My Life with Caroline (1941)

Caroline Mason, on vacation with her father Mr. Bliss in Idaho, has fallen in love with gaucho Paco Del Valle, the two who plan to get married. The problem is is that she's already married,... See full summary »

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

John Van Druten (screen play), Arnold Belgard (screen play)

Stars:

Ronald Colman, Anna Lee, Charles Winninger

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ronald Colman	...	Anthony
Anna Lee	...	Caroline
Charles Winninger	...	Bliss
Reginald Gardiner	...	Paul
Gilbert Roland	...	Paco Del Valle
Kay Leslie	...	Helen (as Katherine Leslie)
Hugh O'Connell	...	Muirhead
Murray Alper	...	Jenkins
Matt Moore	...	Walters

Storyline

Caroline Mason, on vacation with her father Mr. Bliss in Idaho, has fallen in love with gaucho Paco Del Valle, the two who plan to get married. The problem is is that she's already married, for five years, to New York publisher Anthony Mason, who couldn't go along on this trip since he had to work. Caroline admits that she loves Anthony, but she believes she is no longer in love with him. Conversely, Anthony still loves his wife and he believes she truly still is in love with him. This situation is somewhat déjà vu, as rather than follow the old adage "Absence makes the heart grow fonder", Caroline tends to forget easily those with who she has lost contact, including Anthony. This situation is reminiscent of one two years earlier when on vacation in Florida with her father, Caroline was ready to marry Paul Martindale. But Anthony, who had more than a sneaking suspicion of what Caroline was up to, decided to come to Florida to outmaneuver the game that Caroline and Paul had concocted ...

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Plot Keywords:

publisher | marriage | idaho | train station | sculpture | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

1 August 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Palm Beach Limited

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$503,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures, United Producers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The production company, United Producers Corp., was founded by executive producer William B. Hawks and actor Ronald Colman.

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Goofs

When Anthony, Caroline and Paul are walking out of the airport, as the camera pans left after they've stopped at the top of the steps, a clear shadow of the camera moves across a tree in the foreground.

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Connections

Version of The Train for Venice (1938)

User Reviews

Simply delightful

This almost unknown gem was based on a French farce--which shows, and I mean that as a compliment.

Caroline (Lee) is being courted by a wealthy Argentinian (Roland), who asks her father for her hand in marriage. But Caroline is already married to Anthony (Colman), who has just arrived by plane and launches immediately into an audience-directed reminiscence about the last time Caroline decided she was in love with someone else: a dilettante-ish sculptor (Gardiner). The film plays out the story of Anthony's strategy in uncoupling Caroline from her sculptor, and how that experience aids him with her Argentinian.

It is perfectly cast: Ronald Colman is at his most sophisticated and charming, Reginald Gardiner is at his most priggish, Gilbert Roland is at his most exotic, and Anna Lee is just deliciously whimsical. The film is wonderfully directed by Lewis Milestone (who also produced); the whole production feels like a labor of love. There are wonderful touches, such as Colman breaking frame and addressing the camera, and exceptional use of a sliding bar-cabinet door. It is a sin that it hasn't been released on DVD--this is the kind of film that can singlehandedly awaken interest in classic film.