An Overlooked Gem from 1939

The year 1939 was a huge one for Hollywood. Such well-known titles as “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” exemplify its classic status. In discussions of that fruitful year, we hear about similarly classic titles as "Dark Victory," "Stagecoach," "The Women," and other films that are iconic for one reason or another.

Our featured film, however, is usually not on the list. "In Name Only” is what I believe to be an unsung film from the big year of 1939. It is a mature romantic drama, with career-changing performances from its two leads.

About the plot. The film stars Cary Grant as Alec Walker, a wealthy man living a fairly carefree existence, except for the fact that his marriage to Maida (played by Kay Francis) is a sham. They exist in an artificial image of a happy marriage; everyone else thinks it’s perfect except Alec, who knows the truth. Maida has carefully crafted an image of a doting wife, and everyone—including their friends and Alec’s parents—buy into it.

Julie Eden is a widowed fashion illustrator living in a small country cottage near Alec’s stately home. When Alec meets her at a pond while she’s struggling to catch a fish, they strike up a tentative friendship. Julie is reserved, broken-hearted by the death of her husband, and at first is resistant to Alec’s charms. But they spend more time together, and eventually fall in love.

Alec asks Maida for a divorce, but she won’t get out of the way that easily. When Alec is in a car accident, Julie and Maida meet for the first time, and Maida makes sure that Julie is painted as a home-wrecker. With everything—including Alec’s parents—against her, Julie breaks off the relationship, knowing it can’t work out under the circumstances.

Meanwhile, Alec, feeling trapped in a loveless marriage and unable to be with the woman he now loves, gets drunk and checks into a cheap hotel, where he passes out in front of an open window. The cold air causes him to catch pneumonia. At the hospital, the doctor tells both Julie and Alec's father that Alec will come out of his condition only with the will to live. So in an effort to help him recover, Julie lies to Alec, telling him that Maida has agreed to divorce him.

When Maida arrives at the hospital, Julie finally faces Maida and attempts to keep her from disturbing Alec. It’s at this moment that Maida makes herself perfectly clear, freely admitting to Julie that she married Alec not only for his money, but the social position that came with it. Unbeknownst to her, however, Alec’s parents overhear her as she explains that, once Alec’s father is dead, everything will be hers. Bad move.

Not only is Maida revealed to those she duped for the avaricious woman she is, but she has officially paved the way for Alec to be with Julie. An emotional conclusion with Julie at Alec’s bedside assure us that things are going to work out just fine.

Cary Grant

About the actors. At the time this film was released, Cary Grant had developed a reputation as a comic actor opposite some of the era’s biggest female stars (Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn, Constance Bennett). But 1939 was an unusual year for Grant; he was cast against comic type in two grand adventure films (“Gunga Din" and “Only Angels Have Wings”), as well as the drama of “In Name Only.” I think his performance as Alec is one of the best of his career because it utilizes his effortless charm—and, in a few scenes, his comic timing—yet lets him demonstrate his dramatic chops as well.

I always thought there was something fresh and contemporary about Carole Lombard, and those traits are on display in “In Name Only.” When I first saw this film, I knew her strictly as a comic actress, and for me her performance was a revelation.

Carole Lombard

Kay Francis

Like Grant, she was clearly trying to branch out from the comedies that had been her mainstay throughout most of the thirties. The same year as “In Name Only,” she starred opposite up-and-comer James Stewart in a domestic drama called “Made for Each Other.” And she followed “In Name Only” in 1940 with two other heavy dramas. I admire her for trying to stretch her talents beyond freewheeling comedies.

While these dramas are all good on their own terms, there is something special about her as Julie in “In Name Only.” The earthy honesty of her comedies is there in this performance, whose resigned, restrained sadness is very touching. (Speaking of sad, Lombard only made four movies after “In Name Only”; she died in a plane crash in 1942. I always wondered what her career trajectory would have been had she lived.)

Kay Francis, as Maida, was one of the most popular stars of the early 30s, the “Queen of Warner Brothers.” Like many actresses of the early talkie era, she had a grandiose manner that was typical after sound first came in and Hollywood was still finding its footing. She made a few classic light comedies and melodramas at this time (such titles as “Trouble in Paradise,” "Jewel Robbery," and “One Way Passage,” all from 1932), but by 1939 her popularity as a leading lady had long slipped and she was relegated to playing second leads and supporting roles.

"In Name Only" is probably her most distinguished film of this period; her characterization of Maida utilizes her studied regality very well. I found a greater appreciation for her here, as she pretends to be the long-suffering wife of a ne’er do well, while actually scheming to get whatever she wants. She plays her final scene, set at the hospital, to the hilt, her calculated coldness on full display.

About the look and feel. This is an RKO Radio Pictures production, and it bears the studio’s visual stamp. Unlike some studios, many RKO pictures actually filmed outdoor scenes outdoors, rather than on a sound stage with fake sets or rear projection, and it makes them feel more authentic, more direct. The early scenes near the pond, for example, have an open, airy quality that underscores the relaxed interplay between Grant and Lombard.

The interior scenes of Julie’s cottage, as well as Alec’s estate, have a tastefully appointed coziness. So for fans of period Hollywood-idealized interior design, the film is a treat. (Even if a fashion illustrator in 1939 most likely couldn’t afford a one-room apartment, let alone a cottage, as Lombard's Julie Eden does in this movie.)

The fashions in the flim are similarly understated. Almost all of Lombard's clothes are casual and practical, which echoes her character. Julie is an unaffected woman, so her wardrobe in in line with her personality. It's a relief from the fabulous gowns and frocks that Lombard usually wore. By contrast, Francis gets to wear a variety of glamorous outfits that underscore her character's love of what money can buy. And for the man in the picture, Grant looks—as he always did—terrific in his suits and sport coats, as always.

My assessment. Sounds like this story is the stuff of high soap opera, right? True, but it’s easy to do this type of story wrong. It's harder to make it work on its terms. In the case of “In Name Only,” it’s all played so well, so smoothly, that the film is engrossing and thoroughly entertaining throughout. Director John Cromwell conducts the proceedings without florid dramatics. In fact, the action is downright understated. And that’s part of the reason why I think it’s impressive and worth watching today.


“In Name Only” is not usually included in the pantheon of classic films of 1939, but because of its cast and production, I think it should be. Turner Classic Movies runs it occasionally, and it is available on DVD. It's worth catching.