Great On Screen Couples: Jane Wyman & Jack Carson

For my next couple I chose a couple not too many people may realize how good they really were in the five films they made together. I'm speaking of Jane Wyman and Jack Carson. They co-starred in 5 films plus one more where Jane made a cameo as herself. They usually played either a married couple or boyfriend and girlfriend and always had the most engaging banter. Their first film together was 1942's Larceny, Inc which they were the supporting players to Edward G. Robinson. But they played boyfriend and girlfriend. I have yet to see this film so I can't really comment on it.

Now for their next film, Princess O'Rourke (1943), they did get to play a married couple. But once again they were secondary characters to stars Olivia de Havilland and Robert Cummings. But their chemistry was undeniable and they played well off one another. 

They would hit their stride with 1944's Make Your Own Bed and this time they were the leading stars. Jack would play a struggling detective looking to crack the big case so he could marry his long suffering girlfriend. Shades of Thin Man make this a memorable screwball comedy. The pair would team up again later on in the year for the extremely funny The Doughgirls which had them playing another married couple dealing with the wartime housing shortage in Washington, D.C and scads of colorful characters including Ann Sheridan, Alexis Smith, Eve Arden, and Charlie Ruggles. By now Jack and Jane were operating like a well oiled machine as The Doughgirls remain their best film that I've seen of them yet.

In  fact, the producers of The Doughgirls must have thought so because they pretty much reunited the entire cast for 1946's comedy/drama One More Tomorrow, starring Jane, Jack, Ann Sheridan and Alexis Smith once again. Dennis Morgan was the newcomer who joined in on the fun. I haven't seen this film as of yet either.

Then Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan would make the surreal comedy It's A Great Feeling trying to make a star out of Doris Day. This is the film where loads of Hollywood stars show up in cameos as themselves and Jane shows up early for her brief appearance. Jack would later appear on Jane's TV show, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre in the mid 50's but as far as movies go, It's A Great Feeling would their last team up together. So while everyone may know the big couples like Bogie/Bacall, Tracy/Hepburn, and Gable/Harlow, do not miss out an underrated pair like Jane Wyman and Jack Carson. They truly deserve to be talked about and remembered just like the other couples.

Lucky Partners(1940).

Lucky Partners(1940). Cast: Ronald Colman, Ginger Rogers, Jack Carson and Spring Byington.

Artist David Grant, wishes book store owner Jean Newton, good luck when she passes by. When, Jean is given a beautiful dress she decides that David has brought her good luck. She then asks him to buy a sweep stake ticket with her, and he agrees on the condition that if they win, she will take a trip with him, before she marries Freddie. When David promises that the trip will be kept on a strictly impersonal basis, Freddie agrees .

Their ticket is picked and with their winnings they decide to vacation in, Niagara Falls, with Freddie not far behind. Expecting to find the couple together, Freddie breaks down their door, only to find that David has checked out of the hotel and is driving back to Manhattan. While driving home David is stopped on the road and arrested for stealing Jean's car. In court, Jean and Freddie try to explain the situation, but their story fails to convince the judge.After David and Jean cross-examine each other, the judge fines Freddie for breaking down the door. Will Jean and David ever declare their love for each other.

Ronald Colman had first performed in films in England in 1917 and 1919 for Cecil in, The Snow of the Desert. While performing on stage in New York in, La Tendress, Director Henry King saw him, and hired him for the film, The White Sister(1923), opposite Lillian Gish. Colman left the the stage for film. He became a very popular silent film star in both romantic and adventure films: The Dark Angel (1925), Stella Dallas (1926), Beau Geste (1927), and The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926). His dark hair and eyes and his athletic and riding ability led reviewers to describe him as a "Valentino type". He was often cast in similar roles. Towards the end of the silents era, Colman was teamed with actress, Vilma Banky and the two became a popular movie team rivalling Greta Garbo and John Gilbert.

Motherhood + Noir = Mildred Pierce (1948).

Mildred Pierce (1945). Cast: Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, and Eve Arden. Noir. Screenplay by Ranald MacDougall, William Faulkner, and Catherine Turney was based upon the 1941 novel Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain. Director: Michael Curtiz and produced by Jerry Wald with Jack L. Warner as executive producer. Mildred Pierce was Crawford's first starring film for Warner Bros. after leaving MGM and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The film, begins with Beragon being shot. He whispers "Mildred" as he dies. The police believe that the murderer is Mildred Pierce's husband. She then tells her life story in flashback.

