User reviews

What makes this film a surprise is not that it's good. After all, a romantic screwball caper starring Claudette Colbert & Jimmy Stewart, directed by W.S. Van Dyke from a script by Ben Hecht -- how could it *not* be good? No, what surprised me about this film is that as good as it is, it's not currently available on VHS or DVD.

Like Van Dyke's The Thin Man and Hecht's His Girl Friday, It's a Wonderful World combines elements of crime films with the romantic screwball comedy, and the result is both gripping & laugh-out-loud funny.

In their only on-screen pairing, Colbert & Stewart play off each other beautifully; she's the comedic foil to his tough-talking detective, and their romance is handled realistically and with patience. The supporting cast in uniformly excellent, with standout performances from Nat Pendleton & Edgar Kennedy as the bumbling cops on Stewart's trail, and Guy Kibbee as Stewart's partner & friend.

Watching this film, it's hard to believe that it's one of *four* that Van Dyke made in 1939 (especially since one of the others is the even-better Stand Up and Fight). Van Dyke was famous for shooting films quickly, but his direction never seems hurried. A director-for-hire, he was gifted at serving both art and commerce, satisfying both audiences and his bosses at MGM.

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies for giving me the opportunity to see this film, which as I mentioned is otherwise unavailable. Here's hoping that Warner Bros., which owns the rights, releases it soon on home video.

Score: EIGHT out of TEN

Drunken tycoon Willie Heywood gets married for the fourth time. Private detective Guy Johnson (James Stewart) is his hired body man. One night, Willie stumbles upon the murder of his mistress Dolores Gonzalez. It's a setup by his new wife Vivian and her lover Al Mallon. Guy quickly grabs Willie and hides him from the police. Willie promises to pay Guy $100k to solve the murder. They are quickly arrested but Guy manages to escape. He kidnaps poet Edwina Corday (Claudette Colbert) as he makes a getaway.

The pairing is great. The screwball comedy plot is a little too screwy. The initial kidnapping is a little rough and they left behind the little dog. The glasses are hilarious. The wacky rambling adventure has its ups and its downs. Mostly, one has to love the comic chemistry of Stewart and Colbert.

Was IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD hurt by the fact that it is difficult for me to imagine Jimmy Stewart as a hardball character, even a chauvinist, or was it helped by the fact that this movie would have been nothing without him? Granted, Claudette Colbert plays the poet, the hopelessly romantic dreamer, well, and that plays off Stewart's greed-driven detective splendidly.

The detective, crime-solving part of the film is well done within its confines, Edgar Kennedy and Nat Pendleton are cast well as the rather slow-witted police. If this 1939 film had been made two and a half decades earlier, they would have fallen over each other, broken things, and caused ultraviolence in a Mack Sennett sort of way.) Guy Kibbee is, of course, perfect as the Stewart's partner. I will not spoil the ending, but I can say that as with all well-written screwball comedies, the film has a delightful way of meandering through situations and reaching a conclusion which satisfies.

I don't know if this will help, but before viewing, I had to promise my wife that it was not that Christmas movie.

Extremely funny madcap comedy starring two of the greatest stars of the classic period of American film: tongue-in-cheek Claudette Colbert and good fella Jimmy Stewart.

Stewart plays a detective on the run, who's being chased by the police, because of his involvement as an accessory in a murder case, in which the principal accused is his client. Colbert is a poetess who `accidentally' gets involved in Stewart's escapade from the cops, reluctantly at first, eventually becoming a runaway herself and falling in love with Stewart, and causing him a lot of trouble in the process. Her character is joy to behold and is hilariously played with top expertise by this gifted comedienne, in one of the last original screwballs from the '30s.

This movie is a wonderful example of classic Hollywood comedy at its best, with top performances all around, by seasoned pros (Guy Kibbee, Nat Pendleton, et al). It's non-stop fun from start to finish, and by the way, Stewart plays a much rougher guy than his usual more likeable persona in this period -he even gets the chance of knocking around Colbert. It's a pity that it's not available on VHS or DVD. You may have the luck of watching it on TCM.

