An Innocent Affair

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An Innocent Affair
An Innocent Affair poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Lou Breslow
Joseph Hoffman
Produced byJames Nasser
Starring Fred MacMurray
Madeleine Carroll
Charles "Buddy" Rogers
Rita Johnson
Louise Allbritton
Alan Mowbray
Cinematography Edward Cronjager
Edited by Fred W. Berger
Music by Hans J. Salter
Production
company
James Nasser Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • October 15, 1948 (1948-10-15)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

An Innocent Affair is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Rita Johnson, Louise Allbritton and Alan Mowbray. It was released on October 15, 1948 by United Artists. [1] [2] In the United Kingdom, the film was released under the title Don't Trust Your Husband. [3]

Contents

Plot

Advertising man Vincent Doane is assigned to land Margot Fraser's perfume account. Anxious that his wife Paula might become jealous, he tells her that the account is with a Mr. Fraser.

Paula becomes suspicious and plays a trick on Vincent. She hires an actor to pretend to be a gigolo who is interested in her, but she does not know that Vincent knows about the ruse. Business tycoon Claude Kimball is mistaken for the gigolo and is ensnared in the Doanes' schemes.

Vincent is shocked when Claude arranges for a multimillion-dollar tobacco account to come his way. Paula demands a divorce during the confusion, convinced that Vincent has been having an affair with Margot. At a train station, Margot slaps Paula, who finally realizes that her husband has been faithful to her all along.

Cast

Production

Fred MacMurray bought the story from writers Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman and then sold it to Nasser Productions for $75,000, [4] returning him a large profit. MacMurray was paid more than $150,000 for his role in the film and also received a percentage of its profits. [5]

Norma Shearer and Myrna Loy were considered for the role of Paula Doane. [6]

Nasser Productions made a lucrative offer to Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini to compose the film's music [7] but eventually hired Hans J. Salter. Buddy Rogers received ballroom dance lessons from Arthur Murray for the film. [8]

Filming was delayed by the late arrival of Madeleine Carroll but began on March 15, 1948. [9]

After positive preview screenings, producer James Nasser purchased another comedy script written by Breslow and Hoffman titled You Made Me Love You for $100,000. Nasser intended the project as a sequel of sorts to An Innocent Affair, with director Lloyd Bacon, Rogers, MacMurray and Carroll returning, [10] but the film did not materialize.

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times , critic Thomas M. Pryor wrote: "Perhaps the writers didn't try hard enough, or perhaps this picture represents their level best, but, in any case, the truth of the matter is that the merriment is spread rather thin and unevenly. 'Bounce' is what this farcical excursion lacks." [11]

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References

  1. "An Innocent Affair (1948) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  2. ""An Innocent Affair" overview - MSN Movies". MSN. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  3. "An Innocent Affair (1948) - Trivia - IMDb.com". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  4. Schallert, Edwin (1948-07-02). "Wayne Griffin Slates 'Genius in the Family'". Los Angeles Times . p. 15.
  5. Hopper, Hedda (1948-03-23). "Looking at Hollywood". Los Angeles Times . p. 20.
  6. Hopper, Hedda (1948-02-10). "Looking at Hollywood". Los Angeles Times . p. 18.
  7. Schallert, Edwin (1948-04-12). "'Stratton' Deal Stalled; Sinatra to Test-Direct". Los Angeles Times . p. 15.
  8. Scheuer, Philip K. (1948-04-11). "Film Folk Learn Old-Time Steps". Los Angeles Times . pp. 3, Part III.
  9. Schallert, Edwin (1948-03-03). "Nominee Helm Rated Right for College Opus". Los Angeles Times . p. 17.
  10. "Nasser Acquires $100,000 Comedy". The New York Times . 1948-08-26. p. 16.
  11. Pryor, Thomas M. (1948-09-29). "The Screen in Review: At the Rivoli". The New York Times . p. 36.