The Good Fairy

A very fine director (William Wyler), an excellent cast, and prestigious source material (a play by Ferenc Molnar), but this delightful screwball comedy has screenwriter Preston Sturges' fingerprints all over it, and Wyler's casual, unfussy direction feels like Sturges' when directing his own later masterpieces. Margaret Sullavan is the well-meaning orphan set out into the world who wants to do good deeds, and one such deed spirals out of control and brings dizzying repercussions. What Sturges does, as he often did, is set up an absurd situation and keep juggling, each ball just about to come crashing down but never quite hitting the floor. He invents funny lines for expert supporting farceurs and keeps the tempers high, and sends the dialog careening down unexpected alleyways. The contemporary Times critic didn't think Sullavan was a natural comedienne, but I beg to differ, and her whimsical quality is just right. Herbert Marshall, often annoying, is charming here, and Frank Morgan gets perhaps his best shot ever at a character he practically patented--the dithering dilettante, all false bravado and doubling-back-on-himself retractions. Its inconsequentiality is part of its appeal, and if you think it feels like a musical, you're not far off: Sturges later adapted his own screenplay as a Broadway vehicle for Nanette Fabray (good casting), but he botched the adaptation, and "Make a Wish" was an expensive flop. This one doesn't turn up too often, so catch it when you can, and revel in the early Sturges finding and perfecting his unique voice.