do - I never asked him. When I say what does he do, I mean is he a butcher, a horse doctor, a dentist, or an undertaker, or what?" Luisa: "What would you like him to be?" Konrad: "What would I like him to be? Uh, whatever I'd like him to be, I mean, he would just be?" Luisa: "He's very willing." Konrad: "Yes, well that always sounds bad. I suppose he'd be a deep-sea diver or something. That would give me a lot of trouble. Why couldn't you have married a lawyer or something?" Luisa: "A lawyer he IS a lawyer." Konrad: "Well why didn't you say that in the first place?" Luisa: "I was afraid maybe you didn't need one." Konrad: "What's his name?" Luisa: "Oh, do you have to know his name?"
Konrad, "Did you notice that fellow's eyes? They're like angry marbles." Louisa, "No, I didn't notice." Konrad, "I think he's crazy...This is the worst hotel in the whole world."
Konrad, "Well, I'll see him in the morning, and I'll make him... General European Legal Representative." Luisa, "Ohhh! What does it mean?" Konrad, "Well, it doesn't mean anything, but I'll make him something."
Konrad, "Sometimes it's better to lose a case cleverly than to win it stupidly."
Dr. Max Sporum, "I'm going to buy a pencil sharpener... with a handle, and different size holes, at last."
Luisa, talking about Max buying a car, "All right then, it's gotta be pink." Max, "Pink?" Luisa, "Of course it has. You can't take that beard around with a black car. Why, you'll frighten the children."
Detlaff, " I thought I'd better just keep an eye on you. Where'd you get that fur?" Luisa, "I don't want an eye kept on me."
Detlaff, "Where does the pencil sharpener come in? You ought to go back in the asylum."
Konrad, "If you say it was you, I'll punch you right in the eye. If there's any good fairy around here, it's me."
Margaret Sullavan and Herbert Marshall are the headline stars, but a superb supporting cast carries much of the script and comedy. The plot revolves around Sullavan's character, Luisa. Before Marshall's entry as Dr. Max Sporum, there are some riotous scenes with Frank Morgan as Konrad, Reginald Owen as Detlaff, the waiter, and Eric Blore as Dr. Metz. Blore is one of the great staid comic stalwarts of the 1930s and 1940s. Movie buffs will know him from the Lone Wolf string of movies made in those decades, as the Wolf's valet and sidekick Jamison, with nice comedy parts.
People will forever remember Morgan as the Wizard of Oz. Here he is a riot as a frustrated and flustered would-be lover of Luisa. Playing his protagonist, for some of the funniest exchanges on film that I can think of, is Owen's waiter, Detlaff. After a chance meeting with Luisa who has just come from the orphanage asylum, Detlaff feels a responsibility for her. Especially to protect her virtue against the likes of Konrad and Dr. Metz. Owen made many films and worked with top actors over the years. He gave one of the best performances of Scrooge in the 1938 movie of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
Margaret Sullavan's life was a sad one off screen and stage. She married four times and had three divorces. Two of her three children with Hollywood producer Leland Hayward left her to live with their father. She suffered depression and spent two months in an asylum. Sullavan died in 1960 from an overdose of barbiturates. She was just 50 years old. A daughter and her son later committed suicide. Her other daughter, Brooke Hayward, wrote a best-selling book about her family in 1977. "Haywire" was made into a TV movie in 1980, and starred Lee Remick and Jason Robards.
Sullavan had a reputation for her temperament. She preferred the Broadway stage to Hollywood. So, she made fewer than 20 films in the 1930s and 1940s. But not one of those was anything less than a big hit or superb film. Here is a sampling of some great lines from "The Good Fairy."
Dr. Metz; "What's your name again, my little peach blossom?" Konrad: "Yes, but she's not your little peach blossom." Luisa: "I can't tell you that." Metz: "Oh, incognito?" Luisa: "Oh, no, that's not it. You'll never guess it." Metz, laughing: "Very sharp! She reminds me of myself."
Konrad: "How's the lobster soup?" Detlaff, the waiter: "Terrible, sir." Konrad: "What?" Detlaff: "If there's one thing our chef can't make, it's lobster soup." Konrad: "Well, how's the filet of sole?" Detlaff: "Filet of sole, sir?" Konrad: "Yes, yes!" Detlaff: "Vile, sir." Konrad: "Vile?" Detlaff: "I couldn't' recommend it. We're so far from the channel, you know sir, it has to be packed in ice. I suspect that the ice gave out about half way, sir." Konrad: "You don't mean " Detlaff, gestures holding his nose. Konrad: "It's terrible." Detlaff: "Unfortunately, sir." Konrad: "Well, is there anything the matter with the moi tete of lamb?" Detlaff: "Very leathery, sir." Konrad: "What is leathery? How can lamb be leathery?" Detlaff: "I suspect it's goat, sir." Konrad: "Goat! This is ridiculous!"
Konrad: "What does he do?" Luisa: "Oh, my husband?" Konrad: "Oh, well we're right back where we started. Certainly, your husband. What does he do?" Luisa: "I never asked him." Konrad: "Oh, you never asked him. What does he do - I never asked him. When I say what does he do, I mean is he a butcher, a horse doctor, a dentist, or an undertaker, or what?" Luisa: "What would you like him to be?" Konrad: "What would I like him to be? Uh, whatever I'd like him to be, I mean, he would just be?" Luisa: "He's very willing." Konrad: "Yes, well that always sounds bad. I suppose he'd be a deep-sea diver or something. That would give me a lot of trouble. Why couldn't you have married a lawyer or something?" Luisa: "A lawyer he IS a lawyer." Konrad: "Well why didn't you say that in the first place?" Luisa: "I was afraid maybe you didn't need one." Konrad: "What's his name?" Luisa: "Oh, do you have to know his name?"
Konrad, "Did you notice that fellow's eyes? They're like angry marbles." Louisa, "No, I didn't notice." Konrad, "I think he's crazy...This is the worst hotel in the whole world."
Konrad, "Well, I'll see him in the morning, and I'll make him... General European Legal Representative." Luisa, "Ohhh! What does it mean?" Konrad, "Well, it doesn't mean anything, but I'll make him something."
Konrad, "Sometimes it's better to lose a case cleverly than to win it stupidly."
Dr. Max Sporum, "I'm going to buy a pencil sharpener... with a handle, and different size holes, at last."
Luisa, talking about Max buying a car, "All right then, it's gotta be pink." Max, "Pink?" Luisa, "Of course it has. You can't take that beard around with a black car. Why, you'll frighten the children."
Detlaff, " I thought I'd better just keep an eye on you. Where'd you get that fur?" Luisa, "I don't want an eye kept on me."
Detlaff, "Where does the pencil sharpener come in? You ought to go back in the asylum."
Konrad, "If you say it was you, I'll punch you right in the eye. If there's any good fairy around here, it's me."