Affectionately Yours

Richard Mayberry is a world traveling newspaper reporter, who plays around with lots of women, excepting his own wife, who has to stay at home. He's in Lisbon, trying to mess around with lady reporter Irene Malcolm, and she's all for it: but she's like him to leave his wife first.

Meanwhile, his wife Sue has meet "Mr. Wright," literally, and she's about to divorce her husband. Lot of fluffy misunderstandings, misappointments and misdeals follow, as Richard tries to either make his wife jealous with Irene, or tries to foist Irene off on Owen Wright.

You have to watch it to find out what happens, but there is certainly a fair amount of screwball comedy along the way to finding out!

Rickey Mayberry (Dennis Morgan) is a womanizing globetrotting reporter. He tells fellow journalist Irene Malcolm (Rita Hayworth) that he would marry her if not for his marriage to Sue (Merle Oberon). It's his usual line. He gets a cablegram that his wife is seeking a divorce. He intends to win her back by any means necessary although she intends to remarry to Owen Wright (Ralph Bellamy).

This needs to start with Rickey and Sue together so that they can build some chemistry. This couple has limited rooting interest. Then there is his womanizing ways. It may be a sign of the times, but it doesn't build any more rooting interest in this coupling. In fact, he has more chemistry with Rita Hayworth. She is the best of this entire movie. I would really consider reworking the premise and the cast in general.

This is a late and modest entry into the screwball comedy genre. As such, all the performers are frenetic, histrionic, and act in broad, bold strokes. Performers falling into water is a running joke. There is no dry humor in this film. Unfortunately, no good lines either; it has a script of shtick patched together from older and better comedies.

But the other woman here acts as an intelligent person and has a natural manner. Since it is Rita Hayworth herself, she is naturally beautiful. It suggests a script writers dilemma: other woman has to be less desirable than the female lead, but they have to be desirable enough for the male lead to be attracted by them. In this movie, Rita Hayworth is so much more appealing in every way than Merle Oberon that it renders the plot silly.

The racial stereotypes are prominent here, with Hattie MacDanial and Butter McQueen doing routines they could have done in their sleep. Had they had sharp,incisive funny lines, we might have had a guilty laugh or two from these offensive stereotypes. As they were simply stereotypes to laugh at, it is now only offensive.

I absolutely loved this story!Rita Hayworth,Merle Oberon and Dennis Morgan are energetic and entertaining throughout this whole film.Ralph Bellamy doesn't get the girl,but he's great anyway.Merle Oberon once commented that she thought this movie "was a real dud..I hate it!"She conceded that her children did like it.I thought it was wonderful and I love when Dennis ties Merle's foot to something on the pier and after struggling to get away...can't budge!She falls over into the water and catches a cold...which leads to Morgan and Bellamy arguing over who gets Merle.You'll have to watch this film to find out what happens!

There's a silly plot about a philanderer (DENNIS MORGAN) who wants to play the field while in Lisbon on a journalistic assignment and making a play for lovely RITA HAYWORTH. But as soon as he finds out his wife is divorcing him, he's back in the USA plotting a way to win back her affection to make her jealous.

Under Lloyd Bacon's direction, this is a formula screwball comedy that hasn't got enough wit to make it shine and relies heavily on the cast to give it some life. Morgan is only mildly amusing in his attempt to play a comic role with GEORGE TOBIAS getting some of the best lines. But Rita does well as a flirtatious lady who'd like to take him away from Merle and RALPH BELLAMY is good in another one of his thankless roles as the man who loses the girl.

Despite the cast, it's too trite to be really enjoyable and the gags just don't work. Even HATTIE McDANIEL and BUTTERFLY McQUEEN are ill used for whatever laughs the script can spare. The slapstick ending with Morgan pretending to be an accident case, just strains credibility until the finish.

Not worth your time.