One Night in Lisbon *** (1941, Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, Patricia Morison, Edmund Gwenn, Billie Burke, John Loder, Dame May Whitty) – Classic Movie Review 11,097

’36 hours of love!…’

Director Edward H Griffith’s 1941 Paramount Pictures black and white screwball comedy One Night in Lisbon is the welcome and enjoyable if uninspired fourth and penultimate paring of the delightful Madeleine Carroll and Fred MacMurray.

MacMurray plays Dwight Houston, a World War Two wartime Texan flier who meets British aristocrat Leonora Perrycoate (Madeleine Carroll) in an air raid shelter in London amid bombing during the Blitz. He tries to court her and eventually finds out his posh British gal is a spy decoy for the Allies and their affair is dogged by navy boss Commander Peter Walmsley (John Loder), who also fancies Leonora (Carroll), as well as Dwight (MacMurray)’s ex-wife Gerry Houston (Patricia Morison).

There are some bright laughs and good entertainment in One Night in Lisbon as the espionage story meets the romantic comedy, though the latter is a bit of a struggle this time, despite the genial stars and the admirable, very expert support.

The screenplay by Virginia Van Upp is adapted from John Van Druten’s play There’s Always Juliet.

Also in the cast are Edmund Gwenn, Patricia Morison, Billie Burke, John Loder, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Denny, Billy Gilbert, Billy Bevan, Marcel Dalio, Bruce Wyndham, Jerry Mandy, Mikhail Rusumny, Douglas Walton and Walter Byron.

It is made at Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood.

The stars appeared in Café Society (1939), Honeymoon in Bali (1939), One Night in Lisbon, Virginia (1941) and An Innocent Affair[ Don’t Trust Your Husband] (1948) together.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,097

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