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I Was a Male War Bride

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I Was a Male War Bride
Directed byHoward Hawks
Written byHenri Rochard, Charles Lederer, Leonard Spigelgass, Hagar Wilde
Produced bySol C. Siegel
StarringCary Grant
Ann Sheridan
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
August 19, 1949
Running time
105 min.
LanguageEnglish

I Was a Male War Bride is a 1949 comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. This film was based upon the true account of the real Henri Rochard, a Belgian who married an American nurse; the experience was told in his story entitled I was an Alien Spouse of Female Military Personnel Enroute to the United States Under Public Law 271 of the Congress.[1] The film is the story of French Army officer Henri Rochard (Grant) who must pass as a war bride in order to go back to the United States with Women's Army Corps officer Catherine Gates (Sheridan). The film is noted as being a low key screwball comedy with a famous final sequence featuring Cary Grant impersonating a female army nurse.

Plot summary

In Heidelberg, Germany, Captain Henri Rochard (Cary Grant) of the French Army, and WAC lieutenant Catherine Gates (Ann Sheridan), an American, are assigned a mission together to stop a German high-level scientist, Schindler (Martin Miller), in postwar Germany. The only available transport is a motorcycle with a side car and because only Cathy has been cleared to operate the machine, Henri will have to ride in the sidecar. After several mishaps, including a road block, a near plunge over a waterfall and losing their way, Cathy and Henri arrive at their destination, Bad Nauheim.

At the hotel, Cathy complains of back pain, and Henri offers to give her a back rub. After she falls asleep, Henri tries to leave her room, but discovers that the door handle has fallen off, trapping him inside. Henri spends an uncomfortable night in a chair, and in the morning, Cathy refuses to believe his story. Unknown to Henri, the innkeeper's wife has replaced the knob, and so, when he again tries the door, it opens easily. Eventually, the innkeeper's wife explains everything to Cathy, but not before Henri falls off the roof while trying to keep his presence in Cathy's room a secret.

Later, Henri disguises himself to search for Schindler, a black market lens grinder. He refuses to let Cathy help him, so she has breakfast with a fellow officer. From him, she learns that the black market is about to be raided, and when Henri asks her to vouch for his identity, she follows his earlier orders not to reveal that she knows him, and allows the police to arrest him. While Henri is in jail, Cathy finds Schindler, who happily agrees to leave Germany and ply his trade in France. Later, she apologizes to a furious Henri, and by the time they return to Heidelberg, they have fallen in love.[2]

After a great deal of red tape and interference by well-meaning friends, Cathy and Henri are married in three different ceremonies in Heidelberg, civil, Army and church. Before they can consummate the marriage that night, Cathy is given orders by Lt. Kitty Lawrence to report back to headquarters to be shipped back to the United States in the morning. They subsequently learn that the only way Henri can get a visa to emigrate with her is under the War Bride Act, as a spouse of a member of the expeditionary forces. After many misunderstandings, Henri is granted permission to sail for America with Cathy, but before they leave, circumstances and Army regulations conspire to keep them from spending the night together. Finally, in order to get past unbelieving Navy officers, Henri must dress as a woman. The deception works, but once underway, Henri's disguise is penetrated, and he is arrested. Cathy manages to straighten out the situation, and although he is free to leave the room where he has been imprisoned, Henri invites Cathy in. After he locks the door on the inside and throws away the key, Henri and Cathy finally have their wedding night.

During production, however, the cast and crew suffered from an assortment of maladies: Marion Marshall (director Hawks girlfriend) was the only principal to emerge unscathed from the experience. Sheridan contracted pleurisy that developed into pneumonia, suspending shooting for two weeks. Hawks broke out in mystery hives. The worst off was Grant: he fell seriously ill with a case of hepatitis complicated by jaundice. Production was shut down for three months while the actor convalesced and resumed only after Grant was able to regain around thirty pounds.

Cast

References

  1. ^ "I Was a Male War Bride". Tcm.turner.com. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  2. ^ Canby, Vincent. "I Was a Male War Bride - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
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