THAT WONDERFUL URGE (director: Robert B. Sinclair; screenwriters: Jay Dratler/based on the story “Love Is News” by William R. Lipman and Frederick Stephani; cinematographer: Charles G. Clarke; editor: Louis Loeffler; music: Cyril J. Mockridge; cast: Tyrone Power (Thomas Jefferson Tyler), Gene Tierney (Sara Farley), Reginald Gardiner (Count Andre de Guyon), Arleen Whelan (Jessica Woods), Lucile Watson (Aunt Cornelia Farley), Gene Lockhart (Judge Parker), Lloyd Gough (Duffy, Editor), Porter Hall (Attorney Ketchell), Chill Wills (Justice of the Peace Homer Beggs), Hope Emerson (Mrs. Riley); Runtime: 82; MPAA Rating:NR; producer: Fred Kohlmar; Twentieth-Century Fox; 1948)
“A lukewarm romantic comedy.“

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A lukewarm romantic comedy. It’s a remake of of the 1937 screwball comedy, Love is News, that also starred Tyrone Power but with Loretta Young instead of Gene Tierney. Director Robert B. Sinclair (“The Wild Man of Borneo”/”The Captain is a Lady”/”Mr. and Mrs. North”) bases iton the story “Love Is News” by William R. Lipman and Frederick Stephani. It’s written byJay Dratler.

Tom Tyler (Tyrone Power) is a hotshot reporter for the New York Chronicle who has written gossipy columns about the private life of madcap grocery store heiress Sara Farley (Gene Tierney). The nervy reporter follows Sara to her Sun Valley vacation spot and uses an alias as he introduces himself as a local reporter who wants to tell her side of the story to refute the biting articles by Tom. Romance brews, but Sara finds out his deception and schemes revenge. Angry that the reporter faked love interest just to get a story, Sara tells the rival newspapers they married in secret and Tom is made to look the fool as he tries to tell everyone they’re not married. As twists in the story come about, the case of whether or not he’s married goes to court. After multiple complications are resolved in a screwball comedy manner, there’s the expected happy ending.

Tierney and Power make for a congenial team, even though both are not respected for doing comedy, and the supporting cast of Reginald Gardiner, Arleen Whelan, Porter Hall and Lucile Watson are fine complements to the stars. Trouble is the situation was tailor-made for a Depression-era screwball comedy for the working-class to laugh at the daffy rich folks, but it turned out when executed in the post-war period the same scenario that once delighted audiences turned out old hat and was only mildly amusing for a different type of audience.

REVIEWED ON 8/15/2010 GRADE: B-

Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”

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