She gets the least amount of notice of any of the major cast players (and incredibly was billed below Eva Gabor and Jacques Bergerac in basically bit parts) but I think Isabel Jeans steals this movie as pretentious old courtsean Aunt Alicia. She also looks terrific in the film considering she is 66 years old and playing Hermione Gingold's younger sister (though actually six years Gingold's senior).
shareAgreed. Never noticed it on the first viewing. This film is an eye popper.
And boy they gave her some great lines. Classic. It takes a great director to think of throwing her in the tub and have her talk about contract law. And her expression when for once she is speechless.... Brilliant in every scene. Both ladies play perfectly off each other.
My accountant says, "1 + 1, 40% of the time, equals divorce".
I wouldn't go so far as to say she steals the movie, but Isabel Jeans is certainly a superb Alicia and nails every bit of dialogue and business to maximum effect. Interestingly enough, I've heard that Vincente Minnelli tried hard to coax Irene Dunne back to the screen to play the role. I love Irene Dunne's airy light comedy style (I'd have given her Oscars for "The Awful Truth", "My Favorite Wife" and the underrated "Together Again"). But, considering her conservative offscreen reputation, I doubt she'd have wanted to return to pictures playing a courtesan, especially such an unrepentant one. The rather limited size of the role may have also been a deterrent. Dunne's Alicia would have been a different creation than the one we got because she was always careful to imbue her characters with warmth; Isabel Jeans felt no such compunction. And in the end - with that utterly unsentimental cut-glass approach- I think she was probably the better choice. Come to think of it, Irene Dunne might have been a nice fit for Hermione Gingold’s role. The part was bigger and Dunne, with her established singing ability, would have gotten to join in a couple of great musical numbers, “The Night They Invented Champagne” and the wonderful duet with Chevalier “I Remember It Well”.
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