Vivacious Lady

A Hollywood comedy from the late 1930s. Peter teaches botany at a university. He goes to New York to bring his cousin home and there meets Francey, who sings in a nightclub. By the end of the day they are married. The trouble starts when they get back to the town. Peter's father is the president of the university and a rigid man; his mother has a heart condition and does not want anyone upset. Peter keeps putting off the explanation. Francey comes to the town too and is forbidden to say she is his wife. She is presented as a student and put in a dormitory. Although married, the two cannot be alone. The humour comes from that postponement: every plan collapses and every lie requires another. The best-known scene is a fight between two women: Peter's former fiancée and Francey go at each other on the dance floor. Ginger Rogers plays Francey and James Stewart plays Peter. George Stevens directed. An enjoyable example for anyone who likes classical Hollywood comedy. For a viewer expecting a modern perspective, the situation it builds belongs to its period and some resolutions look odd now.