Guy Johnson (James Stewart) is a NYC private detective working for 100 dollars a week keeping his boss, multimillionaire Willy Heyward, out of trouble, and that usually means out of trouble with women. But Willy has recently married, and a Latin American dancer is filling the headlines with her breach of promise claims concerning him. Willy gets drunk and goes up to settle things with the dancer, but he walks into a frame up. Somebody shoots the dancer and kills her, and Willy picks up the gun. Johnson walks into the scene not really knowing if Heyward is guilty or not, and so Johnson helps him hide out while he tries to find out who really did it. The police find the hide out though, and Willy gets convicted and sentenced to death. Johnson gets a one-year prison sentence for harboring him.

On the way to prison, Johnson sees a note in the personal column that he thinks is a clue as to who the real murderer was. So he escapes and is going to try and get evidence that Willy did not commit the murder. By the way, Willy had promised him in writing that he would give Guy Johnson 100K if he proved he didn't commit the murder. And then SHE shows up -poetess Edwina Corday (Claudette Colbert) - just in time to see Johnson escape. At first he has to drag her along as she screams the entire way and even sets fire to her own car, thinking he is an escaped murderer. But when she realizes Guy is not a "real" criminal, she won't stop bothering him. She persists in tagging along and nothing Guy does or says can shake her. Many complications ensue along the way to where Guy hopes to catch the real murderer.

I've never seen Claudette Colbert be annoying before, and she certainly is here as she gives a very shrill performance. It's odd seeing James Stewart throwing around language like he's straight out of a 30s Warner Brothers gangster film, but he, at least, makes his performance work.

Standouts include Guy Kibbee as Johnson's partner and Nat Pendleton always entertains as a rather dim and flaky flatfoot.

It's a Wonderful World (1939)

A comedy with the creds to guarantee a decent success-James Stewart and Claudette Colbert as leads, a script written and screenwritten by Ben Hecht, and direction by the solid W. S. Van Dyke. So it clicks quickly into play with a serious seeming plot (independent detectives and a crime) in a chipper entertaining tone (fast and easy). There is a clear lack of depth as you go-this isn't going to be a moving or hard hitting classic, but rather a fun and well crafted entertainment-and it's too bad. The basics are here to make a really fine movie.

And that's what keeps it going-the really fine movie part. There is first of all a sincere performance by Stewart, earnest and nuanced as the regular guy detective who knows good from bad (an important distinction here). He goes quickly out on a limb and he cuts through the sometimes corny side characters. Colbert, when she shows up, is no Myrna Loy (Van Dyke directed the first "Thin Man"), but I like her a lot (she was in "It Happened One Night") and she gives the comedy a zaniness that works.

But Stewart never cracks a smile, and it's a relief because he's the backbone of an improbable series of events. The murder itself is practically the McGuffin here-the screwball romance part of things is the main plot. What matters more is Stewart and Colbert-picking apples as enemies, for example. They both need the food, and both don't trust the other, but they are both nice people at heart and so it kind of happens to make sense in a funny way.

"It's a Wonderful World" is an entertaining comedic delight starring the immortal James Stewart and the incredibly talented Claudette Colbert. James Stewart as usual plays a down to earth, no nonsense, practical man who also happens to be a private investigator. In the process of trying to clear a client of his who is accused of murder he is captured by the police, escapes from the police, kidnaps a poetess (Colbert's character), and performs in a play while on the lam. I found the chemistry between Stewart and Colbert to be on a par with Myrna Loy and William Powell in the "Thin Man" series. Claudette Colbert is extremely entertaining and likable in a clumsy sort of way similar to Katharine Hepburn's character in "Bringing Up Baby". Overall, this is a wonderful film and should bring only enjoyment to its viewers.

