My Favorite Wife

Ellen Arden was believed lost at sea seven years ago and legally declared dead. On the very day her husband Nick has her declared dead and marries Bianca, Ellen returns home, very much alive. Nick still loves Ellen, but he now has a new wife and a honeymoon to navigate. The situation grows more complicated when it emerges that Ellen did not spend those years alone: she shared a deserted island with Steve Burkett, an attractive and wealthy man who continues to court her. Nick, meanwhile, has to explain everything to Bianca, and a series of mix-ups follows before Ellen and Nick sort out where they stand.

My Favorite Wife is a 1940 RKO Radio Pictures comedy directed by Garson Kanin, his second feature after Bachelor Mother (1939). Leo McCarey produced, and Sam and Bella Spewack wrote the screenplay. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne lead as Nick and Ellen, with Randolph Scott as Steve Burkett, Gail Patrick as Bianca Bates, Ann Shoemaker as Ma, and Scotty Beckett as Tim Arden. The credited cast numbers 42.

The film runs 88 minutes and took about 2 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.2 out of 10 from around 13,000 votes, and on TMDB 7 out of 10 from 176 votes, a narrower but similar reception. A critics' rating of 7 out of 10 from 14 reviews places it close to the audience scores.