I Married a Witch
A witch's curse backfires when she falls for her target.
I Married a Witch is a 1942 American romantic screwball comedy fantasy film directed by René Clair. It stars Veronica Lake as a witch whose revenge plot against a descendant of her persecutor goes comically wrong, with Fredric March as her foil. The screenplay is based on the novel The Passionate Witch by Thorne Smith, completed after his death by Norman H. Matson.
Quick Facts
- Director
- René Clair
- Screenplay
- Robert Pirosh; Marc Connelly
- Based on
- The Passionate Witch; 1941 novel, Thorne Smith and Norman H. Matson
- Starring
- Fredric March
- Veronica Lake
- Robert Benchley
- Susan Hayward
- Cecil Kellaway
- Music
- Roy Webb
- Cinematography
- Ted Tetzlaff
- Editing
- Eda Warren
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures; Cinema Guild Productions
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In colonial Salem, the witches Jennifer and her father Daniel were executed by burning after Puritan Jonathan Wooley accused them. Their ashes were buried under a tree to trap their evil spirits. Jennifer then cursed Wooley and all his male descendants, ensuring they would always wed the wrong woman. For generations, Wooley men married difficult, shrewish wives. In 1942, lightning struck the tree, freeing the spirits. They found Wallace Wooley, a candidate for governor, about to wed the spoiled Estelle Masterson, whose father was his main political supporter. Jennifer convinced Daniel to create a human body for her. Daniel set fire to the Pilgrim Hotel to fuel the spell, and Jennifer used the chaos to have Wallace rescue her from the flames. She attempted to win him over without magic, but he refused to break his engagement. A love potion backfired when a painting knocked her unconscious; Wallace revived her by giving her the very drink meant for him. Daniel made himself a body and disrupted the wedding. Estelle caught the couple embracing, and the wedding was canceled. Wallace admitted his love for Jennifer, and they eloped. Jennifer then used witchcraft to rig the election, making even Wallace’s opponent vote for him. Daniel warned her she would be punished for revealing her true nature to a mortal, and he stripped away her magical powers.
Cast
Fredric March plays Jonathan Wooley, Nathaniel Wooley, Samuel Wooley, and principally Wallace Wooley. Veronica Lake plays Jennifer Wooley. Cecil Kellaway plays Daniel. Robert Benchley plays Dr. Dudley White. Susan Hayward plays Estelle Masterson. Elizabeth Patterson plays Margaret. Eily Malyon plays Tabitha Wooley. Robert Warwick plays J.B. Masterson. Robert Greig plays the town crier. Mary Field plays Nancy Wooley. Nora Cecil plays Harriet Wooley. Viola Moore plays Martha. Helen St. Rayner plays the singer at the wedding. Aldrich Bowker plays the justice of the peace. Wade Boteler and Robert Homans appear uncredited as a policeman and fire chief respectively. Ann Carter appears uncredited as Jennifer Wooley (daughter). Preston Sturges served as associate producer until leaving due to artistic differences; some regular members of his unofficial stock company appear, including Al Bridge, Chester Conklin, Florence Gill, Bess Flowers, Robert Greig, Esther Howard, Charles R. Moore, and Emory Parnell.
Production
The novel The Passionate Witch was mainly written by Thorne Smith, who died in 1934. His papers included the unfinished novel, then three-quarters complete; its resolution was written by his friend Norman Matson and published in July 1941. The book became a best seller. Paramount Pictures produced the film under the working title He Married a Witch. Director René Clair sought a new project after The Flame of New Orleans (1941); his agent sent him a copy of The Passionate Witch. Clair took it to Preston Sturges, then in favor at Paramount, who convinced Clair and the studio it would be a good vehicle for Veronica Lake, with Sturges as producer. Paramount bought the film rights in October 1941. Dalton Trumbo was signed to write the script. Robert Pirosh was called in to work on the script with Trumbo. Trumbo left after clashing with Sturges. Sturges himself left before completion due to artistic differences with Clair and did not want screen credit. Clair, who contributed to dialogue, worked closely with Pirosh. Clair said Marc Connelly collaborated more as an advisor than as an actual writer. The front office did not like everything in the script, so it was changed considerably before shooting. Clair and Pirosh sometimes sat up late rewriting the script for the next day's shooting.
Release
The film was one of a number sold by Paramount to United Artists in September 1942, when UA lacked enough films to meet commitments and Paramount had a surplus. It was released by UA on October 30 that year. A Variety critic wrote that neither March nor Lake impresses very importantly and that Robert Benchley was not well equipped with material for comic relief, calling it rather draggy entertainment. The Chicago Tribune reviewer called it bizarre but beguiling, with Lake's performance delightfully outrageous and very funny. Diabolique Magazine later described it as wickedly funny and an absolute delight, noting Lake's alluring performance in men's pajamas and that this was her only fantasy movie. The film was released on VHS by Warner Home Video in the U.S. on July 18, 1990, and on DVD and Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection on October 8, 2013.
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