Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 11-October-09
Spoiler Rating: Medium

The Good Fairy (1935)

Someday I am going to research what the deal was with Preston Sturges, a screenwriter (and occasional director) whose movies often contain repugnant sexual situations. The Good Fairy, directed by William Wyler, is a classic example of the mind that guided Sturges' pen. It concerns a naive orphan who is harassed by men as soon as she ventures into the world and is nearly purchased as a mistress by a slobbering businessman. Virtual prostitution seemed to be a thing with Sturges, but damned if the movie does not overcome the sleaze factor with wit, good humor, and an enthusiastic cast.

Margaret Sullavan appears to have a grand old time in the title role. Despite being orphaned and named Luisa Ginglebusher, she is cheerful and eager to serve others. First she meets a frenetic older man (Reginald Owen) who appoints himself her protector and guide to the world. He gets her into a party at the hotel where he works, and there she is set upon by the businessman (Frank Morgan, hilarious in his vileness). This guy wastes no time in retiring to a private room and initiating a game wherein he is a wild cat stalking Luisa, a timid goat. She does not completely understand the implications of their interaction but welcomes the opportunity it brings to do someone a good deed.

After she claims to be married while evading a particularly energetic pounce, her pursuer decides to buy Luisa's favors indirectly. He will give her husband a high-paying job, apparently in earnest, so that she can obtain diamonds and furs without raising any suspicions. Grabbing the phone book on the sly, Luisa randomly picks a name attached to an address in a poor part of town and offers it up as her husband. The next day, a penniless lawyer (Herbert Marshall) unexpectedly finds himself with a new employer and a sizable salary advance in his hands.

Marshall might not have been my first choice to play the fairy's beneficiary (and thus her romantic interest), but his character becomes so endearing by the end of his first scene that he is easy to embrace. Thrilled by having money, he fantasizes about "a pencil sharpener with a handle and different-sized holes — at last!" Of course Luisa cannot resist checking the results of her wand work, and when she falls for the lawyer tension builds around whether she will see the bargain through (i.e., give herself to the businessman) or find a way to grant herself a happy ending. It can be said of Sturges that he did not leave his characters in a sordid state or even commit them to it fully. This is good news for Luisa and those who watch this amiable film.

Copyright © 2009 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.