1940 was a wonderful year for "lost spouse returning" films. Both this film as well as MY FAVORITE WIFE debuted a short time apart and they are, on the surface, very, very similar movies.
In MY FAVORITE WIFE, Irene Dunne is lost at sea and assumed dead. Years later, she's declared legally dead and Cary Grant (her husband) remarries. Dunne then returns just after the wedding and hilarity ensues.
In TOO MANY HUSBANDS, Fred MacMurray is lost at sea and assumed dead. He's declared dead almost right away and Jean Arthur (his wife) remarried. Fred then returns to find she now has two husbands and only a little bit of hilarity ensued!
In fact, because these two films were so similar, lawsuits were launched. I really don't know how they were settled or which movie came first. All I know is that MY FAVORITE WIFE is definitely the better of the two. The fact that TOO MANY HUSBANDS was only showed on TCM for the first time a week ago is probably indication that it is the lesser films--especially since MY FAVORITE WIFE is a commonly seen film on American cable TV.
The problem is the writing. While the cast of TOO MANY HUSBANDS is just fine (Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray and Melvin Douglas), the lines they are given and the situations they are placed in just aren't as funny. In particular, Jean's character is VERY annoying at times--as she seems like a selfish and immature person throughout the film. This is BAD, as Jean's usual screen persona is of a sweet and spunky lady--here she in an indecisive and whiny person. Just think--in this film, she learns she has two husbands and LIKES IT when the two guys are ready to fight it out as well as all the attention they pay her!! Conversely, the fact that Cary and Irene in the other film truly love each other never really is in question--the problem is just figuring out HOW to extricate themselves from the mess! While this is still a pretty good film (nearly meriting a 7), it just isn't in the same league as the other one. If you love old films like I do, see them both. If you only want to pick one, then the answer is pretty obvious.
In MY FAVORITE WIFE, Irene Dunne is lost at sea and assumed dead. Years later, she's declared legally dead and Cary Grant (her husband) remarries. Dunne then returns just after the wedding and hilarity ensues.
In TOO MANY HUSBANDS, Fred MacMurray is lost at sea and assumed dead. He's declared dead almost right away and Jean Arthur (his wife) remarried. Fred then returns to find she now has two husbands and only a little bit of hilarity ensued!
In fact, because these two films were so similar, lawsuits were launched. I really don't know how they were settled or which movie came first. All I know is that MY FAVORITE WIFE is definitely the better of the two. The fact that TOO MANY HUSBANDS was only showed on TCM for the first time a week ago is probably indication that it is the lesser films--especially since MY FAVORITE WIFE is a commonly seen film on American cable TV.
The problem is the writing. While the cast of TOO MANY HUSBANDS is just fine (Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray and Melvin Douglas), the lines they are given and the situations they are placed in just aren't as funny. In particular, Jean's character is VERY annoying at times--as she seems like a selfish and immature person throughout the film. This is BAD, as Jean's usual screen persona is of a sweet and spunky lady--here she in an indecisive and whiny person. Just think--in this film, she learns she has two husbands and LIKES IT when the two guys are ready to fight it out as well as all the attention they pay her!! Conversely, the fact that Cary and Irene in the other film truly love each other never really is in question--the problem is just figuring out HOW to extricate themselves from the mess! While this is still a pretty good film (nearly meriting a 7), it just isn't in the same league as the other one. If you love old films like I do, see them both. If you only want to pick one, then the answer is pretty obvious.