Directed by: John Cromwell

Starring: Carole Lombard, James Stewart, Charles Coburn, Lucile Watson, Eddie Quillan, Alma Kruger, Ruth Weston, Donald Briggs, Harry Davenport, Esther Dale

STORY

Young New York attorney John Mason, played by James Stewart, leaves town on a routine business trip and comes home with something nobody expected — a wife. He has fallen head over heels for Jane, played by Carole Lombard, and the two have married almost immediately. They are young, wildly in love and absolutely convinced that they were made for each other.

Then real life moves in.

John's formidable mother isn't exactly thrilled about sharing her son with his new bride. John's demanding boss, Judge Doolittle, had expected him to marry his own daughter and isn't particularly pleased with John's romantic surprise either. Money is tight, John's hoped-for promotion doesn't materialize, and the glamorous honeymoon period quickly gives way to bills, family pressures and the everyday realities of building a marriage.

Then comes their baby.

What begins as a charming story about newlywed life gradually becomes something much deeper when their infant son becomes critically ill. The medicine that could save him must be transported to New York through a devastating winter storm, and suddenly all the ordinary worries that once seemed overwhelming disappear beside the possibility of losing their child.

James Stewart and Carole Lombard make John and Jane feel less like glamorous movie stars and more like two ordinary people trying desperately to make a marriage and a family work. Stewart brings his unmistakable sincerity and vulnerability to John, while Lombard demonstrates that beneath her legendary gift for screwball comedy was a genuinely powerful dramatic actress.

Made for Each Other moves effortlessly between romance, comedy, domestic drama and finally genuine suspense. More than eight decades later, its worries about money, marriage, careers, in-laws, parenthood and simply trying to keep a family together remain remarkably familiar.

They may have been made for each other — but staying together is where their real story begins.

AIN BACKSTAGE SECRETS & AINTOIDS
JIMMY STEWART WAS BORROWED FOR THE FILM

James Stewart was under contract to MGM when producer David O. Selznick selected him to play John Mason and borrowed him for the production. Selznick believed Stewart had exactly the right screen presence to complement Carole Lombard without overpowering her.

CAROLE LOMBARD WANTED TO GO DRAMATIC

By 1938, Lombard was one of Hollywood's great comedy stars, but she was eager to demonstrate that she could handle serious dramatic material. Made for Each Other gave her that opportunity, and Selznick's publicity campaign deliberately emphasized audiences seeing a new, more dramatic side of Lombard.

LOMBARD AND STEWART ADMIRED EACH OTHER

The two stars reportedly got along beautifully during production. Stewart remembered Lombard with enormous affection, while Lombard praised Stewart's talent. Their very different screen personalities — her energy and sophistication against his quiet, homespun sincerity — became one of the film's greatest strengths.

SELZNICK HAD ANOTHER LITTLE MOVIE ON HIS MIND

While Made for Each Other was being produced, David O. Selznick was also consumed with preparations for another 1939 release — Gone with the Wind. His attention was divided enough that director John Cromwell initially enjoyed considerable freedom while making the picture.

THE PREVIEW CHANGED EVERYTHING

After an early preview received a disappointing response, Selznick became much more involved. He reworked the picture and expanded the suspenseful climax involving the desperate attempt to transport lifesaving serum through a dangerous winter storm.

THE SERUM STORY CAME FROM REAL LIFE

That dramatic climax wasn't simply Hollywood invention. AFI records that the serum-flight sequence was inspired by an actual emergency involving Selznick's brother Myron, who became critically ill with pneumonia. Selznick attempted to have desperately needed serum flown from New York to Los Angeles for him.

A TRAGEDY BEHIND THE CAMERA

The production itself suffered a terrible real-life tragedy. Special-effects technician Edmund E. Fellegi was killed after falling approximately forty feet from a catwalk while releasing balloons for the film's New Year's Eve party sequence.

JIMMY STEWART NEEDED SOME HELP WITH THE TEARS

According to biographical accounts, Stewart had difficulty producing real tears for an emotional scene. He reportedly stepped outside, lit a cigarette and held it close enough for the smoke to irritate his eyes. Sometimes even one of Hollywood's greatest actors needed a little practical assistance.

WHAT A YEAR TO BE RELEASED

Made for Each Other arrived during 1939, one of the most legendary years in Hollywood history. American audiences that year also saw Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach, Ninotchka, Wuthering Heights, Dark Victory and Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

And Jimmy Stewart wasn't finished. Later that same year he would deliver one of his career-defining performances in Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

THE CRITICS LOVED IT

The picture received strong reviews upon release, with critics praising its mixture of humor, sentiment and domestic realism. It even appeared on The New York Times year-end Ten Best list — an especially impressive distinction considering the extraordinary films released during 1939.

BUT AUDIENCES DIDN'T MAKE IT A HIT

Despite the favorable reviews, Made for Each Other was not a major box-office success. Time has been considerably kinder to the film, particularly because it offers the fascinating pairing of two enormous Golden Age stars in performances that are more intimate and vulnerable than many of their better-known pictures.

LOMBARD'S REAL-LIFE ROMANCE

Only weeks after the film's release, Carole Lombard married Clark Gable on March 29, 1939. Their marriage became one of Hollywood's most famous love stories before Lombard's tragic death in a plane crash in January 1942. She was only 33.

AINTOID: THEY RETURNED TO IT ON RADIO

The story lived beyond the movie screen. Carole Lombard starred opposite Fred MacMurray in a 1940 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation. Then, in December 1945, James Stewart returned to the story for another Lux Radio Theatre production, this time opposite Marsha Hunt.

AINTOID: SOME SERIOUS TALENT BEHIND THE CAMERA

David O. Selznick produced the film, Jo Swerling wrote the screenplay, Leon Shamroy handled the cinematography, and legendary production designer William Cameron Menzies was part of the creative team. Selznick International Pictures produced the film, with United Artists distributing.