Stewart easily steals the picture for laughs in this fast-paced, roller-coaster screwball - playing well outside his normal character range (motivated by money, despising women). Clearly influenced by 'It happened one night', especially with Colbert in the lead. Entertaining movie, genuinely funny, and withstands repeated viewings. Highlights include Stewart's impromptu impersonations of a scout leader and Southern actor and hearing the poem that Colbert has supposedly written just for him being broadcast over the radio (wearing very thick spectacles).

James Stewart tries his hand at screwball comedy in "It's a Wonderful World," a 1939 film also starring Claudette Colbert, directed by W.S. Van Dyke with a screenplay by Ben Hecht. Supporting players include Guy Kibbee, Nat Pendleton, Sidney Blackmer, and Ernest Truex.

Stewart plays a detective, Guy Johnson, whose client (Truex) is charged with a murder he didn't commit. Guy is sentenced to prison, too, as an accessory. On the way to prison via train, he spots a clue in the newspaper and escapes. On the run, he encounters a poetess, Edwina Corday (Colbert), an attractive if clumsy woman, and he has to take her along. The two get into all sorts of trouble on the road to trying to prove Guy's client didn't murder anyone.

This film has all the elements of a great screwball comedy, and a lot of potential, but for some reason, it doesn't quite hang together. The script is a little confusing and lets the actors down. It's reminiscent of "It Happened One Night," especially when they're hanging out by the fence, and Colbert's presence indicates to me that the powers that be had that connection in mind.

The performances are all excellent, with Stewart and Colbert very funny. It seems that both these actors could do just about anything. With a little bit tighter script, this might have been a real classic. As it is, it's enjoyable and has some good moments.

1939 was definitely James Stewart's break out year with Destry Rides Again and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington putting him once and for all in the ranks of biggest film stars. Unfortunately he also was in Ice Follies of 1939 which was a dud and It's A Wonderful World which didn't help or hurt his career.

In their one and only screen pairing, Stewart gets Claudette Colbert as a leading lady. He's a private detective hired by Ernest Truex who swears he's been framed by an evil woman Frances Drake for murder. Stewart hides out Truex, but they both get caught and Stewart gets sent up for aiding and abetting a fugitive. He escapes the cops and continues his investigation.

He also meets up with Claudette Colbert who's doing a pale imitation of her role from It Happened One Night. She's a poetess/heiress also on the run and she's more of a hindrance than a help although her quick thinking does save the situation in the end.

It's A Wonderful World is enjoyable however for the presence of three wonderful characters. Guy Kibbee as Stewart's hapless partner in his detective agency who seems always to be around to get clobbered. And the best is Edgar Kennedy and Nat Pendleton as the police pursuing Stewart.

Those two really save this film. Thank God these two were such a pair of dim bulbs. Neither of these guys exactly plays Rhodes scholars on the screen, but here they really outdo themselves. They were excellent together, why MGM or other studios didn't team them more is a mystery.

This one has it all: A snappy script by Ben Hecht and Herman Manckiewitz, dazzling banter between two never-together-before stars, private dicks (1930s style), old-school theatricals, a madcap beauty paired with a hardboiled young cynic, plot twists and goofy characters--all adding up to a most entertaining time capsule of a vintage romcom. James Stewart plays the cynic, telegraphing the expected amount of dimwitted charm. Claudette Colbert is the madcap beauty, a role she mastered in many a film of the day. Guy Kibbe, Ernest Truex, and other great old character actors fill in this nutty little gem. If you're in the mood for a trip to the past, catch this one next time it comes around. You won't be sorry.

Private detective Jimmy Stewart is sentenced to prison for helping a client accused of murder. On the train ride to the slammer, Stewart escapes. He takes poetess Claudette Colbert hostage as he tries to follow a lead that may exonerate his client. She's resistant at first but quickly becomes excited by the adventure and decides to help him.

Fun screwball comedy with stars in top form and backed up by wonderful cast. Jimmy Stewart is great and has nice chemistry with Claudette Colbert, who's in her element in this type of movie. Good comedic support from Guy Kibbee, Nat Pendleton, and Edgar Kennedy. Frances Drake and Sidney Blackmer play the villains. The bit where Stewart poses as a scout leader is a hilarious highlight. An underrated gem.

