My Favorite Wife
1940 · Movie · NR · 88 min
★ 7.1(173)unSUB Rating
After being presumed dead for years, a missing wife suddenly returns home and discovers her husband has already remarried. Her unexpected comeback sparks a whirlwind of misunderstandings, legal headaches, and romantic tension—made even messier by the revelation that she wasn’t entirely alone during her time away.
Also known as My Favourite Wife
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Streaming on HBO Max.
1 hour to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1940
- Release date
- 1940-05-17
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 88 min
- TMDB rating (input)
- 7.0/10 (173 votes)
- Box office
- $2,057,000
- Budget
- $921,000
About
If you enjoy classic screwball mix-ups, remarriage comedy, and playful innuendo, this should land—especially if you like The Awful Truth or Move Over, Darling; Not for you if you need tight plotting and consistently big laughs.
Pros: witty remarriage premise; strong lead chemistry; funny supporting roles | Cons: thin, contrived story; uneven laughs; drags near the end
Themes
- jealousy
- judge
- shipwreck
- honeymoon
- bigamy
- confusion
- remarriage
- los angeles, california
- presumed dead
- screwball comedy
- deserted island
- second marriage
- +5 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Art Direction, Black and White · 1941 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Story · 1941 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Original Score · 1941 · nominated
Cast & crew
Cary Grant
as Nick Arden
Irene Dunne
as Ellen Wagstaff Arden
Randolph Scott
as Steve Burkett
Gail Patrick
as Bianca Bates
Ann Shoemaker
as Ma
Scotty Beckett
as Tim Arden
- MH
Mary Lou Harrington
as Chinch Arden
Donald MacBride
as Hotel Clerk
Hugh O'Connell
as Johnson
Granville Bates
as Judge Walter Bryson
Directed by Garson Kanin