The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This picture had a lot going for it; a good cast, good supporting cast, fairly good story and direction. But several reviewers have already mentioned the miscasting of Frederic March, who was one our best actors, in a role for which he was unsuited - because he's just not funny. He lacks Cary Grant's facial expressions and air of controlled hysteria, and comes off in some scenes as forcing the issue of humor.Have you seen "Les Miserables" or "The Best Years Of Our Lives"? There was March at his considerable best. Or "Inherit The Wind". Here, he does his level best in a thankless role as a selfish playwright married to Loretta Young, who is gorgeous as his celebrated actress/ wife. The story itself is OK but becomes tiresome before the madcap, slambang ending which saves the day.As mentioned, the support cast was good but wasted - not enough screen time for Robert Benchley and Eve Arden, who appears here in a straight role without her sarcastic darts. Hard to figure how you can waste Eve Arden. A good, entertaining movie which could have been much better.

I was looking at the Citadel Film series book The Films of Fredric March while watching Bedtime Story and the author there makes the point that this seemed to be something that might have been originally designed for Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. That might be the case, but I doubt even those two could have done as good a job as Fredric March and Loretta Young did in this film.March and Young both knew how to play comedy and well, despite both of them primarily known for drama. With something like Nothing Sacred among March's best films who would doubt that? As for Loretta, she's every bit as sparkling as Irene Dunne at her best.To make the analogy complete, there's even a Ralph Bellamy part in this film, ably done by Allyn Joslyn. In fact in many ways Joslyn's the best thing in the film.The lead characters seem to me to be based on that noted theatrical couple, playwright Charles MacArthur and actress Helen Hayes. The film begins with Loretta Young taking a curtain call and giving a farewell to the theater. She and her hubby want to settle down and enjoy life. But Loretta should have suspected something when March wasn't around to take the bow with her.Good reason because that isn't March's idea at all. In fact he's written a new play for his wife, but she wants nothing to do with it. She's made her mind up and that breaks them apart. And good old Allyn Joslyn, stuffy banker in the Ralph Bellamy tradition, is ready on the rebound. He catches her all right, but the game isn't over, not from March's point of view.Bedtime Story starts out a little slow, but really makes up for it in the end. That final scene as the newly married Joslyn and Young are trying to get down to business is absolutely hysterical. The situations are funny enough, but Joslyn's reactions are what really put it over. It's something borrowed from A Night At The Opera.In fact I spotted elements from The Awful Truth, His Girl Friday, and Twentieth Century as well as the Marx Brothers classic. And producer B.P. Schulberg and director Alexander Hall make it all work.Rounding out the cast in familiar type cast parts are Helen Westley, Robert Benchley, Eve Arden, Joyce Compton and Grady Sutton. You just mention those names and any devoted film buff can tell you exactly what they played.I'm surprised Bedtime Story isn't rated higher by fans of both leads. It's a real gem of a screwball comedy, don't miss it.

This was a pretty interesting film for me because my wife and I watched it and had rather different ideas about the film--at least until the final half hour which we both enjoyed. She hated most of the film--mostly because Frederic March's character was such an awful liar and manipulator. I think she just wanted something terrible to happen to him once and for all! I loved the film and didn't mind that March played such a cad. After all, the guy who manipulates his wife and tries to prevent her from remarrying is a rather common plot element--used in such wonderful movies as HIS GIRL Friday and THE AWFUL TRUTH. I could let this go and just enjoy. Which camp you fall into might just determine whether this movie is for you.The film begins with Loretta Young on stage at the end of a performance. She announces that she and her playwright husband (March) are retiring. It seems that they have long talked about giving it all up once they made a fortune and moving to a farm. The trouble is that March has suddenly changed his mind and he never bothered to tell his wife!! And, when he mentions that he has just written ANOTHER play and wants her to star in it, she walks out and gets a divorce.Again and again, March connives to get Young back, though it mostly seems because he wants her in the new play and not because he really loves her. My wife was yelling at the television at these points--calling March a "schmuck" and advising Young not to believe his lies! Well, being a Hollywood film, the ending was not too unexpected. However, I was delighted how well it was handled. Once Young remarried but before she could consummate the marriage, March did some truly amazing things to prevent this. You have to see it to believe it, but the whole thing is rather reminiscent of the stateroom scene from A NIGHT AT THE OPERA.Funny and charming--I really liked this film and think my wife is wrong. Fortunately, she rarely reads my reviews and so I'm probably not "in the doghouse"--unless someone would tell her. Can you please keep it a secret folks?!

I caught this on Turner Classic Movies, at a time when most of the truly different and interesting films are shown: in the middle of the night. This movie is about as good a light comedy as you'll ever see. The writing is exceptional, keeping the pace flowing and featuring often sparkling dialog. The acting is superb. Loretta Young again shows her broad dimensions as an actress, here being sophisticated, worldly, and wise. Not the farmer's daughter. Frederic March is perfect as the actor-playwright who is constantly devising plans to persuade his wife to end her retirement and star in his new play. And the character actors are just right, especially Eve Arden. Even Robert Benchley fits in well here. The director deserved an Academy Award for his flawless control of the story. In short, this is a delightful film that adults won't want to miss. In a just world, this would out in DVD.