Diagonaldi Very well executed

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Prismark10 Cary Grant plays a man trapped in a loveless marriage and it is an era where the divorce laws in New York are not favourable to him. His wife Kay Francis is icily shrewd, she wants hold of Grant not because she loves him but he has money and she has cultivated a close relationship with his parents who are influential.However Grant is in a tizz when he meets winsome widow Carole Lombard and her daughter. He is charmed by her but there are no long term prospects if his wife does not give her a divorce and Francis's catty friends try to make life difficult for Lombard.This is a minor melodrama very much of its era, nothing much happens apart from Grant getting drunk and catching pneumonia. It is nice to see Francis finally exposing her true intentions not knowing Grant's parents are nearby.

Vicar Vince Boy meets girl. Boy is married. Girl is widowed with a child. They fall in love, but his wife won't let him have his freedom. She will do anything to hold onto him. That is In Name Only in a nutshell...and what a masterpiece it is. With so many major films released in 1939, it is understandable how a film about 3 people in a grueling triangle can be overlooked. It seems that today, thanks to TCM, so many wonderful moments of screen history may once again be viewed and shared. I can remember as a child seeing this moving film on television. It was wonderful then, and even better now. The years have not left a mark on it. The evil portrayed by Kay Francis, subtle at times, flagrant at others keeps the viewer from feeling this is a sappy soap opera. As good as both Carole Lombard and Cary Grant are in this film, Kay outshines them. It's about time the world once again discovers the merits of Kay Francis. In this movie, she not only steals each scene she is in, but proves herself to have been thoroughly underrated as an actress. She was so much more than just a great beauty or a clotheshorse for the most stunning wardrobes in Hollywood. Try to catch each and every film she made and visit http://www.kayfrancisfilms.com/

Petri Pelkonen Prosperous Alec Walker meets a pretty widow named Julie Eden.He happens to be in a loveless marriage with Maida.He asks for a divorce, but it's not happening so easily.John Cromwell's In Name Only (1939) is a nice movie with an excellent cast.Cary Grant does what Cary Grant did the best in the male lead, and that is being Cary Grant.And nobody did it better than Cary Grant.Carole Lombard, who was born 101 years ago today, does excellent job as the leading lady.Lombard was known mainly as a comedienne, but she was also a fine dramatic actress.Katharine Hepburn was supposed to play her part and reunite her with Cary Grant, but after Bringing Up Baby bombed at the box office she became box office poison.Nevertheless, it's a joy to see Lombard play the part.Peggy Ann Garner is endearing as her little daughter, Ellen.Katherine Alexander gives a great performance as Julie's sister, Laura Morton, who's embittered against men.Kay Francis does her wicked lady part real well.Charles Coburn and Nella Walker give terrific performances as Alec's parents, Richard and Grace Walker.Helen Vinson is marvelous as Maida's best friend Suzanne Ducross, who wants Alec.Jonathan Hale is very good as Dr. Ned Gateson.And so is Maurice Moscovitch as Dr. Muller.The movie starts in a rather comedic way, when Julie is trying to fish with hook and line and her line gets caught in the branches.That's when Alec arrives to help the damsel in distress.In the dramatic department I could mention when Alec gets drunk and catches pneumonia in his hotel room and is sent to a hospital.Julie is by his side, trying to get him get back the zest for life.This movie from 70 years back works in many ways.Sure there are movies from that era that are better romantic dramas than this, but you have to enjoy watching the work of Cary Grant and Carole Lombard.

dbdumonteil "In name only" is a very well acted movie,which smartly combines melodrama and snatches of comedy.One good example is the scene in the restaurant when Lombard and Grant are talking about the menu (and he asks for a big knife) while the spouse (Kay Francis)is saying nasty things to them.The beginning of the movie is as relaxed as it can be:it is by no mean the first scene of a drama:Julie Eden (sic)is fishing in a lake where there's no fish anymore .Although living in a much more wealthier world than Julie,Alec is married to a selfish wife in love with both herself and money.Julie means not only love ,but a life devoid of conventional words or kindness,a life best depicted in the Christmas "surprise surprise" party.The movie,like many melodramas ,reaches its peak in the two extraordinary scenes in the hospital where Julie plays twice the same scene,once as if she were in a play,and the second time when she does not "play" anymore.