Casanova Brown

A man named Casanova becomes involved with a number of women and a cute baby. This attempt at screwball comedy has a few amusing moments but much of the humor is forced. Despite the efforts of veteran screenwriter Johnson and director Woods, the film takes a while to get going and soon runs out of steam. Cooper tries hard but can't overcome the weak script. Morgan comes off best, playing Cooper's would-be father-in-law. Wright is perky as Cooper's wife, but seems too young for him; there was an age difference of over 17 years between them. Interestingly, the baby girl is played by a fellow named Billy Chapin, who went on to have a brief acting career before retiring at age 16.

This one gets a lot of flak for being simply ridiculous--and I can see why--but if you come with a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief you will enjoy it.

A case in point--a cigarette butt ends up burning an entire house--which some viewers might see as over-the-top but I thought was simply laugh-out-loud hilarious. There are other laugh-out-loud moments for me too, but the movie nosedives when the Gary Cooper character kidnaps his own baby: he's a college professor and is unable to understand the rate of growth of a newborn baby? Seriously stretches credulity, but watch it for Gary Cooper and the earnest Teresa Wright.

Everyone knows I don't like Gary Cooper, but Casanova Brown is one of the few movies in which I can stomach his performance. Much like Three Godfathers softens John Wayne's gruff persona, this romantic comedy softens Gary's wooden delivery. He's still Gary Cooper, and by that I mean he seems like he's both scared stiff and about to start laughing, and he still seems to be unclear as to the syntax of the English language. However, since he spends the majority of the movie awkwardly taking care of a baby, it works.

Gary's about to get a divorce from Teresa Wright so that he can marry Anita Louise, but then he finds out Teresa's just had his baby and plans to give it up for adoption. Gary's masculine pride won't allow that, so he kidnaps the kid and tries to take care of it secretly in his apartment. Yes, it's a very silly, unrealistic story, but I don't hold a high bar for Gary Cooper movies. The fact that I like this one doesn't necessarily speak highly of it, but rather how much I normally dislike him. If you enjoy this one and want to watch something similar, check out Robert Young in And Baby Makes Three.

There are a lot of negative reviews for this movie. But I have to disagree with most of them. While it is not the best movie you will ever see it is not as bad as everyone says it is. Gary Cooper is one of his lovable characters that he always is. While sure nowadays this movie would seem almost criminal but the movie not meant to be taken seriously it is a comedy. There is no amazing performances or outstanding direction. But their is something lovable about Cooper's character. I saw a review once that said this was a pathetic attempt at screwball comedy. Well I have to say that is a little harsh I can think of at least 5-10 movies that are worse at screwball comedies than this. So in my opinion don't skip this one you might just enjoy it.

Enchanting, wittily written screwball comedy about a supposed bachelor, on the eve of his wedding, who discovers he may have fathered a child by a previous marriage that only lasted a week or so. His prospective father-in-law (Morgan), eager to rescue him from any marriage, encourages him to investigate. When he discovers his young divorcee plans to give the baby up for adoption (or pretends to), he kidnaps the infant and tries to raise it with the help of a small hotel's staff. Of course, much comedy ensues. The story is handled well and the humor light and effective, but Wright's character is not well drawn and her relationship with Cooper seems a bit forced. Cooper is well developed and the comic situations are amusing.