We see a very unhappy Mildred married to a unemployed Bert Pierce. He was a partner of Wally Fay. Mildred's wants to spoil daughter Veda, who longs for possessions the family cannot afford. Mildred finds a job as a waitress. One day, Veda gives their maid Lottie Mildred's waitress uniform, which forces Mildred to admit that she is a waitress, embarrassing Veda. When, Mildred's younger daughter Kay dies of pneumonia, Mildred throws herself into her restaurant. With the help of Ida, Mildred's new restaurant is a success. And Mildred opens a chain of "Mildred's" throughout Southern California.

Mildred continues to try to please Veda, by going into a loveless marriage with Monty Beragon in order to improve her social standing. Beragon lives the wild life supported by Mildred. When Veda becomes romantically involved with Monty, things come to a head at the beach house where the film began.

Monty's Beach House, was owned by the film's director, Michael Curtiz. It was built in 1929 in Malibu. It collapsed into the ocean after a week of heavy storms in January 1983.


Set in Glendale, California in the 1930s, Mildred Pierce is the story of a middle-class housewife's who goes out on her own to support her two girls during the Great Depression.

PHFFFT! (1954)

Phffft! (1954) Romantic/ comedy starring Judy Holliday, Jack Lemmon, Kim Novak and featuring Jack Carson. Written by George Axelrod and directed by Mark Robson, and was the second film with Holliday and Lemmon that year. (It Should Happen to You).

The story begins when television writer Nina Tracy, asks her lawyer husband Robert, for a divorce after 8 years of marriage. Robert thinks it might be a good idea, agrees. Nina wants to divorce Robert, because he has never taken her job seriously. After the divorce is final, Nina is hoping Robert is lonely. Instead, Robert is excited about his new found freedom and moving in with his best friend, womanizer, Charlie Nelson.

Robert and Charlie, talk about when Robert and Nina first met: Just after World War II, Charlie and Robert are lieutenants in the Navy. Charlie, in public relations, asks Robert to handle an NBC radio reporter interview and passes Nina off on him. Robert wants to impress her so tells her that he saved the Navy $75,000. Later, Robert goes over to her tiny little apartment to help Nina with her taxes. After dinner, Robert asks Nina where she sleeps, and she presses a button to show him her bed, which shoots out of the wall. When Robert is discharged from the Navy he finds a position as an associate in a prestigious law firm and Nina receives a promotion to radio writer, Robert asks Nina if she would like to file a joint tax return, they soon marry.

Back to the the present, Nina goes back home to New York City to live with her mother Edith, who takes her to a fancy restaurant, where they run into Robert and Charlie. Nina and Robert have too many martinis and glare at each other all throughout the evening.

The following week, Rick Vidal, the co-star in Nina's TV show, asks her to dinner, which she accepts. At the nightclub, Nina refuses to dance with Rick, admitting that she never learned to dance. Later that evening, she finds herself back at Rick's apartment, where the romance quickly turns into a plea to make him the star of the show.

Charlie arranges a date for Robert with Janis. At dinner, Robert realizes he has nothing in common with Janis, he takes her back to Charlie's, but not ready for a new relationship, asks her to leave.

Both trying to move on with their lives.. Nina begins taking French lessons, only to have the instructor accuse her of being a recent divorcee trying to make changes in her life. Robert enrolls in an art class, but is asked to leave because of his lack of talent.

Charlie talks Robert into changing his lifestyle, Robert goes out and buys a sporty convertible and Italian clothing. Grows a mustache and takes dance classes. Unknown to Robert, Nina has the same idea, taking private dance lessons, new clothes and remodeling the house.

My favorite scene of the movie is when, one evening at a nightclub, Robert and Nina, are surprised to run into each other on the dance floor. When a mambo is played, they try to out dance the other and end up dancing together, with everyone looking on. It is obvious that the past is not dead.

Will Robert and Nina ever find each other again?

Fun Fact: The title "Phffft" comes from Walter Winchell's column which was famous during the 50s. When a celebrity couple divorced, Winchell would describe the break-up as "phffft".

I enjoyed the on screen chemistry between Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon. This movie tells the story how you can live with somebody that gets on your nerves and in your heart at the same time. Jack Carson plays his usual bad boy part as Lemmon's friend. Kim Novak was wonderful as a Marilin Monroe type personality.

Jack Carson (27 October 1910 – 2 January 1963), was one of the most popular character actors during the 'golden age of Hollywood', with a film career spanning the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Best known for his performances in the films: Mildred Pierce (1945) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), which proved he could also perform in dramatic roles. He was also cast opposite Myrna Loy and William Powell in, Love Crazy. Carson's trademark was the wisecracking know it all .