mark.waltz There are going to be a lot of modern audiences who find Jimmy Stewart's pilot character to be the epitome of a male chauvinist. He balks at the thought of working for a woman, let alone being married to his boss. That's the story here of when he encounters the wealthiest orphan in the world (Joan Fontaine, whose character claims to be 26, is actually 28, as played by an actress who was really 31), having just married the most boring man in the world. She's changed her mind, the groom slugs Stewart, and after the briefest of all attempts at a honeymoon, Fontaine runs into Stewart's hotel room and refuses to leave. Of course, after taking three sleeping pills, it is going to take more than dynamite to get her out of bed, but if Stewart and his co-pilot pal Eddie Albert have their way about it, they will.Joan Fontaine, in one of her few comic roles, is extremely funny as she slips and slides out of a chair and Stewart's arms while under the influence of these pills. Stewart and Albert agree to take her as far as Chicago, but along the way, they pick up a newlywed couple as well as a clerk who is wanted for embezzlement. It's "It Happened One Night" in the sky where a corpse, a chimpanzee and a bunch of fish ready for filleting are accompanying this mixed group of passengers. Then, when the plane hits bad weather, it's down it goes, right into the front yard of hick Percy Kilbride, his non-Marjorie Main wife (Edith Evanson), and their brood of 10 kids (and they've just started!). You know the minute a record player in the bridal suite begins to play "Hold That Tiger!" (which Kilbride always seemed to discover playing on his radio whenever he turned it on in the "Ma and Pat Kettle" series), you're in Universal territory, especially when Pa Kettle's Indian friends are the ones who show up to pull the plane out of the mud. The fact that this came out as the same year of "The Egg and I" proves this point, an ironic fact of free publicity in movie history.There's lots of funny moments here, especially the shot of the cigar- smoking chimp, embezzler Porter Hall getting all misty-eyed at the presence of a baby in his arms, and the battle of the sexes between Stewart and Fontaine. Marcy McGuire, the pop-eyed ingénue of a series of RKO musicals of the war years (and got the first screen kiss from Frank Sinatra), plays the new bride who sneaks a ride aboard the plane, while Vera Marshe is Hall's floozy secretary who runs off with him and the stolen money. This is a late screwball entry in the Post World War II era where comedies were more topical yet not always entertaining. You will be consistently entertained here.

MartinHafer This movie is certainly not a deep or memorable movie. In fact, I just saw it again for the second time and I had forgotten so much of it--even though I saw if for the first time only a couple years ago.Jimmy Stewart is the owner of a very tiny freight airline. During a stopover, he is accidentally united with Joan Fontaine who is running from a brand new marriage she hasn't yet consummated to a man she didn't love. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that sooner or later, Stewart and Fontaine will be a couple, though the rest of the movie consists of a series of wacky adventures until the ultimate conclusion.So why give the movie only an 8? Well, first, Fontaine's character is rather annoying and highly reminiscent of Julie Roberts' character in RUNAWAY BRIDE. Someone that ditsy and self-centered, for me, is a little hard to really care about and you aren't really pulling for the leading man to take this shallow woman. Secondly, and more importantly, the movie has way too many contrived and "wacky" subplots--a guy running off with his company's funds, the chimpanzee who loved Fontaine and smokes cigars, the Southern-fried humor supplied by the young couple from Georgia, etc. It just seemed REALLY, REALLY contrived. Plus, the dialog itself was rather forced.So, overall it's just an adequate film--best enjoyed by old movie and Jimmy Stewart buffs.

bkoganbing You Gotta Stay Happy was produced by William Dozier who at the time was married to Joan Fontaine. I think Fontaine was trying to lighten her image a bit and decided to try this throwback comedy involving a missing runaway heiress. Very familiar territory from the Thirties, postwar audiences wanted a little more realism. Anyway she was able to land James Stewart as her leading man and he even accepted second billing here. Well, in affect she was the boss on this set. And they got a good cast of familiar faces from past screwball comedies to help this along.Watching this, I couldn't help thinking that Joan Fontaine was going into territory Jean Arthur knew by heart. If Arthur was the heiress, this thing might have been a classic. This picture would have been so right for Jean Arthur.I particularly enjoyed Percy Kilbride playing Pa Kettle under a different name. He's a farmer with a tribe of kids in Oklahoma where pilot James Stewart and his animal, human, and vegetable cargo have landed. Eddie Albert as Stewart's co-pilot and sidekick is also just fine.It's an enjoyable comedy, but it will never be in the first rank of films of either Fontaine or Stewart.

Bob F. Well, this wasn't "It Happened One Night" but, the plot line was similar. Rich girl (Joan Fontaine) secretly hops aboard a transport plane to escape a loveless marriage. Jimmy Stewart, the pilot, finds her and is annoyed to have a pretty girl hiding on board. In Hollywood guys always get mad finding a pretty stowaway, yeah, right. Anyhow, after a plane crash and lots of hanging around, nature takes over ... and you know... Actually, I enjoyed it. A little escapist comedy, that managed to entertain. Eddie Albert is good too, as Stewart's side-kick. I'd rank it a respectable 6 1/2. Also, Fontaine is as always, very feminine.