I Married a Witch

I Married a Witch a Trickster Delight

By Kristin Battestella

While many adore the subsequent Bell Book and Candle or Bewitched, have had Peek A Boo hairstyles, or even know of Veronica Lake thanks to her sexy Oscar winning look-alike Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential; it seems not many today appreciate the 1942 magical romp that started it all, I Married a Witch.

Burned at the Salem Witch Trials thanks to the testimony of Jonathan Wooley (Frederic March), Jennifer (Veronica Lake) curses Wooley and all his male descendents to be unlucky in love.  Centuries later when lightning strikes a tree and frees their spirits, Jennifer and her father Daniel (Cecil Kellaway) continue to interfere with politician Wallace Wooley (also March), his campaign for governor, and his impending marriage to socialite Estelle Masterson (Susan Hayward).  Jennifer plans to make Wally fall in love with her just to ruin him.  Unfortunately, when she is injured, Wally mistakenly gives her the love potion she intended for him.  Now that she’s in love with a mortal, Daniel disastrously interferes on his daughter’s behalf.  Jennifer, however, has bigger plans now: using witchcraft to save Wally’s campaign.

I’ll get the bit of the bad out of the way first, for only the dated production here hinders I Married a Witch.  The black and white looks somewhat unrestored, dark and tough to see sometimes.  The historical montage opening the film also has poor period stylings or seems quick and on the cheap.  Modern audiences might also be a little lost on some of the thirties mannerisms and dialogue, and the sound is often tough to hear.  While kids might enjoy this partial inspiration for the television series Bewitched, viewers with short attention spans might groan at early scenes with only smoke, fire, and old speaketh voiceovers. However, having said all that, the light-hearted comedy and hijinks of love story from director Rene Clair (The Flame of New Orleans, And Then There Were None) and writers Robert Pirosh (Combat!) and Marc Connelly (Captain Courageous) win with magical charm and innocent fun. 

Well then, let’s talk about that peek a boo queen herself, Veronica Lake. Although the diminutive star of Sullivan’s Travels and This Gun for Hire doesn’t actually appear for the first fifteen minutes, we like the off-screen witch Jennifer when we hear of her fun curses.  Despite her initial vengeance and maliciousness, we enjoy her vocal tricks and thus are thrilled when we finally do get so see those famous blonde tresses.  Lake may seem a one trick pretty, but her witchy ways are delightful and her comedic dialogue is right on time.  Though the pair seem visually at odds and she spends most of the time being carried by March; Lake has the sardonic match and onscreen weight to be a 290-year-old witch testing Wallys’ heart.  Jennifer’s supposed to be bad, purely a spiteful witch causing love trouble for the sake of a long ago wrong, yet she’s whimsical and adorable all the same.  Likewise, Oscar winner Frederic March (Best Years of Our Lives, Death of a Salesman, The Desperate Hours) proves he’s more than the straight, heavy, and serious dramatic leading man we so often enjoy.  Wally’s wedding day hysterics are almost side splitting- caught in a repeatedly false starting ceremony and running ragged over two women!  March would be the exceptional straight man indeed- if not for his perfect balance of witty, proper performance and humorous presence.

While Lake’s luster may have fallen over the decades, the budding and future Best Actress Susan Hayward (I Want to Live, Reap the Wild Wind) is wonderful as the snotty socialite set to marry Wally.  Any other time, we’d love to pedestal Hayward, but in I Married a Witch, the audience can’t help but appreciate her bearing the brunt of Jennifer’s tricks.  Dads Cecil Kellaway (The Postman Always Rings Twice) and Robert  Warwick’s (The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex)  J.B. Masterson are also great fun as the at odds parents who similarly enough have their daughters- and thus their own- best interests at heart.  Classic fashion and style lends a wonderful visual support, too. Not to be outdone by slim cut suits or tilted fedoras, the pre-war ladies’ costumes here are glorious.  The lengthy gowns and puffy sleeves just add an extra touch of class not often found in today’s recreations.  I Married a Witch was contemporary at the time, but now it is a wonderful period piece to us with great music, sweet looking cars, and great old houses.  Sure, some of the flying brooms and objects moving by themselves look hokey, but most of the smoke and mirror effects are simplistically good.  Thanks to a fine story and great performances, fancy effects aren’t required to suspend the belief needed for I Married a Witch.

Fans of the old school cast, classic films aficionados, or families looking for some wholesome witchy fun can certainly find a short 80 minutes for I Married a Witch.  Naturally, it is full of pre-war magical innocence rather than proper Wicca motifs, but again, the delight here wins against any datedness of the time.  And but of course, it doesn’t seem like we’re yet privy to a proper Region 1 DVD release, either.  Typical!  Hang on to your VHS, catch a TCM airing, and fall in love again with I Married a Witch.