Summary
That Uncertain Feeling is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Merle Oberon, Melvyn Douglas and Burgess Meredith. The film is about the bored wife of an insurance salesman who meets an eccentric pianist and seeks a divorce. The screenplay by Walter Reisch and Donald Ogden Stewart was based on the 1880 French play Divorçons by Victorien Sardou and Émile de Najac.
| That Uncertain Feeling | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Ernst Lubitsch |
| Screenplay by | Donald Ogden Stewart Walter Reisch (adaptation) |
| Based on | Divorçons 1880 play by Victorien Sardou Emile de Najac |
| Produced by | Ernst Lubitsch Sol Lesser (uncredited) |
| Starring | Merle Oberon Melvyn Douglas Burgess Meredith |
| Cinematography | George Barnes |
| Edited by | William Shea |
| Music by | Werner R. Heymann |
Production companies | Ernst Lubitsch Productions Sol Lesser Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million (approx)[1] or $750,000[2] |
Plot edit
At the suggestion of one of her friends, Jill Baker visits psychoanalyst Dr. Vengard for her intermittent hiccups, which appear when she gets nervous or irritated. He soon has her questioning her previously happy marriage to her business executive husband Larry.
In Vengard's waiting room one day, Jill meets a very odd and individualistic pianist, Alexander Sebastian. He considers himself the best in the world when playing for a single listener, but has trouble performing in front of a large audience. She eventually invites him to an important dinner for Larry's prospective insurance buyers. When Larry realizes that Jill is infatuated with Sebastian, he gives her a friendly divorce, in which Larry is represented by a lawyer named Jones whose secretary is Sally Aikens.
Jill gets engaged to Sebastian, but after she learns that Larry is seeing an attractive woman, she realizes that she still loves her ex-husband. When she visits his apartment to reconcile with him, he goes into the next room and talks loudly, pretending Sally Aikens is in the room and that she is his girlfriend. His deception is revealed when Sally enters the apartment while he is in the next room breaking a dinner date with the distraught "Sally" (her supposed cries of anguish voiced by Larry). Jill and Larry get back together, and her hiccups vanish forever.
Cast edit
- Merle Oberon as Jill Baker
- Melvyn Douglas as Larry Baker
- Burgess Meredith as Alexander Sebastian
- Alan Mowbray as Dr. Vengard
- Olive Blakeney as Margie Stallings, Jill's friend
- Harry Davenport as Jones, Larry's lawyer
- Sig Ruman as Mr. Kafka, Larry's prospective client
- Eve Arden as Sally Aikens
- Richard Carle as The Butler
- Rolfe Sedan as Art Dealer (uncredited)
Reception edit
The film was a failure at the box office.[3]
Award and honors edit
Werner R. Heymann was nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture.
See also edit
- Let's Get a Divorce (1918)
- Kiss Me Again (1925)
References edit
- ^ "Lesser, Poe Distrib Setup for Vidpix". Variety. 28 May 1952. p. 28.
- ^ "UA Meeting". Variety. 20 November 1940. p. 20.
- ^ Eagan, Daniel. (2010). America's film legacy : the authoritative guide to the landmark movies in the National Film Registry. National Film Preservation Board (U.S.). New York: Continuum. p. 349. ISBN 978-1-4411-1647-5. OCLC 676697377.
External links edit
- That Uncertain Feeling at IMDb
- That Uncertain Feeling at AllMovie
- That Uncertain Feeling is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- That Uncertain Feeling at the TCM Movie Database
- That Uncertain Feeling at the American Film Institute Catalog
