Theodora Goes Wild
Theodora Goes Wild
NR | 12 November 1936 (USA)
Theodora Goes Wild Trailers

The small-town prudes of Lynnfield are up in arms over 'The Sinner,' a sexy best-seller. They little suspect that author 'Caroline Adams' is really Theodora Lynn, scion of the town's leading family. Michael Grant, devil-may-care book jacket illustrator, penetrates Theodora's incognito and sets out to 'free her' from Lynnfield against her will. But Michael has a secret too, and gets a taste of his own medicine.

Reviews
Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
RyothChatty ridiculous rating
ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
Richard Chatten Seen today, accustomed as we are to seeing the adorable Irene Dunne in her later comedies slinkily casting those lovely eyes sideways and laughing that distinctive gurgling laugh it's hard to believe that after several years as a celebrated drama queen 'Theodora Goes Wild' represented for her a leap in the dark into the hitherto unaccustomed territory of farce; at which she immediately proved adept.Thomas Mitchell as the town's abrasive newspaper editor figures prominently in the opening and closing scenes, promising a more satirical subject than we actually get. Theodora's 'scandalous' novel 'The Sinner' was by now inevitably required by the proprieties of the Production Code to be wholly a work of her imagination and is largely forgotten as the film progresses; post-Code, the Hays Office would never permit the notion that there could possibly have actually been any men in the life of the demure, unmarried Ms Dunne before she put pen to paper. Five years earlier it would have been a very different story indeed and the escapist fantasy of 'Theodora Goes Wild' - even down to its innocently racy title - recalls a silent film of ten years earlier rather than the earthier fare of the early sound era.Ms Dunne was approaching forty when she made this film, and although the title holds out the promise of her eventually letting her hair down, she never reveals half as much in the film as she does baring her arms and shoulders in the figure-hugging dress she wears on the poster; revealing her inner hussy by instead piling on feathers and sashaying about in expensive bad taste while the plot ties itself into knots attempting to subvert the requirements of The Code while simultaneously observing its constraints and parodying the very rural bluestockings it was introduced to appease.This was the last film completed by the always interesting Richard Boleslawski before his sudden death the following year at the age of 47. Aided by luminous photography by Frank Capra's regular cameraman Joseph Walker and superb performances by a first-rate supporting cast, the end result is a handsome piece of fluff wholly devoid of the bite and contemporary relevance it would have had if made five years earlier. Melvyn Douglas does his best to bestow some charm on the obnoxious Michael Grant, but the two lead characters have absolutely nothing in common, and Theodora deserves much better than this mischief-making jerk who doesn't even let her know that he's married.
ElenaJ10 Irene Dunne is the true star of the film. Personally, I think that the comic role suits her much better than a purely romantic one. Her acting seems so natural and effortless and her charm just shines through. She plays the part of Theodora, who has courage, perseverance and a sense of humour. Pushed by Michael she becomes the leading lady of her own life, who gradually and with finesse locks horns with society's mentality.The plot is well thought out as it takes unpredictable turns. The jokes are very humorous and there are many episodes when you can't help but chuckle a little (like the reading aloud of the "scandalous" book. I don't know what the reaction would have been to "50 shades of grey"!).I highly recommend adding this film to anybody's watch-list, as it is a very nice heartfelt movie, but especially for Irene Dunne's wonderful performance.
Hot 888 Mama . . . says Melvyn Douglas as smug sophisticate Michael Grant, the perfect foil to Irene Dunne's title character, the virginal church organist Theodora Lynn, who lives with her two spinster aunts in her namesake Connecticut village and dashes off to big bad New York City with the seamy best sellers she writes to let off steam. It's as if Julie Andrews was playing a singing nun and an aging topless actress IN THE SAME MOVIE, instead of decades apart in THE SOUND OF MUSIC and S.O.B. The script for THEODORA GOES WILD is consistently clever, and the supporting cast doesn't miss a trick to sell the comedy. There's more than a grain of truth in THEODORA's depiction of New Yorkers as the biggest bumpkins of them all, something which still holds true in today's Weiner\Spitzer Era. The Connecticut Literary Circle Ladies seem dying to break into the chorus of THE MUSIC MAN's "Pick a Little, Peck a Little," if only Meredith Willson had written it in time! But whenever Miss Dunne drops into the husky rich bi*ch contralto of her "Caroline Adams" pseudonym, it's enough to melt the ice cubes in your martini!
whpratt1 This film surprised me with how well produced it was and what a great comedy it turned out to be. Irene Dunne, (Theodora Lynn) played the role of a small town gal living in Lynnfield where everyone was very religious and lived life straight as an arrow. One day the newspaper man in Lynnfield, Jed Waterbury, (Thomas Mitchell) posted a notice of a new book that he was going to feature in his daily newspaper called, "Sinner" by Adams. The people in town were outraged, however, they liked reading the articles in the paper and soon the people decided to tell Jed Waterbury to remove the book and the feature in his paper. It just so happens that the author of this book comes from Lynnfield and no one would ever expect just who it could be. Melvyn Douglas plays the role as Michael Grant who is linked romantically with Theodora and he gave a great supporting role. This is lots of fun to watch and enjoy this great classic from 1936.