Are Husbands Necessary?
| Are Husbands Necessary? | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Norman Taurog |
| Written by | Tess Slesinger Frank Davis |
| Produced by | Fred Kohlmar |
| Starring | Ray Milland Betty Field Patricia Morison |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Edited by | LeRoy Stone |
| Music by | Robert Emmett Dolan |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $552,000.[1] |
| Box office | $1,050,000 (US rentals)[2] |
Are Husbands Necessary? is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Ray Milland and Betty Field.[3] It follows the misadventures of a wacky wife and her sometimes exasperated, but loving, banker husband. The film's screenplay was adapted by the husband-and-wife writing team of Tess Slesinger and Frank Davis, from the novel Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage by Isabel Scott Rorick. This novel would later be a source for the related 1948 radio series My Favorite Husband starring Lucille Ball, which itself would evolve into the television series I Love Lucy. A more direct TV adaptation of the radio series retained the title My Favorite Husband.[4]
A one-hour Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the film, featuring George Burns and Gracie Allen, aired February 15, 1943, on CBS Radio.[5]
Cast
- Ray Milland as George Cugat
- Betty Field as Mary Elizabeth Cugat
- Patricia Morison as Myra Ponsonby
- Eugene Pallette as Bunker
- Phillip Terry as Cory Cartwright
- Richard Haydn as Chuck
- Charles Dingle as Duncan Atterbury
- Kathleen Lockhart as Laura Atterbury
- Leif Erickson as Bill Stone
- Cecil Kellaway as Dr. Buell
- Elisabeth Risdon as Mrs. Westwood
- Charlotte Wynters as Mrs. Finley
References
- ^ Michael A. Hoey, Elvis' Favorite Director: The Amazing 52-Film Career of Norman Taurog, Bear Manor Media 2013
- ^ "101 Pix Gross in Millions" Variety 6 Jan 1943 p 58
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (July 9, 1942). "'Are Husbands Necessary?' With Betty Field and Ray Milland in the Lead, Makes Debut on Broadway at Paramount". New York Times. p. 17 (Amusements). Retrieved May 31, 2015.
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 699. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
- ^ "Features Today". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 15, 1943. p. 4 (Daily Magazine). Retrieved May 17, 2020.