Double Wedding

Double Wedding (1937) starring William Powell , Myrna Loy, Florence Rice

Synopsis of Double Wedding

In Double Wedding, when Margit marches over to Charlie’s place to order him to stay away from Irene, the two realize that they are perfect for each other.

Review of Double Wedding

In short, Double Wedding is a hilarious screwball comedy, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.  She’s Margit,  a controlling older sister, who’s lovingly taken charge of her young sister Irene’s life.  Including her engagement to Waldo, a nice, but spineless, young man.  Unknown to her, Waldo and Irene have gotten involved with Charlie Lodge.  Charlie‘s a Bohemian, and Margit’s complete opposite.  Reminiscent of Neptune’s Daughter, he pretends to be interested in Irene.  In order to “blackmail” Magrit to spend time with him, and keep him away from the younger sister.

It’s a funny, fast-paced film with a hilarious ending.  I won’t spoil it, except to say that Waldo the mouse finally roars.  And that it’s one of the funniest endings that I’ve ever seen.

I strongly recommend Double Wedding and rate it a (rare) 5 stars.

Cast of characters in Double Wedding

• Margit Agnew (Myrna Loy, Libeled Lady). The older sister, who manages her younger sister’s life for her. She isn’t a control freak, but simply wants the best for her. She runs a successful business, and lives a life that’s very regimented, predictable, and lonely.
• Charles Lodge (William Powell, I Love You Again). Charles is a painter, director, and playwright. He’s a man who’s been all over the world, and done many things. But he has no interest in schedules, time clocks, or humdrum lives. But he definitely takes interest in Margit.
• Irene Agnew (Florence Rice At the Circus). Margit’s younger sister, who’s engaged to Waldo. But she develops a school girl-type crush on Charles. Which Charles uses to “blackmail” Magrit into spending time with Charles …
• Waldo Beaver (John Beal, The Cat and the Canary). Irene’s good-natured fiancee — who’s too good-natured for his own good. He truly loves Irene, and thinks of Charles as his best friend. But he won’t stand up for himself until the end of the movie. Waldo is frankly one of the delights of Double Wedding.
• Mrs. Kensington-Bly (Jessie Ralph, The Bank Dick). A friend and advisor to Magrit. A person who serves as a counter balance to her world view – “Well, it’s a lot of fun making mistakes sometimes.” And later on, it’s revealed that she’s an (enthusiastic) friend of Charles’ as well.
• Spike (Edgar Kennedy, Bacon Grabbers, Duck Soup). Spike owns the bar where Charles gets his phone calls — and drinks his breakfast.

Editorial review of Double Wedding courtesy of Amazon.com

One of Hollywood’s most beloved film couples, William Powell and Myrna Loy, star in this irreverent romantic romp about an unlikely pair of star-crossed lovers.

Margit Agnew (Loy) is the domineering head of a wealthy family, which includes her deferential younger sister, Irene, and Irene’s milquetoast fiancée, Waldo. Unbeknownst to Margit, the couple secretly dream of Hollywood careers and have gotten involved with local theater gypsy Charlie Lodge (Powell), who lives in a trailer next to his favorite bar. When Margit discovers these wild ideas, she intervenes to “save” her sister. Charlie has taken a fancy to Margit and forces her into an unusual bargain: She must spend three weeks with the mad bohemian and, in return, he’ll never see Irene again. But when Cupid’s arrows start to fly, things really get crazy! Filled with clever plot twists, scintillating dialog and top-notch performances, Double Wedding is twice as much fun as you’d expect.