Unfinished Business (1941 film)
| Unfinished Business | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gregory La Cava |
| Written by | Eugene Thackrey |
| Produced by | Gregory La Cava |
| Starring | Irene Dunne Robert Montgomery Preston Foster |
| Cinematography | Joseph A. Valentine |
| Music by | Franz Waxman (uncredited) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Unfinished Business is a 1941 American romantic comedy film produced and directed by Gregory La Cava and starring Irene Dunne, Robert Montgomery and Preston Foster. The screenplay concerns a young woman who quickly falls in love with a playboy, but when he shows no interest in making her his wife, marries his brother.
Plot
On a train to New York City, small-town singer Nancy Andrews meets a sophisticated playboy, Steve Duncan, and quickly falls head over heels in love. Steve barely gives her a second look once they reach their destination.
Rejected during an audition for the opera, Nancy has to settle for a job as a telephone operator, doing singing telegrams. Nightclub impresario Billy Ross likes her voice and offers her a job. At the club, attorney Tommy Duncan, brother of Steve, gets drunk. When a heartbroken Nancy learns that Steve is about to marry another woman, Tommy gets her tipsy and elopes to a South Carolina justice of the peace with her to be married.
Next day, Tommy finds to his surprise that he is in love with Nancy, but it is not mutual. After they return to New York and throw a party, Nancy kisses Steve, to the consternation of Steve's new wife Sheila as well as Tommy's old girlfriend Clarisse.
A disappointed Tommy enlists in the Army and leaves for a year. Upon returning, he punches his brother and prepares to grant Nancy her divorce. That's when he learns that he and Nancy are parents of a baby boy, and that she is overjoyed to know that Tommy still loves her.
Cast
- Irene Dunne as Nancy Andrews
- Robert Montgomery as Tommy Duncan
- Preston Foster as Steve Duncan
- Eugene Pallette as Elmer
- Dick Foran as Frank
- Esther Dale as Aunt Mathilda
- Walter Catlett as Billy Ross
- Richard Davies as Richard
- Kathryn Adams as Katy
- Samuel S. Hinds as Uncle
- June Clyde as Clarisse
- Phyllis Barry as Sheila
- Paul Fix as Reporter
Reception
Bosley Crowther gave the film a decidedly mixed review in The New York Times, praising Dunne, Montgomery and "a good cast", as well as director La Cava, but felt they were not quite able to save "a foolish script with glib action".[1]
References
- ^ "Irene Dunne and Robert Montgomery Pick Up 'Unfinished Business,' at the Rivoli". The New York Times. September 2, 1941.
External links
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