Made for Each Other

(1939)
Directed by John Cromwell
Written by Jo Swerling (screenplay), Rose Franken (story)
Starring James Stewart, Carole Lombard, Charles Coburn, Lucille Watson
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It's funny, but I don't really think of James Stewart as a romantic lead. Sure, he's had parts that included romance, but I don't think I can recall many where romance came to the fore. Made for Each Other is one.

John Mason (James Stewart) is a rising young attorney in New York, working for judge Doolittle (Charles Coburn) and engaged to her daughter. But one day he meets Jane (Carole Lombard) on a business trip to Boston and returns with the two of them married. He sets up with Jane in an apartment with his mother (Lucille Watson), who is somewhat difficult and demanding. Jane stays at home while John works, but because he decided not to marry Doolittle's daughter, he is no longer the golden boy of the office. Doolittle forces him to skip his honeymoon and doesn't give him his due*. Jane and John have a baby, but Doolittle cuts his salary due to the Depression. The baby catches pneumonia and things become desperate.

It's a well written story. Jo Swerling was a busy screenwriter, with movies like Platinum Blonde, Pennies from Heaven, The Pride of the Yankees, Lifeboat, and Guys and Dolls on  his resume. The funny thing is that the inciting incident -- John and Jane marrying after only knowing each other for one day -- isn't really all that important. While it's referred to, the movie would not change much if they knew each other for months. 

The key sequence has to do with finding a serum to cure the baby's pneumonia and the difficulty of getting it to New York, leading to an ending that seems a bit too glib.

Stewart plays his usual role, and Lombard is fine as his loving wife. Charles Coburn plays his usual curmudgeonly part. Two standouts are Lucille Watson, who plays the mother like a modern-day Karen, putting a lot of pressure on the couple, and  Louise Beavers, who is excellent as Lily, Jane's cook and maid.** 

Beavers is uncredited, but charming throughout. She was a busy actress, usually play servants because that was the only roles that could be given to Black women at the time. She was one of the first Black actresses to play the lead in a sitcom.***

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*There's a lot of George Bailey in the role, where John is put-upon and doesn't get his due. 

**It is interesting that the couple, despite their money problems, can have a servant, though Lily does forego a salary for awhile.

***The  show was Beulah, about a housekeeper. Several actresses took over the title role, including Hattie McDaniel and Ethel Waters, and such names as Butterfly McQueen, Dooley Wilson, and Leslie Uggams in other roles.