I was long awaiting this film as I love all things Irene Dunne but I must say I was disappointed. "Lady in a Jam" is a strange amalgam of screwball comedy and classic romance. It never seems to gel as either. I kept waiting for the film to pick up pace but it continues on at a slow, lackluster pace. There are the talents of character actors Eugene Pallette and Samuel S. Hinds to boost the film and leading man Patric Knowles is certainly handsome. But the movie just never really interests me. The only thing I can imagine is that Miss Dunne and her cast mates had an overriding interest in roughing it in Arizona, the site of its on location scenes. La Dunne is just as if not more beautiful when she goes "au naturel" as a gold prospector. She just glows. Jane Crawford, the little girl who plays "Strawberry" has the best role in the movie. The wisdom that she spouts to Irene Dunne's character is priceless. Ralph Bellamy as Dunne's hapless corn seed suitor is largely repeating the part he played opposite Miss Dunne in the much superior "The Awful Truth" five years earlier in 1937. I guess this movie would be okay if you're stuck inside on a rainy day or sick in bed with a bad cold.
9 Reviews
You can take the lady out of the city, but you can make her dig for gold!
mark.waltz27 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
While Irene Dunne has played many wacky characters, she'd never played a shrew, not until she played the spoiled rich girl who thinks that just because she has checks, she still has cash. The estate executor (Eugene Palette) thinks she's nuts, so he convinces psycho-analyst Patric Knowles to follow her around to get an analyzation, and what Knowles gets is more than he bargained for. Giving up his practice (where obviously lonely society women make up neurosis just go get into his group sessions), he rescues her from a disgruntled chauffeur who has just abandoned her demanding and ridiculous requests, and ends up escorting her out west where she literally starts digging for gold. After reuniting with feisty, no-nonsense granny Queenie Vassar (known in the mining community as Cactus Kate), she literally meets the mine by falling off a ladder into the muck below. A reunion with old childhood beau Ralph Bellamy threatens Dunne and Knowles from revealing to each other how they really feel, but considering that it's never-get-the-girl Bellamy (doing the same part he did in "The Awful Truth", but with a country and western accent as well as spurs), it's obvious how it's going to turn out.
Animal activists are not going to be pleased when they see Bellamy "wrastlin'" with a calf in a rodeo segment. It's obvious that it's not two actors in a calf costume, but others will find it hysterical. Even though Dunne plays a rather nasty bitch, she's actually a combination of Billie Burke and Katharine Hepburn, and just needs a seriously strong man to cut her down to her shoe size. A diminutive little girl named Strawberry is played by a young actress named Jane Garland, and while she's talented, she's certainly no threat to the MGM Garland who was way over the rainbow while Jane was busy down on the ground collecting dollars from the saps she caught hiding something from the people around them. Such dependable character actors as Charles Lane and Henry O'Neill have smaller roles, but it is the taming of shrew Dunne by the suave Knowles and the pistol packin' mama of Queenie Vassar who will grab your attention.
Animal activists are not going to be pleased when they see Bellamy "wrastlin'" with a calf in a rodeo segment. It's obvious that it's not two actors in a calf costume, but others will find it hysterical. Even though Dunne plays a rather nasty bitch, she's actually a combination of Billie Burke and Katharine Hepburn, and just needs a seriously strong man to cut her down to her shoe size. A diminutive little girl named Strawberry is played by a young actress named Jane Garland, and while she's talented, she's certainly no threat to the MGM Garland who was way over the rainbow while Jane was busy down on the ground collecting dollars from the saps she caught hiding something from the people around them. Such dependable character actors as Charles Lane and Henry O'Neill have smaller roles, but it is the taming of shrew Dunne by the suave Knowles and the pistol packin' mama of Queenie Vassar who will grab your attention.
Who's in a Jam? Irene or Us!
