The Devil and Miss Jones
US (1941): Comedy/Romance/Drama
In one of those plot devices so dear to writers of romantic comedy (in this case, the venerable Norman Krasna), tycoon Charles Coburn goes undercover as a shoe salesman in a Manhattan department store that's a tiny part of his portfolio, hoping to discover why the employees hate him so much. He has the luck to be assigned to the counter next to Jean Arthur, rasping out one of her inimitable hard-nosed working-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold performances, who befriends Coburn and introduces him to her boyfriend (Robert Cummings) -- the leader of the labor unrest. Directed by the stodgy Sam Wood, the film flirts with 30s radicalism but settles for prudent class reconciliation: turns out that all the employees want is a little bit of gratitude and respect. Coburn got his first Academy Award nomination for his gruff but ultimately lovable coot (and won the Oscar® two years later, opposite Arthur in The More the Merrier), a part he was to play for much of the rest of his career. Some startling deep-focus effects suggest that cinematographer Harry Stradling may have been spying on Citizen Kane, shooting just down the hall at RKO. Ultimately, though, it's Arthur who gives the film its authenticity and tremulous charm. The supporting cast includes Edmund Gwenn, Spring Byington, S. Z. Sakall and William Demarest. (Jackpot Hollywood)
2 nominations
· Supporting Actor 1941: Charles Coburn
· Writing (Original Screenplay) 1941: Norman Krasna