In an interview near the end of her life, Irene Dunne stated that her least favorite part was that of Vinnie Day. "I've never seen anyone so rattle-brained (sic)", she said. She was right; Vinnie comes across as a very stupid woman.
Luckily, Miss Dunne more than redeemed herself the following year with her superb performance in I REMEMBER MAMA.
It seems very strange and sad that Irene Dunne hated her role. I don't think the character is stupid at all. The film is set when men ruled the roost and Clarence Day thinks he does!! However it is so obvious that in reality his wife runs the home.Every decision he makes is generally countermanned by his wife and she then takes charge although he never realises this at all.Every time her scatty logic defeats him. In reality she is not scatty at all.She is running the home but he is a proud man and must never realise that. The film is based on the book of the same name. The book is factual and these characters did exist, fascinating reading I can tell you, and the characters really were like you see them on film.( Allowing for film's exagerrations of course)
shareI wholeheartedly (if belatedly) agree, and always found it telling that she calls him "Clare" like the woman's name, while he calls her "Vinnie."
shareThat's a good point , I think it's a wonderful film and it's good to hear someone else agrees with me, thanks a lot!
shareAlthough Clare *was* a man's name at the time. Like Beverly, Dana, Lauren, and countless other Western names, "Clare" was once a common male name that gradually shifted over to women.
(Interesting to note, female names almost never become male - only the other way around.)
I didn't find the character even remotely "rattle-brained." Ah well-- I didn't have to play her, either.
Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.
She was a very nice person - that should be enough. Her husband was likeable but pompous- his bark was worse than his bite He obviously loved her.
shareVinnie's naivite may have been foreign to Ms. Dunne's real character, however she played her beautifully and, as a fan, it is one of my favourites of her roles.
"Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency."
I'm sorry to hear that she hated the role--she was simply superb as Vinnie.
shareShe was a smart woman. Loved the way she purposely confused him when it came to money to get herself out of trouble and a little extra spending money to boot. Loved it!
shareShe wasn't smart, and she didn't purposely confuse him. Her convoluted attempt to explain her very confused view of how finance works confused him because it's very difficult for rational people to comprehend how stupid people's minds work.
shareAccording to the quote in post by the OP, she stated that it was her least favorite role. It was the OP that used a little of that Internet overstatement to claim that she hated the role.
KS
I agree. I don't blame her. I've seen this movie many times and the more I see it the less I like it. The whole "pug dog-new suit" conversation-Vinnie claims they don't owe the department store any money for Clarence's new suite because they sent the pug dog statue back-is very "rattle-brained".
"I told you a million times not to talk to me when I'm doing my lashes"!
I can't imagine Dunne playing a stupid woman. Vinnie was smart enough to go to a weekly
meetings of a finance discussion group.
"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"
Irene hit the nail on the head: "rattle-brained." Nothing describes better the scene where Vinnie explains the logic behind buying the ceramic dog, getting a refund, buying the kid's new pants and, ultimately, not spending/losing any money as a result.
Yes - it's funny - but it comes at the expense of Vinnie's intelligence. She ends up sounding incredibly stupid - but what else are we to expect from someone who lives/lived in an age when upper class white males were the only ones had any education or power to speak of.
Also, all Vinnie ever does is try to please her husband or keep him from losing his temper - or calming him down when he does lose it. Irene's role in "I Remember Mama" is much more positive. As "Mama," she comes off as the unifying force of the family.
"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"
The writer James Agee, who reviewed films for The Nation back in the forties, had this funny thing to say about her role when the movie was first released:
"Irene Dunne is painfully miscast as Mother; she would probably keep her tongue in her cheek uttering the Seven Last Words."
Vinnie was brilliant! She played Clare like a Strad!
Sorry to hear Dunne hated her; it was one of her best performances.
Matthew
It may have been her least favorite part but what was to redeem? From what you've quoted, Irene had no problem with her acting, merely with the part. You seem to have made a massive leap from her dissatisfaction with the part to the quality of her performance.
shareReally? I heard this was a very sought after role and many actresses were considered for the part before Irene Dunne was cast...
share