Like stevedtx of Nevada, I was also very disappointed in this movie. Considering the talent involved, from the actors (particularly Nat Pendleton, one of my favorites), to the director and writers, I was predisposed to like it. And although I should have known better, I, too, believed the Maltin review. Some of the worst movies I have ever seen have been given 3 or 4 star ratings in that guide.

There's a good reason why Colbert and Stewart weren't paired again in a movie...no chemistry whatsoever, at least none that I could detect. And where were the laughs? I cringed when Stewart was in blackface and spoke with an "Alabama" accent.

Try watching Midnight, or The Palm Beach Story for Miss Colbert at her comedic best.

Although the title doesn't say much about the film, IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD (1939) is basically a screwball comedy about a detective on the lam and on the case. It's pretty funny, with great performances by Claudette Colbert and Guy Kibbee, and it's a story centered around murder, crime, evading the police, etc.

(The film's title comes from a line in a poem written by Colbert's character and has little, if anything, to do with the movie's plot.)

James Stewart, still early in his illustrious career, plays a private detective who is wrongfully accused and escapes on his way to prison. He thinks he can crack the case, if the cops don't catch up with him first. He is joined by Colbert's character and the two of them try to elude the police manhunt.

Stewart's character is a little different from the roles for which he's best known. As a detective he's rougher and more cynical than viewers would expect of Stewart. As always, his performance is solid. There's one part of the film when he wears a scout's master disguise, complete with silly thick-lensed eyeglasses. Some of the physical comedy stemming from the character's visual impairment is gold. It's cool to see Stewart star in a detective comedy.

Colbert is very good in this film as well, playing Stewart's accomplice. She's eager to help Stewart's character, even when he'd rather be rid of her. (She does her darndest to disprove Stewart's theory that all women are dumb.) Colbert was a seasoned Hollywood star by the time this film was made (she'd won an Oscar for 1934's IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT) and her performance is top-notch.

Key supporting roles go to Guy Kibbee as Stewart's partner and Nat Pendleton as the police sergeant on Stewart's trail. Kibbee has some scene-stealing moments in the movie's final act. A young Hans Conried (perhaps best known for his voice work as Captain Hook, Snidely Whiplash, and Horton the Elephant) has a brief role as the stage manager at the Saugerties theater.

A lot of talent worked on this rather obscure comedy. James Stewart and Claudette Colbert starred. W.S. Van Dyke directed. The great Ben Hecht wrote the screenplay. It seems like a recipe for success, but for whatever reason IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD is not well-remembered nowadays. (It's probably overshadowed by Stewart's other "wonderful" film, 1946's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.) I think it's a nice little comedy with some big names. It has its moments and it's pretty funny. It probably won't blow you away, but it's worth checking out if it's on TCM or something.

Private detective James Stewart (as Guy Johnson) tries to prove a boozy New York millionaire client is not guilty of murder, but finds himself implicated. While serving time for harboring a fugitive, Mr. Stewart happens upon a clue to the real killer's identity. Stewart escapes and kidnaps lady poet Claudette Colbert (as Edwina Corday). She begins to wonder if Stewart could be telling the truth about his attempt to solve the crime. They form an unlikely partnership and Ms. Colbert begins to consider Stewart a romantic prospect. Stewart the sleuth does well posing as a chauffeur, spectacled Boy Scout and actor who wavers from English to "African". Colbert is charming, as usual; possibly, she takes advantage of director W.S. Van Dyke's "one take" reputation by skipping the make-up session which would have given her the bruised face mentioned in the script (by Ben Hecht). Nat Pendleton is very funny as a likable sergeant who can't seem to keep Stewart under arrest, and the dependable Guy Kibbee is fine as Stewart's detective friend.