JLRMovieReviews6 April 2017
Irene Dunne is a "Lady in a Jam." She has gone bankrupt and her possessions are being sold in an auction to pay her debts. But she is oblivious to her plight and doesn't take anything serious. Her lawyer or accountant, played by Eugene Palette, has been after her about her inevitable situation. But she has done nothing to help herself, but buy stuff on whims. When Eugene goes to a psychiatrist (Patric Knowles) to get her some help, things get crazy. The situations from then on feel contrived and unrealistic, but at the same time it's bizarre enough to keep you interested, like a car wreck. It's not really that funny, but is only fairly amusing and is a disappointment as one of Irene Dunne's films. She is convinced by Patric to go back home, where her eccentric grandmother and ex-beau (Ralph Bellamy) live. "Lady in a Jam" is only for die-hard Irene Dunne fans, and even those will be only modestly entertained.
Any Irene Dunne is better than none
jonathan_lippman26 November 2014
This is not one of her better or better known films and Patrick Knowles, handsome Brit, is not quite up to her stature as a big movie star but she IS charming as usual and there are a few laughs and Ralph Bellamy in support is also a welcome player, as is Eugene Palette. Irene is doing here a screwball comedy in which she excelled but the script is not up to her usual comedies, including THE AWFUL TRUTH and MY FAVORITE WIFE. Still if you are an Irene fan, its worth a visit for an hour and a half. Miss Dunne was at RKO and then went to Universal...This was at Universal and she would soon go over to MGM and make some of the best films of her career. She is beautiful as always.
Patric Knowles & Irene Dunne Delight
daoldiges8 January 2024
Lady in a Jam is a fun and surprisingly enjoyable little film. The great discovery for me was the male lead, Patric Knowles. I've never heard of him before but think he did a swell job in his development of his character, a reserved, unflappable counterpoint to the high strung and moody character so well played by Irene Dunne. The story is simple but effectively conveyed by the two outstanding leads. Some of the supporting characters are colorful and only add to the overall quirkiness of the film. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the very ending of the film, but I guess I can appreciate that they avoided sentimentality and kept it light and humorous till the very end.
The greatest director?
ilprofessore-127 November 2023
Gregory LaCava was one of the greatest directors of madcap comedy film in the Thirties. W. C. Fields, a good friend and drinking companion, not a man known to waste compliments, once said of LaCava: "I hate his guts, but he's the greatest director that ever lived." Fields often asked LaCava, uncredited, to direct him in scenes in other director's films. LaCava has left us two well-made,original films under his own name: MY MAN GODFREY (1936) and STAGE DOOR (1937), as well as many lesser films, LADY IN A JAM (made at Universal in 1942) being one of them. The film has some wonderful actors--among them, the enchanting Irene Dunne as the ditzy heiress reminiscent of Kate Hepburn in BRINGING UP BABY; Ralph Bellamy as the bumbling songwriting cowpoke; Eugene Pallette as the growly trustee of Irene's failed estate; and little Queenie Vassar as the owner of the abandoned gold mine. The major fault in the film, however, is the choice of Irene's co-star, the handsome and likeable Englishman actor Patric Knowles. Cast here as a confused innocent, a psychiatrist who abandons his profession to be chauffeur and nursemaid to the heiress. The script by LaCava's longtime collaborator Eugene Thackery doesn't give him much to do other than to act frustrated or befuddled. Consequently, the romantic moments don't come off. Perhaps Henry Fonda or Cary Grant might have made something more of the underwritten role, but sadly Knowles, competent and likeable as he was, had none of the others sexual allure. We wonder why a dynamo like Dunne would have found someone so passive attractive. Despite the silly and often improbable story, there are many delightful moments, perfectly staged and cast by the great La Cava. His career came to an end in 1948 with another miss, ONE TOUCH OF VENUS with Robert Walker and Ava Gardner, but his best work lives on.
I had a hard time finding the funny
phuckracistgop14 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
There were two or three semi funny parts to this movie but not much more.
The sound quality was off, with sets that echoed to others where the voices were dull.
But filming in Black and White took me back to the sixties when color TV wasn't in everyone's home. So when Jane emerged covered in mud it took a little longer for me to appreciate the humor.
