Monday, January 11, 2010

Radio review – TGA#52 – “Bill of Divorcement” (1946) **1/2

This served as a vehicle of Kate Hepburn/John Barrymore (30s film), then Maureen O’Hara/ Adolphe Menjou (40s film), then Patricia Ward/James Mason (here).

It was one of Mason’s first jobs in the US (another show for this program, Morning Glory, was his first) and he’s got a terrific voice for radio. He’s pretty good in the role of a formerly insane person who comes back to interrupt his daughter’s impending marriage.

You do kind of wonder what the point of the story is – the daughter is worried about being insane so dumps her husband and decides to live with her dad, which is a bit of yuck (this seems to support eugenics).

The play was written in response to a law which – shock, horror – enabled people to divorce their partners by reason of insanity; it’s a bit musty now but is worth listening to because of Mason.

No comments: