If You Could Only Cook
Encyclopedia
If You Could Only Cook is a 1935
screwball comedy
of mistaken identity
starring Herbert Marshall
as a frustrated automobile executive and Jean Arthur
as a young woman who talks him into posing as her husband so they can land jobs as a butler and a cook.
), wealthy president of Buchanan Motor Company, is engaged to Evelyn Fletcher (Inescort
), a henpecking aristocrat who is interested in Jim for his money. When Jim's fellow executives reject his plan to introduce a new automobile design, he decides to take a vacation.
Declaring himself "sick and tired of everything", Jim goes for a walk in the park, where he meets a young woman named Joan Hawthorne (Arthur
). Joan
is having trouble finding a job, and she was recently evicted from her apartment. Assuming he is also a job hunter, she asks Jim to pose as her husband so they can apply for a combined job opening for a butler and a cook. Without revealing his true identity, he agrees.
The faux couple, calling themselves "Mr. and Mrs. Burns", are soon hired by Michael Rossini (Carrillo
). To improve his butling skills, Jim sneaks out to his own home at night and takes lessons from his own butler. He also takes some of his automobile sketches from his office to show to Joan. Impressed by his designs, she shows the sketches to an executive with one of Buchanan Motor Company's competitors, who recognizes them as Buchanan's and has her arrested. Having fallen in love with Jim and being told they are stolen, she refuses to help the police find him.
Meanwhile, Jim has decided to tell Joan who he is. When she misses a lunch appointment on their day off, he writes her a letter, abandons his position as a butler, and returns to Evelyn and his life as a businessman.
Rossini, who has just organized a bootlegging
gang, learns of Jim's trip to the office from his assistant Flash (Stander
), who is suspicious of Jim and has been tailing him since he started the job. Angered by Jim's betrayal of Joan, Rossini orders his henchmen to kill Jim at his wedding, but Joan admits her love for Jim and begs Rossini to spare his life. Rossini arrives at the wedding just in time to stop his henchman.
Rossini and his men return to the mansion with Jim and a justice of the peace to marry Jim and Joan. Joan refuses and locks herself in her room, but Jim embraces the plan and blackmails Rossini and his men into persuading her to change her mind. Rossini pretends to argue with Jim, Flash fires his gun in the air, and Jim collapses onto the floor, pretending to be hit. The deception works: Joan opens the door and rushes to his side.
1935 in film
-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
screwball comedy
Screwball Comedy
Screwball Comedy is an album by the Japanese band Soul Flower Union. The album found the band going into a simpler, harder-rocking direction, after several heavily world-music influenced albums.-Track listing:...
of mistaken identity
Mistaken identity
Mistaken identity is a defense in criminal law which claims the actual innocence of the criminal defendant, and attempts to undermine evidence of guilt by asserting that any eyewitness to the crime incorrectly thought that they saw the defendant, when in fact the person seen by the witness was...
starring Herbert Marshall
Herbert Marshall
Herbert Marshall , born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall, was an English actor.His parents were Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Old Harlow, Essex and worked for a time as an accounting clerk...
as a frustrated automobile executive and Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur...
as a young woman who talks him into posing as her husband so they can land jobs as a butler and a cook.
Cast
- Herbert MarshallHerbert MarshallHerbert Marshall , born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall, was an English actor.His parents were Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Old Harlow, Essex and worked for a time as an accounting clerk...
as Jim Buchanan, an automobile-company executive - Jean ArthurJean ArthurJean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur...
as Joan Hawthorne, an unemployed young woman - Leo CarrilloLeo CarrilloLeopoldo Antonio Carrillo , was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist.-Family roots:...
as Mike Rossini, a shady businessman - Lionel StanderLionel StanderLionel Jay Stander was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television.-Early life and career:Lionel Stander was born in The Bronx, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants, the first of three children...
as Flash, Rossini's right-hand man - Alan Edwards as Bob Reynolds
- Frieda InescortFrieda InescortFrieda Inescort was a Scottish-born actress best known for creating the role of Sorel Bliss in Noel Coward's play Hay Fever....
as Evelyn Fletcher, Jim's nagging, blue-blooded fiancée - Gene MorganGene MorganGene Morgan , was an American actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1926 and 1941.He was born in Racine, Wisconsin, USA and died in Santa Monica, California.-External links:...
as Al - Ralf HaroldeRalf HaroldeRalf Harolde was an American character actor. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including Jimmy the Gent, Night Nurse, Baby Take a Bow, A Tale of Two Cities, Our Relations, and Murder, My Sweet.Harolde was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died in Santa Monica,...
as Swig - Matt McHughMatt McHughMatt McHugh was an American film actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1931 and 1955, primarily in small parts.-Career:...
as Pete - Richard Powell as Chesty
Plot
Jim Buchanan (MarshallHerbert Marshall
Herbert Marshall , born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall, was an English actor.His parents were Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Old Harlow, Essex and worked for a time as an accounting clerk...
), wealthy president of Buchanan Motor Company, is engaged to Evelyn Fletcher (Inescort
Frieda Inescort
Frieda Inescort was a Scottish-born actress best known for creating the role of Sorel Bliss in Noel Coward's play Hay Fever....
), a henpecking aristocrat who is interested in Jim for his money. When Jim's fellow executives reject his plan to introduce a new automobile design, he decides to take a vacation.
Declaring himself "sick and tired of everything", Jim goes for a walk in the park, where he meets a young woman named Joan Hawthorne (Arthur
Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur...
). Joan
is having trouble finding a job, and she was recently evicted from her apartment. Assuming he is also a job hunter, she asks Jim to pose as her husband so they can apply for a combined job opening for a butler and a cook. Without revealing his true identity, he agrees.
The faux couple, calling themselves "Mr. and Mrs. Burns", are soon hired by Michael Rossini (Carrillo
Leo Carrillo
Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo , was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist.-Family roots:...
). To improve his butling skills, Jim sneaks out to his own home at night and takes lessons from his own butler. He also takes some of his automobile sketches from his office to show to Joan. Impressed by his designs, she shows the sketches to an executive with one of Buchanan Motor Company's competitors, who recognizes them as Buchanan's and has her arrested. Having fallen in love with Jim and being told they are stolen, she refuses to help the police find him.
Meanwhile, Jim has decided to tell Joan who he is. When she misses a lunch appointment on their day off, he writes her a letter, abandons his position as a butler, and returns to Evelyn and his life as a businessman.
Rossini, who has just organized a bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
gang, learns of Jim's trip to the office from his assistant Flash (Stander
Lionel Stander
Lionel Jay Stander was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television.-Early life and career:Lionel Stander was born in The Bronx, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants, the first of three children...
), who is suspicious of Jim and has been tailing him since he started the job. Angered by Jim's betrayal of Joan, Rossini orders his henchmen to kill Jim at his wedding, but Joan admits her love for Jim and begs Rossini to spare his life. Rossini arrives at the wedding just in time to stop his henchman.
Rossini and his men return to the mansion with Jim and a justice of the peace to marry Jim and Joan. Joan refuses and locks herself in her room, but Jim embraces the plan and blackmails Rossini and his men into persuading her to change her mind. Rossini pretends to argue with Jim, Flash fires his gun in the air, and Jim collapses onto the floor, pretending to be hit. The deception works: Joan opens the door and rushes to his side.