. . . aping each of Kate's trademark screwball comedy wry wriggles, shrugs, and grunts in a desperate effort to rope Cary Grant into pulling off another BRINGING UP BABY. Unfortunately, Randolph Scott is more of a Tarzan than a leopard, and Dunne's relationship to Grant during MY FAVORITE WIFE brings to mind one of Groucho's lines ("This morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas"). Even though it runs less than 90 minutes, MY FAVORITE WIFE seems to be packed with at least half an hour of "padding," from the shoe salesman through the insurance investigator to the final interminable squeaks-in-the-attic scene. Though as a "chick flick" MY FAVORITE WIFE may merit a rating of "8" for its ability to make men look foolish, as a script it's a "6" at best. ADAM'S RIB this is not. While Mr. Scott's approach to getting into a High Society swimming pool merits a chuckle, the tagline's promise of "A Laff a Minute" makes one wonder if WIFE's distributor--RKO movie studio--went belly-up because of this sort of false advertising.

I thought the funniest scenes involved the judge, the front desk manager, the insurance agent and the Randolph Scott character.As someone else said Gail Patrick was more or less a prop - no personality good or bad. Irene Dunn couldn't make up her mind whether her character was in a comedy or a drama. Cary Grant thought he was in a home movie and enjoyed making faces at the camera.The main character just didn't behave as if they were in the situation they were supposed to be in -- wife lost at sea for years, husband not knowing what to do - really? Also, lets not tell the kids but just kinda bring them in as a joke.Little snappy dialogue and something off with the timing and delivery.Watching it I thought this was not the Cary Grant from His Girl Friday and Arsenic and Old Lace.

Handsome widower Cary Grant (as Nick Arden) has his spouse, shipwrecked off the coast of Indochina seven years ago, declared legally dead so he can marry an attractive brunette he met while helping with the search. The newlyweds are honeymooning when Mr. Grant's wife, still beautiful Irene Dunne (as Ellen Wagstaff), returns home. It turns out Ms. Dunne had survived on a deserted island. She expects to pick up where she left off with Grant and their two cute kids. Grant's new wife, pretty Gail Patrick (as Bianca Bates) is anxious to put their marriage to bed. Things get more complicated when hunky Randolph Scott (as Stephen Burkett) arrives on the scene. He was stranded with Dunne for seven years on the island...The castaways called themselves "Adam and Eve"...This was one of two attempts to turn the melodramatic Alfred Lord Tennyson poem "Enoch Arden" into a 1940 comedy movie. More successful than "Too Many Husbands" (1940), "My Favorite Wife" reverses the gender of the original characters and leaves viewers with the possibility that no extra-marital sex occurred. The formula was repeated for Doris Day in "Move Over, Darling" (1963). Which wife fits the "My Favorite Wife" title is never in doubt. Note, for example how the women are introduced – Dunne is sweet and motherly while Ms. Patrick is primping and self-absorbed. Safe and obvious, the story engages with performances and innuendo. Leo McCarey and the RKO studio crew make it a smooth, classy production.******* My Favorite Wife (5/2/40) Garson Kanin ~ Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Gail Patrick, Randolph Scott

Irene Dunne was gloriously beautiful and funny beyond measure in this great RKO film where Irene was Queen of the Lot over such equally grand ladies such as Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, and Lucille Ball. What women!Irene Dunne is ultimate screwball comedienne and I am just amazed, shocked and baffled why the Academy never honored Irene Dunne with an Honorary Oscar. Doesn't a career that comprises of Show Boat, Love Affair, The Awful Truth, I Remember Mama, A Guy Named Joe, et al and this splendid film entitle a Star to an Oscar???I loved this movie slyly directed by Garson Kanin ( who wrote that tell all book about Tracy and Hepburn that ruined the friendship of Kate Hepburn and Garson and Ruth Kanin as Kate felt he betrayed confidences). The look in Cary Grant's eye when Cary sees Randy Scott perform acrobats off the Diving Board!! Sly,Sly Kanin. Wasn't he hinting more to the point re Grant and Scott??Great old fashioned movie with fantastic photography in black and white and the set decoration. If only we could all live that well!I rate this movie a 9 and salute Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Randy Scott, Gail Patrick, Leo McCarey, and Garson Kanin for a great adult film.