Never a Dull Moment

Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray star in this good-natured, sometimes near-farcical comedy, in which a Manhattan songwriter and a widowed farmer meet at a charity show and fall in love. Transplanted to MacMurray's rustic ranch, Dunne has to cope with her precocious stepdaughters as well as the living conditions, the horses and the local characters. Both stars have worked with better material and George Marshall's direction is rather heavy-handed, but the film is quite funny and didn't deserve the scathing critical reception it had on release. Incidentally, MacMurray's kids are played by Gigi Perreau and a young Natalie Wood, while Andy Devine and William Demarest appear in supporting roles.