Made for Each Other (1939)
A young New York lawyer marries on impulse and brings his bride home to a disapproving mother and a boss who keeps passing him over. Money worries and in-law friction wear at the couple, and their troubles peak when their infant falls gravely ill and a serum must be flown in through a blizzard.
Produced by David O. Selznick between his bigger projects, Made for Each Other puts Carole Lombard and James Stewart through ordinary domestic hardship rather than comedy, building to a storm-flight climax. The film is now in the public domain, though Disney holds the original negative.
Background
Made for Each Other was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by John Cromwell, with Carole Lombard and James Stewart in the leading roles. Selznick made it between his larger productions, and the film is a domestic drama rather than a comedy, a change of register for Lombard, who was best known for screwball work. Charles Coburn and Lucile Watson play the in-laws. The film was released in 1939 by United Artists and follows a young New York lawyer and his bride through ordinary hardship.
What to watch for
The film follows the couple through money worries, in-law friction and a boss who keeps passing him over. Watch for the way Lombard and Stewart play everyday strain with restraint, which keeps the domestic details believable. The story builds toward a storm-flight climax, in which a serum must be flown in through a blizzard to save their infant. The picture’s emphasis on small hardships over comic invention is what distinguishes it within its stars’ careers, and its emotional weight comes from treating marriage as a daily struggle rather than a romantic resolution.
