Theodora Goes Wild

"RIOTOUS ROMANTIC COMEDY!"

1936 1h 34m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 51

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The small-town prudes of Lynnfield are up in arms over 'The Sinner,' a sexy best-seller. They little suspect that author 'Caroline Adams' is really Theodora Lynn, scion of the town's leading family. Michael Grant, devil-may-care book jacket illustrator, penetrates Theodora's incognito and sets out to 'free her' from Lynnfield against her will. But Michael has a secret too, and gets a taste of his own medicine.

“RIOTOUS ROMANTIC COMEDY!”

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Cast

Irene Dunne
Theodora Lynn
Melvyn Douglas
Michael Grant
Thomas Mitchell
Jed Waterbury
Thurston Hall
Arthur Stevenson
Elisabeth Risdon
Aunt Mary
Margaret McWade
Aunt Elsie
Spring Byington
Rebecca Perry
Nana Bryant
Ethel Stevenson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Boleslawski
Writers: Mary McCarthy, Sidney Buchman
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Boleslawski, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Grant Still. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Otto Meyer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Irene Dunne and Melvyn Douglas and Thomas Mitchell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "RIOTOUS ROMANTIC COMEDY!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028355 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 51 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Boleslawski directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. William Grant Still scores. Otto Meyer cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Richard Boleslawski, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by William Grant Still. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Otto Meyer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Irene Dunne and Melvyn Douglas and Thomas Mitchell carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "RIOTOUS ROMANTIC COMEDY!".
7IMDB entry: tt0028355 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 51 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Original score: William Grant Still
Editing: Otto Meyer
Costume design: Bernard Newman
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Theodora Goes Wild (1936)

Also by

Richard Boleslawski

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-07-13
★ 7/10
Irene Dunne takes top billing here, but as usual it's Melvyn Douglas who steals the show - this time alongside an on form Thomas Mitchell. It's the latter man, "Jed", who is the editor of the local newspaper who has spent a small fortune on the serialisation rights to a best selling and rather steamy novel. The local women's guild types are outraged and threaten him with the ultimate sanctions - the disapproval of the "Lynn" family. Thing is, though, we quite quickly learn not only is the paper selling like hot cakes, but that one of that very family - using the pseudonym of "Caroline Adams" (Dunne) is the one doing a bit of the George Eliot. This is where "Grant" (Douglas) comes in. He designed the book sleeve, smells a rat and quickly discovers the book's true identity. What now ensues sees a series of comedic spats between the two - who are obviously destined for... The writing is pithy at times, exposing the hypocrisy and double standards of a population who do anything but practice what they preach in a town of busy-bodies and gossip-mongers well led by a perfectly cast and mischievous Spring Byington. It's entertainingly paced with plenty of quick-wittedness throughout and though maybe there's little jeopardy as to the story's trajectory, there's bundles of chemistry between Dunne and Douglas and this is well worth ninety minutes.

Production companies