If the off key screeching of Stanley was supposed to be humorous, it wasn't. But roping the fence post instead of the calf was one of the slightly funny parts.
I did like Irene Dunne portrayal of Jane Palmer but I didn't go for Caucasian actors with heavy makeup playing the parts of Indigenous Americans.
The ending was predictable as usual, with a slight twist with the woman manipulating the man into compliance which was enjoyable.
The sound quality was off, with sets that echoed to others where the voices were dull.
But filming in Black and White took me back to the sixties when color TV wasn't in everyone's home. So when Jane emerged covered in mud it took a little longer for me to appreciate the humor.
If the off key screeching of Stanley was supposed to be humorous, it wasn't. But roping the fence post instead of the calf was one of the slightly funny parts.
I did like Irene Dunne portrayal of Jane Palmer but I didn't go for Caucasian actors with heavy makeup playing the parts of Indigenous Americans.
The ending was predictable as usual, with a slight twist with the woman manipulating the man into compliance which was enjoyable.
Second Tier Screwball
boblipton1 August 2023
Irene Dunne has spent all the money left in trust for her, but refuses to change her ways. Her trustee, Eugene Pallette, seeks help from the medical foundation established by her grandfather, and they send him to psychiatrist Patrick Knowles, who tries to change her outlook on life with a trip to Arizona to visit her grandmother. Granny won't give her any money, but will let her try to revive the big gold mine. Meanwhile, childhood sweetheart Ralph Bellamy sings her dirges about dead loves.
Miss Dunne was a star of several excellent screwball comedies, but this is not one. Even with Gregory LaCava directing and co-writing, it never gels, even though the engaging cast of eccentrics played by comic actors keeps it interesting and reminds the audience that he did, after all, begin as a cartoonist.
Miss Dunne was a star of several excellent screwball comedies, but this is not one. Even with Gregory LaCava directing and co-writing, it never gels, even though the engaging cast of eccentrics played by comic actors keeps it interesting and reminds the audience that he did, after all, begin as a cartoonist.
Soon after the film began, I completely hated the leading character....could the movie be salvaged?
planktonrules20 March 2018
In "Bringing Up Baby", the leading lady is a ditzy, scatterbrained woman. However, no matter how bad she was, Katharine Hepburn's character was, down deep, a very sweet and lovable scatterbrain! This is what helped to make that movie a classic.
In "Lady in a Jam", however, the leading lady is ditzy and scatterbrained...but also is thoroughly self-absorbed and feels zero sense of responsibility for her actions because she has no conscience. As a result, I thoroughly hated Irene Dunne's character and strongly considered turning off the movie early into the story...she was that awful and easy to hate. Was I right in continuing to watch the movie?
When the story begins, the executor of an estate (Eugene Pallette) approaches the psychiatrist, Dr. Enright (Patric Knowles), about the woman he's been assigned to oversee. He's frustrated because the woman, though once rich, has spent herself into oblivion and nothing he says or does has any impact on her. Obviously he's concerned about the lady's mental competence.
Instead of investigating Jane Palmer directly, he indirectly watches her and then introduces himself after her chauffeur quits. After all, she hasn't paid him in months and she treats him like dirt. When Dr. Enright offers to drive her home, she insists she'll drive herself...even though she hasn't a license. However, she not only doesn't know how to drive, she simply doesn't care about the other drivers...and soon plows into two vehicles. She then refuses to show a license or insurance information and tells both drivers that it was their fault...and tries to drive off. The cop stops her, temporarily, but soon she leaves...with Enright driving her. He then announces he wants to be her new chauffeur...which doesn't make much sense since her actions behind the wheel and insanely extravagant spending clearly demonstrate she is incompetent*.
Once home, her executor announces she's broke and men are there to itemize her possessions for an auction. Despite the deputies showing their badges and agreeing with the man, Jane insists she's rich and demands everyone leave. Well, this amounts to nothing and soon she's living in an empty house...and blaming the executor for everything. Then, Enright announces who she is and she blathers on and on about how he and everyone else is unfair to her. Despite this, and after telling her off, he insists that he's going to stay and help her...and accompany her to some piece of land out west that she STILL owns.
