People familiar with Alfred Hitchcock only as the master of suspense, will probably be very surprised by this film. This is because this film is a screwball comedy, not a suspense movie. Hitchcock would later say in the book long interview with François Truffaut that he did this movie as a favor to Carole Lombard (who plays the lead female character in this movie). However some RKO (the studio this was made for) files state that Hitch personally sought out this film to direct. This would be one of the very few Alfred Hitchcock films in which Hitchcock would not play a huge role in the writing of.
Despite all this though Hitchcock put a lot of effort into the direction of this film. Scenes like the amusement park ride or Mr. Smith (played by Robert Montgomery) and his friend Jeff (played by Gene Raymond) walk opposite directions out the apartment no longer friends are expertly directed. Visually this film is just a treat to look at. The one scene not directed by Hitch was his cameo. This scene was directed by the film's star Carol Lombard, who made Hitch do many retakes.
The direction is not the only thing great about this film. Though not every joke works, the ones that do are very funny. The scene were Jeff is drunk, the amusement park ride, and two disastrous dinner dates are very funny. The love story is quite believable. Though the characters do some quite unlikable things to each other at times (one of the film's very few big faults), I still believed that they loved each other.
This was Hitchcock's third movie made in Hollywood. The two before this were Rebecca and Foreign Correspondent. Hitch started his career making films in Britain (starting in 1922), and made many great films there. He moved to Hollywood in 1939, after signing a contract with David O. Selznick, the head of 20th Century Fox. However the relationship between the two was not exactly always on good terms and so he soon began making films at other Hollywood studios (such as this film).
Mr. and Mrs. Smith was very popular with audiences. However many critics were not so pleased with the film and considered it below the quality of Hitch's previous American films.
The two main stars of this film would later reprise their roles for radio however not together. Carol Lombard would reprise the role for the Lux Radio Theater show later the year this film was released. Robert Montgomery would reprise the role in 1949 for the Screen Directors Playhouse show.
After this film Carol Lombard would only appear in one more film. That would be Ernest Lubich's To Be or Not to Be released in 1942. She would end up dying in a plane crash in early 1942 while participating in a war bond drive for World War 2.
For the record this film has nothing to do with the 2005 movie baring the same name.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Resourses Used
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1693/Mr-and-Mrs-Smith/articles.html
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