My Favorite Wife (1940)

7.3Approved89 minDirector: Garson Kanin

1940 film by Garson Kanin

My Favorite Wife is a 1940 American screwball comedy film produced by Leo McCarey and directed by Garson Kanin. It stars Irene Dunne as a woman who, after being shipwrecked on a tropical island for several years and declared legally dead, returns to her [former] husband (Cary Grant) and children.

The story is an adaptation of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1864 poem "Enoch Arden". In tribute, the main characters' last name is Arden.

The supporting cast features Gail Patrick as the woman Arden has just married when his first wife returns, and Randolph Scott as the man with whom his wife was marooned. My Favorite Wife was RKO's second most successful film of 1940.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is My Favorite Wife about?
My Favorite Wife (1940) — Ellen Arden arrives 7 years after being given up for dead in a shipwreck, to find her husband Nick just remarried to Bianca. The overjoyed Nick awkwardly tries to break the news gently to Bianca. But before he can do that, an unpleasant surprise--news that Ellen has spent the 7 y
Is My Favorite Wife based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is My Favorite Wife scary?
Content rating: Approved. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.