This all is still relatively early in the film...and my hatred for Jane has only increased. Again, I had to resist the desire to turn it off and cut my losses. Apparently, I am a masochist so I kept watching. What follows doesn't get a lot better. She continues to treat everyone like dirt and is a thoroughly hateful character...so much so that I longed for the movie to end! What happens next? Who cares!
Rarely have I seen a movie that combines excellent actors with such a thoroughly awful script. You wonder why Dunne, in particular, agreed to do the picture, as her character was NOT likable despite everything and must have elicited a lot of dislike in the movie patrons. Overall, I'd rate this as one of the worst films Dunne ever made...perhaps THE worst. And, as such, I recommend you don't waste your time with it...like I did! And to imagine, this fine actress also made such classics as "Love Affair", "The Awful Truth" and "My Favorite Wife"!
* I am a trained psychotherapist...her actions CLEARLY demonstrate she is not competent and poses a serious danger to others in this one scene alone. No therapist would need to keep observing her in order to prove her incompetence...thus making the rest of the story irrelevant.
In "Lady in a Jam", however, the leading lady is ditzy and scatterbrained...but also is thoroughly self-absorbed and feels zero sense of responsibility for her actions because she has no conscience. As a result, I thoroughly hated Irene Dunne's character and strongly considered turning off the movie early into the story...she was that awful and easy to hate. Was I right in continuing to watch the movie?
When the story begins, the executor of an estate (Eugene Pallette) approaches the psychiatrist, Dr. Enright (Patric Knowles), about the woman he's been assigned to oversee. He's frustrated because the woman, though once rich, has spent herself into oblivion and nothing he says or does has any impact on her. Obviously he's concerned about the lady's mental competence.
Instead of investigating Jane Palmer directly, he indirectly watches her and then introduces himself after her chauffeur quits. After all, she hasn't paid him in months and she treats him like dirt. When Dr. Enright offers to drive her home, she insists she'll drive herself...even though she hasn't a license. However, she not only doesn't know how to drive, she simply doesn't care about the other drivers...and soon plows into two vehicles. She then refuses to show a license or insurance information and tells both drivers that it was their fault...and tries to drive off. The cop stops her, temporarily, but soon she leaves...with Enright driving her. He then announces he wants to be her new chauffeur...which doesn't make much sense since her actions behind the wheel and insanely extravagant spending clearly demonstrate she is incompetent*.
Once home, her executor announces she's broke and men are there to itemize her possessions for an auction. Despite the deputies showing their badges and agreeing with the man, Jane insists she's rich and demands everyone leave. Well, this amounts to nothing and soon she's living in an empty house...and blaming the executor for everything. Then, Enright announces who she is and she blathers on and on about how he and everyone else is unfair to her. Despite this, and after telling her off, he insists that he's going to stay and help her...and accompany her to some piece of land out west that she STILL owns.
This all is still relatively early in the film...and my hatred for Jane has only increased. Again, I had to resist the desire to turn it off and cut my losses. Apparently, I am a masochist so I kept watching. What follows doesn't get a lot better. She continues to treat everyone like dirt and is a thoroughly hateful character...so much so that I longed for the movie to end! What happens next? Who cares!
Rarely have I seen a movie that combines excellent actors with such a thoroughly awful script. You wonder why Dunne, in particular, agreed to do the picture, as her character was NOT likable despite everything and must have elicited a lot of dislike in the movie patrons. Overall, I'd rate this as one of the worst films Dunne ever made...perhaps THE worst. And, as such, I recommend you don't waste your time with it...like I did! And to imagine, this fine actress also made such classics as "Love Affair", "The Awful Truth" and "My Favorite Wife"!
* I am a trained psychotherapist...her actions CLEARLY demonstrate she is not competent and poses a serious danger to others in this one scene alone. No therapist would need to keep observing her in order to prove her incompetence...thus making the rest of the story irrelevant.
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