Main Cast: James Cagney, Bette Davis, Stuart Erwin, Jack Carson, Eugene Pallette
Release Year: 1941
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
Neither James Cagney nor Bette Davis were particularly pleased with the outdated screwball comedy The Bride Came C.O.D., but both performers behaved with thorough professionalism, doing a lot more for the film than the film did for them. Davis stars as flighty heiress Joan Winfield, whose impending marriage to bandleader Allen Brice (Jack Carson) does not rest well with her oil-rich father Lucius K. Winfield (Eugene Pallette). When Joan announces that she intends to defy her father's wishes and elope with Brice, Winfield hires charter pilot Steve Collins (Cagney) to kidnap the girl and deliver her back home, C.O.D. Nearly bankrupt, Steve goes along with the scheme, but on the return flight his plane crashes in the desert. Realizing that he's only a few miles from civilization, Steve schemes to keep Joan from signalling any potential rescuers by chasing her into an old tunnel and convincing her that they're hopelessly lost. When Joan tumbles to the scheme, she forces Steve to let her marry Brice. The surprisingly cooperative Steve agrees, knowing full well that he still has a few aces up his sleeve. So guess who Joan ends up with at fadeout time? Genuine laughs are few and far between in this hectic farce, but at least Bette Davis has one hilarious moment, predicated on her outraged delivery of the word "Mustard!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Bride Came C.O.D. is an amiable romantic comedy that desperately wants to be "screwball" but ends up just being frenzied and frantic. Although Bette Davis may seem an odd choice for a screwball comedy like Bride, don't blame her; she and co-star James Cagney give the movie the spark and fire that it has, overcoming an Epstein Brothers screenplay that is long on plot complications, but short on genuine laughs. The various twists and turns of the script keep things interesting, but without truly witty dialogue and unique characters; the film lacks the "oomph" that turns a good little comedy into a raucous farce. William Keighley's direction is so-so, which leaves the stars on their own. They do a grand job of giving the film old-style movie star pizzazz, barreling over the rough spots as if they didn't exist and grabbing hold of the screenplay's good moments and playing them for all they're worth. They're aided by some excellent support from a roster of great character actors, which helps to offset Jack Carson's obnoxious and grating performance. Still, it's Cagney and Davis that make the film worth catching -- without them, this bride would have been left at the altar. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Orry-Kelly - Costume Designer, William Keighley - Director, Tom Richards - Editor, Max Steiner - Composer (Music Score), Leo F. Forbstein - Musical Direction/Supervision, Perc Westmore - Makeup, Ted Smith - Production Designer, Ernest Haller - Cinematographer, William Cagney - Producer, Hal B. Wallis - Producer, Byron Haskin - Special Effects, Rex Wimpy - Special Effects, Robert B. Lee - Sound/Sound Designer, M.M. Musselman - Screen Story, Julius J. Epstein - Screenwriter, Philip G. Epstein - Screenwriter, Kenneth Earland - Short Story Author
Pilot Steve Collins (James Cagney) agrees to help bandleader Alan Brice (Jack Carson) and heiress Joan Winfield (Bette Davis) elope. Steve then contacts her father Lucius (Eugene Pallette), offering to prevent the marriage and deliver her to him in return for enough money to get out of debt.
Steve tricks Alan into getting off the plane, then takes off with Joan. When an irate Joan tries to jump out of the plane, Steve sees that she has her parachute on backwards and is forced to crash land near the ghost town of Bonanza. The next morning, they encounter the lone resident, Pop Tolliver (Harry Davenport). Joan escapes into an abandoned mine. When Steve follows her, they are trapped by a cave-in. Steve finds a way out, but hides it from Joan on the advice of Pop. Believing that they are going to die, Joan re-examines her frivolous life with great regret. Steve admits he loves her, but when he kisses her, she tastes food on his lips and realizes he has found a way out. They exit the mine to find that Alan has tracked them down, accompanied by a Nevada judge.
Steve does not object when Alan and Joan get married, hiding the fact that Bonanza is in California and therefore the wedding is invalid. The "newlyweds" board another plane, but when Joan figures out that they are not really married, she parachutes out to be reunited with Steve.
