You Can’t Fool Your Wife

You Can’t Fool Your Wife (1940) starring Lucille Ball, James Ellison

You Can’t Fool You Wife is a showcase for a young Lucille Ball’s comic talents. She stars as a wife who impersonates a vamp to test her husband.

Review

In short, You Can’t Fool Your Wife is a sweet, funny movie. The basic story has a newly-wed couple (Lucille Ball, James Ellison) where they’re no longer in the honeymoon phase. Her mother (Emma Dunn) is a shrew, who tears down her son-in-law at every opportunity. And to make things worse, he’s working lots of overtime at work, and he’s rarely home recently.

The reason that he’s working so much overtime is that he’s having to show the visiting younger half of the head of their London office, majority shareholder of their accounting firm – a good time while he’s in the US. And “Batty’s” a party animal. With the mother-in-law’s help, a small misunderstanding mushrooms, and they’re separated. Feeling responsible, Batty tries to help reunite the feuding couple.

His plan is to have her change her demeanor and appearance, more like Mercedes Vasquez, a beautiful and exciting woman. She agrees to Batty’s plan to come to one of their parties masquerading as exotic Latina Dolores Alvaradez. But, the real Dolores shows up at the party as well!

Does the young couple have a happy ending?

Cast of characters

• Lucille Ball (The Facts of Life ) … Clara Fields Hinklin / Mercedes Vasquez
• James Ellison (Next Time I Marry) … Andrew ‘Hinkie’ Hinklin
• Robert Coote (Lured) … ‘Batty’ Battincourt
• William Halligan (Moontide) … J.R. Gillespie Sr.
• Emma Dunn (Cowboy From Brooklyn) … Mother Fields
• Virginia Vale (The Big Broadcast of 1938) … Sally
• Rosina Galli Rosina Galli … Mama Brentoni
• Charles Lane Charles Lane … Salesman
• Oscar O’Shea Oscar O’Shea … Dr. Emery – Colony College Chaplain
• Norman Mayes Norman Mayes … Porter at Dock
• Patsy O’Byrne Patsy O’Byrne … Hotel Maid
• Charlie Hall Charlie Hall … Ritz Amsterdam Bellboy
• Dell Henderson Dell Henderson … Ritz Amsterdam Manager
• Minerva Urecal Minerva Urecal … Mrs. Doolittle
• Leo Cleary Leo Cleary … Mr. Doolittle
• Harrison Greene Harrison Greene … Sullivan the House Detective
• Max Wagner Max Wagner … Burglar
• Hobart Cavanaugh Hobart Cavanaugh … Potts – GBG & P Vice President
• Walter Sande Walter Sande … Mr. Gillespie Jr.
• Walter Fenner Walter Fenner … Walker
• Irving Bacon Irving Bacon … Lippincott – GBG & P Clerk
• Elaine Shepard Elaine Shepard … Peggy