Casanova Brown

Casanova Brown

Casanova Brown

Directed by Sam Brown 94 mins (1944)

Gary Cooper – Casanova Brown

In this hilarious romantic comedy, Gary Cooper gets a lesson in diapers and formula after stealing his child from his ex-wife (Teresa Wright), who had plans to give it up for adoption.

Also starring Teresa Wright, Frank Morgan, Anita Louise and Edmund Breon

Based on a play named “Little Accident”, this film introduces Cas Brown who is about to marry for the second time; his first marriage, to Isabel, was annulled. But when he discovers that Isabel just had their baby, Cas kidnaps the infant to keep her from being adopted. Isabel's parents hunt for the child and discover that Cas and Isabel are still hopelessly in love. The movie was shown to soldiers in outdoor theatres across newly liberated France.

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

MARIA’s NOTES

This film is a very different Cooper type role. He plays a sweet, rather awkward and naive man…not your typical Gary Cooper heroic character. My father was a co-producer on this movie followed by Along Came Jones, however wearing those 2 hats cured him of the “producing “ bug. He was co-starred with Teresa Wright, the wonderful wife of Lou Gehrig in the Pride of The Yankees, but not so wonderful in Cassanova Brown. The husband/wife relationship was quite the opposite, in fact dramatically so!The comedy that plays thru this film did not work all the time.  That was a frustration for my father, as he in fact had a real flair and natural timing for comedy, something that is shown off wonderfully well in his film Bluebeard’s 8th Wife with Claudette Colbert, written by that master Billy Wilder and directed by Ernst Lubitch. Claudette Colbert and her husband Dr. Joel Pressman were close friends of my family, and we spent many happy weekends together at our tennis court and around the swimming pool.

Maria Cooper Janis