****** It's a Wonderful World (5/19/39) W.S. Van Dyke ~ James Stewart, Claudette Colbert, Guy Kibbee, Nat Pendleton

This feels more like one of those mid thirties English comedies than an American picture. It's a superb fast moving adventure-comedy-romance and it's thoroughly entertaining.

James Stewart and Claudette Colbert make a fantastic double act. They're perfect together especially Miss Colbert who honestly gives one of the funniest performances of her career.

Surprising to me, this was a massive flop back in '39 and even today most critics really dislike it. They are of course all wrong but I think its unpopularity might be because unlike most of those screwball comedies of the late'30s, it's not a rom-com. We're not watching it wondering when the two leads are going to get together. It's not sweet, it's not sentimental and it's as unlike a Frank Capra film as you can imagine. Without all that silly romance to worry about it can just be funny. Both Jimmy Stewart and Claudette Colbert are as mercenary and selfish as each other but they're not unlikeable, they're seem real and quite human. They're not the ideal 1930s American couple but maybe today they could be.

The story and the script are sharp, witty and clever. How Ben Hecht could have been writing the most romantic prose ever set to paper (WUTHERING HEIGHTS) in addition to doctoring GONE WITH THE WIND at the same time as writing this acerbic, silly, cynical comedy in the same vein as THE FRONT PAGE is quite astonishing. I'm not a fan of everything he wrote but this is top of the game stuff.

Another characteristic which some people take objection to is its speed - it's very hectic and fast talking with no time to relax thanks to this being made by "One-take" Woody Van Dyke who made some of the best movies of the decade (including THE THIN MAN which in my opinion is nothing like as good as this.) Why people criticise this for being too fast and too loud and then praise to the heavens the inferior but louder and faster TWENTIETH CENTURY makes no sense.

I guess comedy is personal. If you think DUCK SOUP is better than DAY AT THE RACES or think BOMBSHELL is rubbish and THE THIN MAN isn't half as funny as Jessie Matthew's in IT'S LOVE AGAIN then like me, you might find this brilliant!

James Stewart and Claudette Colbert are both in the Top 10 as actors. As a rule I do not miss re-plays of films they are in. I did not miss this one as I came back for a second viewing. I was disappointed again although because of the cast it passes as a contrived comedy. So, the low ranking in my mind comes as a result of the less than adequate script for first class actors. Also, below average were the cheap sets. Summer stock pinches pennies, but never to the extent shown here. I, definitely will pass my third chance to view it. I love Guy Kibbee in any role. He would have taken less of a physical beating from Laurel and Hardy. Possibly that great comedy team was not available for casting.

"It's A Wonderful World" is one of the classic screwball comedies of the Golden Age of Screwball Comedies, the '30s & '40s. This film rates a solid ***1/2 stars.

Who was the reviewer on Charter Cable TV who gave this truly wonderful, fun & funny screwball comedy only two stars out of a possible four?

When you click on your remote control for information about the film it also provides a rating - two puny stars.

Jimmy Stewart and Claudette Colbert play off each other terrifically, first as adversaries before ending up as what you'd happily expect. And Guy Kibbee, Edgar Kennedy and Nat Pendleton are also first rate, as always.

I'm hard pressed to think of a finer way to spend 90 "wonderful" minutes.

So seven years before making my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart made It's a Wonderful World. His leading lady is Claudette Colbert. He's a detective and she's a poetess. They both end up on the run. I'll stop there and just say that while not everything here makes sense, I liked the way everyone just went for broke in terms of characterization and line readings. Wonderful character actors like Nat Pendleton, Guy Kibbee, and Edgar Kennedy add to laughs. So on that note, I recommend It's a Wonderful World. P.S. The main reason I watched this now was because I'm currently reviewing the Our Gang series-and individual films of various team members-in chronological order of which this was next on the list. Besides Kennedy-who played the cop in the Jackie Cooper entries-there's also the presence of former series bully Leonard Kibrick in the role of the boy scout who discovers Stewart and Colbert in the woods.