Product Details

• Actors: James Stewart, Claudette Colbert, Guy Kibbee
• Directors: W. S. Van Dyke II
• Format: Black & White
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM/UA Home Video
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006V8PXC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,897 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

James Stweart (Best Actor, The Philadelphia Story, 1940) and Claudette Colbert (Best Actress, It Happened One Night, 1934) share madcap misadventures and sprout both insults and love poems in this "racy, broad and infectious laughmaker" (Variety Magazine). Stewart is Guy Johnson, a small-time detective with a big-time problem: When his most lucrative client is framed for murder, Guy must conceal him from the police in order to keep him out of jail - and himself out of the poor house - while he searches for the real killer. Colbert is Edwina Corday, a young lady with a nose for clues and an eye for Guy. After much hilarious confusion during which she believes Guy to be the menacing criminal, she actually joins the sly sherlock in his attempt to crank the case. Their zany sleuthing leads them through a series of ingenious yarns, a multitude of clever disguises... and an on-again/off-again love-on-the-run romance. Mystery, murder and an infinite supply of mirth make IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD a truly wonderful, and "very, very funny" film (Leonard Maltin).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A neglected comedy gem, December 24, 2010

By 

Mr. James C. Kellam (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It's A Wonderful World (DVD)

This is a neglected, but very, very funny film. James Stewart is on the run from the police, but his troubles have hardly begun compared to when he runs into dizzy dame Claudette Colbert.

The scene in the apple orchard is simply side-splitting, with Colbert proving what a brilliant comedienne she could be.

This film is full of crazy characters, including Edgar Kennedy at his most incompetent. "Screwball" really is the correct word for this one, and it is up there with the very best of them.

I should point out that this is an official DVD-R download from Warner which played with no problems. However, it has to be said that the copy of the film used here is fairly poor with numerous picture faults. A copy from U.K. TV which I saw wasn't any better, so perhaps this is the best that has survived - which is a shame.

Don't let this put you off, because it would be unfortunate to miss seeing this brilliant film. Highly recommended with slight reservations.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a look, but should have been much better, July 20, 2010

By 

Hal Jordan "A reader" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: It's A Wonderful World (DVD)

It was hard to believe I had never seen this film before. In fact, I had never even heard of it. Jimmy Stewart, Claudette Colbert, a script by Ben Hecht? Leonard Maltin describes it as "very, very funny." I figured I was in for a real treat. Unfortunately, it turned out that there were good reasons for this being a rather obscure film -- it's just not very good. The main problem is the script. The idea is pretty good: Stewart plays a private detective who gets arrested while trying to clear a millionaire client of murder. He escapes and has various adventures with Colbert while on the run. Unfortunately, it's just not very funny (I don't know what Maltin was thinking). There is an over reliance on slapstick and physical humor -- Stewart wearing as a disguise glasses that he can't actually see through, his partner repeatedly getting hit on the head, and so on. Anyone looking for snappy dialog from Ben Hecht won't find it here. Much as I love Jimmy Stewart, his performances could sometimes edge into the shrill. That happens a number of times in this one, perhaps because he is trying to use the energy of his delivery to compensate for the weakness of some of the dialog.

If you are a 1930s movie buff, this one is worth seeing, but I give a disappointing 2 1/2 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enduring 1930's Comedy, October 10, 2011

By 

drkhimxz (Freehold, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's A Wonderful World (DVD)

When this film was made, Colbert had been around long enough to have had a year as highest paid actress in Hollywood and a year as highest paid performer. She was both a sure-thing box office hit and a highly respected professional. She was versatile: comedy or drama, she could do it all. Steward was acquiring versatility: he had featured with tough guy, Edward G. Robinson, and done comedy (and even a song) in a film with Eleanor Powell. He was fast moving into stardom,
Both show their comedy side in this dizzy dazzler, with Stewart as a private detective, on the way to Sing Sing (although it doesn't say so), who would do anything for a buck (or, as in this case, 100,000 bucks--more than a million in today's coin of the realm). Not to reveal any more than necessary, his path crosses with a daffy poetess, who becomes attached to him. The plot line: how is he to clear himself, while saving his client from THE (electric) CHAIR. Edgar Kennedy and Guy Kibbee are excellent in their patented comedic roles and Nat Pendleton is the epitome of the Dumb Cop. In a brief appearance, the virtuoso of innumerable radio roles (and later a frequent guest on the Jack Paar Show), Hans Conreid, is recognizable.
Most of the comedy is anything but subtle. Physical gags and outrageous mugging are the norm. So, too, are the expert comedic way with lines of both stars.
I wouldn't call this a classic film, if only because it does almost anything for a laugh. I would say that many people will find this 70 some odd year old film a pleasure.