"The Lady is Willing" *** (out of ****)Having recently reviewed Sternberg's "The Blue Angel" with Marlene Dietrich, I wanted to review another movie with her. In this World War 2 comedy, "The Lady is Willing" Dietrich gives, what I think, is one of her best performances. It is, for lack of a better word, wonderful. She is one of the main reasons to watch this movie, though not technically better or more influential than "The Blue Angel".
Marlene Dietrich, to me, is one of the icons on cinema. Her name belongs alongside such people as Garbo, Chaplin and Welles. Her name invokes images which are just as indelible as any other great artist in cinema.
Dietrich was known for the blurry line between masculine and feminine, which she created. She was usually wearing men's suits and quoted as saying such things as "in Europe, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman - we make love with anyone we find attractive." Or "I am at heart, a gentleman." She seemed to be at once asexual and a temptress. Her sexuality has been written about numerous times. Was she or wasn't she a lesbian? Does it really matter? But that mystique found its way in her roles. She almost always played a woman with a sexual past. Her earliest American films, directed by Sternberg were "Dishonored", "Shanghai Express" and "Morocco". But Mitchell Leisen's "The Lady is Willing" is much different.
That may be why I like her performance in this movie so much. She goes against type but never seems awkward or out of place. You never feel there was a miscast. She seems perfectly suitable in this film. Sure you could argue that Jean Arthur or Carole Lombard could have played this role, and they probably could have, but because of Dietrich's past, she makes the film more fun to watch.
In "The Lady is Willing" Dietrich plays Liza Madden, a famous theatre actress, who happens to be on-site during a car accident. A child has been left in a taxi and Liza decides to take the baby home with her and keep it as her own. All of a sudden a motherly instinct kicks in.
She is advised by her personal assistant, Buddy (Aline MacMahon, an Oscar nominated actress for her performance in "Dragon Seed") and lawyer, Ken (Stanley Ridge, perhaps best known for his performance in Ernst Lubitsch's "To Be or Not To Be") that she cannot keep the baby. Technically what she did is kidnapping. She decides to try and adopt the baby but is told she would only be able to if she has money or is married. Neither of which she has.
Still determined to keep the baby she devises a plan. A business marriage. She plans on marrying a child doctor, Corey T. McBain (Fred MacMurray), who in return will be given assistance to carry on research he has always wanted to conduct involving rabbits.
Corey was married before to Francis (Arline Judge) who lives in the same building as Liza. With this set-up you may be able to guess where this is all going between Liza, Corey and Francis. But that isn't the point.
"The Lady is Willing" has a very sharp script. Dietrich throws out quips and insults with great ease. She shows a great skill for playing comedy. When she first comes back with the baby she doesn't want anyone touching it telling them they may kill it. She tells Ken to go away from the baby and sterilize himself since he is "dirty" from counting money all day.
There have been other films dealing with a similar plot, namely the 1939 comedy "Bachelor Mother" starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven. And the 1956 movie "Bundle of Joy" with Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher but "The Lady is Willing" is just a pinch bit better than those other films because of the wit of the script and Dietrich's performance.
Most readers may not be familiar with Fred MacMurray. If you are, it may be because of one of three reasons. You may know him as the man who invented flubber in "The Absent-Minded Professor", or from the TV show "My Three Sons" or the man who cooks up a murder scheme in Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity". But MacMurray (who was rumored at one time to be the wealthiest man in Hollywood) was a fine comedic actor. He was perfectly able to play a leading man and get involved in a screwball comedy. Watch him in Leisen's "Hands Across the Table" with Carole Lombard or "Too Many Husbands" with Jean Arthur or Billy Wilder's "The Apartment". He was a very versatile performer.
The director of the film Mitchell Leisen is another name which may mean little to most. But his name was behind some very successful films. He directed "Golden Earrings" also with Dietrich and Ray Milland as well as "To Each His Own" and "Midnight" a comedy with Lombard, written by Billy Wilder. He was not one of the great directors of the era but he knew how to put together a successful picture.
"The Lady is Willing" does have a few problems. Namely the third act which seems too forced. The film runs 90 minutes, but it should have been a little longer or certain events should have been moved up a bit and developed more. Not much is made of Frances living in the same building. In fact we lose her for a huge chunk of the movie only to have her reappear at the end. This starts a quarrel between Liza and Corey but not enough time is allowed for the misunderstanding to reach its full comedic potential. The conclusion is rushed. The comedy takes a slight back step to more human drama.
The film also doesn't get boggled down in all the legal aspects of how exactly Liza does keep the child while going through the adoption process. But that is probably best. It what just slow the movie down and take it in directions the viewer wouldn't want it to go in. The movie just dwells into the comedic aspects of the situation during the beginning of the film.
With the exception of these flaws "The Lady is Willing" is still a movie worth watching. Dietrich is perfectly casted as is MacMurray. It has a very strong beginning a weak ending but the performances more than make up for it.
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