MovieChat Forums > The Awful Truth (1937) Discussion > why is it called the awful truth?

why is it called the awful truth?


hullo - anyone know why this film is called the awful truth? is the awful truth the fact that lucy and jerry still love each other or is it a reference to what jerry and lucy were really doing before the story begins?

cheers.

reply

I have interpreted it as despite all their pride and attempts to move on, in the end Lucy & Jerry finally grudgingly admit the awful truth is they belong together.

However I have found a lot of old movie titles to be vague or meaningless, like 'It Happened One Night' so there might not be much to it at all.

reply

I have interpreted it as despite all their pride and attempts to move on, in the end Lucy & Jerry finally grudgingly admit the awful truth is they belong together.'

hallo afinpassing. thank you kindly! your reasoning makes perfect sense to me.

' However I have found a lot of old movie titles to be vague or meaningless, like 'It Happened One Night' so there might not be much to it at all.'

lol- i quite agree.

cheers.

reply

Well, "It Happened One Night" refers to that they fell in love one night along that trip.




I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

reply

Its called the Awful Truth because no matter how brilliant Carry Grant, Irene Dunn, and Walt Bellamy have been through our there career not one of them won a academy award. That's The Awful Truth !

reply

Interesting...neither did Ralph Bellamy, who played Wyman's fiance. But I can't remember Walt Bellamy - what role did ol' Walt play? <grin>

It was originally a play, and sometimes, playwrites or screenwriters use names having nothing to do with the show. They pick a name just to pique the public's curiosity, get people wondering about the show enough that they'd pay to see it. Mae West did one called Sex that packed 'em in night after night and wasn't that racy at all - just the title was. And this play was originally on Broadway in the 20's. I can almost imagine a marketing campaign & publicity daring people to find out what The Awful Truth is.

reply

Its called the Awful Truth because no matter how brilliant Carry Grant, Irene Dunn, and Walt Bellamy performed throughout their careers not one of them won a academy award. That's The Awful Truth!

The actor is Ralph Bellamy. Walt Bellamy played basketball!
John 3:16

reply

At one point doesn't Dunne say to a friend (referring to Grant), "the awful truth is I'm still in love with that crazy lunatic". Kind of sums up the picture, don't you think? For my money, the best comedy of the 30's (and that's saying a lot).

reply

At one point doesn't Dunne say to a friend (referring to Grant), "the awful truth is I'm still in love with that crazy lunatic". Kind of sums up the picture, don't you think?

hallo javachip716. now that you have mentioned this, i do seem to vaguely recall such a statement! i must verify this with my own copy of the film.


Its called the Awful Truth because no matter how brilliant Carry Grant, Irene Dunn, and Walt Bellamy have been through our there career not one of them won a academy award. That's The Awful Truth !

i hadnt realised this davidbaratko - such a shame as they were all greatly deserving of an academy award.



It was originally a play, and sometimes, playwrites or screenwriters use names having nothing to do with the show. They pick a name just to pique the public's curiosity, get people wondering about the show enough that they'd pay to see it. Mae West did one called Sex that packed 'em in night after night and wasn't that racy at all - just the title was. And this play was originally on Broadway in the 20's. I can almost imagine a marketing campaign & publicity daring people to find out what The Awful Truth is.

quite an interesting observation mikeoak840. perhaps u are correct.

thx for all the responses to my thread.

cheers!

reply

Yes, Javachip...she says it to her Aunt. I've found that many films contain their title (or a close enough version of it) in their dialogue.

reply

[deleted]

thx kindly for explaining the title a bit more mckee-4 and aliciahuberman.

cheers!

reply

Yeah, after writing this thread I thought it might be Aunt Patsy. Another title reference that I saw recently is My Man Godfrey. Gail Patrick says to William Powell, "come here, my man". I think she asks him to wipe some dirt off her shoe!! Another classic from the 30's. Add Lombard and Powell to the list of great actors never to win an Oscar.

reply

javachip716, you nailed it! That's exactly what the Awful Truth is - the heart overwhelming the mind.

I agree that this is an outstanding comedy from the 30's, but THE BEST? I love My Man Godfrey, You Can't Take It With You and It Happened One Night, too. Not to mention another Dunne/Grant gem - My Favorite Wife. In fact, I love all of Dunne's comedies. Grant is so much better with her than with Hepburn in the highly over-rated Bringing Up Baby or Philadelphia Story. In fact, Dunne runs circles around Hepburn when it comes to comedy. Nobody ever had a better sense of comic timing.

John 3:16

reply

I agree. Irene Dunne was immensely talented.

reply

It seemed to me because the truth was so awful it got them divorced, Irene Dunne's character is telling her husband the truth(And he was too wasn't he?) at the beginning but it leads to their getting divorced anyway.

reply

The "awful truth" was that they loved each other too much to be happy apart, even when they were mad at each other and each was too proud to make the first move to reconcile.

God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety

reply

Yes, exactly. The awful truth is they still love each other.

"Think, before you drink, before you drive me mad!"

reply

That in marriage "trust" can be a necessary ingredient that often is misplaced and wrongly projected. And despite the fact that betrayal occurs, you're stuck with the one you love. It's both awful and true.

reply

I disagree. It's not about "being stuck"...they aren't stuck in being together. They instead realize that despite everything, or perhaps because of it, they really do love each other and WANT to be together after all. Their decision to split was made hasty and reflexively -- thus they were able to not ever truly be with anyone else, despite all the showboating.

______________________________________
Sic vis pacem para bellum.

reply

As others have said, it was awfully painful for them to admit the truth: that they loved this loathsome person so much!

Tributed 70 years later in the equally brillant "The Ugly Truth" hot balloon end scene:
Abby: "You're in love me - why?"
Mike: "Beats the s*** out of me. But I am!"


"I am like Cryptonite for men. Cryptonite dipped in cellulite."

reply