Dream Wife (1953)

Frustrated by his fiancee's (Deborah Kerr) workaholic mentality which leaves very little time for him, a man (Cary Grant) breaks off the engagement and pursues a Middle Eastern princess (Betta St. John) brought up in the ways of pleasing a man. This is pretty much a one joke comedy and the variations on that joke wear thin very rapidly. Also, the slight undertone of misogyny in the screenplay leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Directed by the Oscar winning screenwriter Sidney Sheldon (best known for such trash novels as THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT and BLOODLINE), Grant and Kerr attempt to sparkle and near astonishing considering the paucity of the material, they actually do shine from time to time. Women (and Islam, for that matter) fare poorly as all sorts of lame attempts at humor fail to give the movie the kick it needs. Helen Rose's stylish gowns received an Oscar nomination and Kerr (not ordinarily a glamour girl) looks particularly smashing in them. With Walter Pidgeon, Eduard Franz, Bruce Bennett, Richard Anderson, Steve Forrest, Dean Miller, Gloria Holden and Kathleen Freeman.