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Next Time I Marry

Name: Next Time I Marry
Director: Garson Kanin
Released: 1938
Duration: 65 min

Representation Score

1.4/10

Minimal

1938

Passed

Director

Garson Kanin

Runtime

65 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Next Time I Marry is a quintessential screwball comedy that prioritizes genre clichés over diverse representation. While it offers a refreshing level of women's ability to drive the story for 1938, it remains deeply rooted in the social hierarchies of its time. The film's strength lies in its subversion of traditional feminine archetypes through its female lead. However, this progress is offset by a lack of racial, cultural, and LGBTQ+ diversity, resulting in a very narrow social lens. Ultimately, the film uses class distinctions between an heiress and a WPA worker for comedic effect rather than to challenge the status quo.

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Category Breakdown

Does Next Time I Marry have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows a strictly straight-centered structure, focusing entirely on the romantic relationship between the male and female leads.

How does Next Time I Marry portray gender?

Fair

Nancy Crocker Fleming plays a significant role in driving the story by initiating a marriage scheme to secure her inheritance. This disrupts the era's typical passive heiress archetype through intellectual parity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Next Time I Marry?

Minimal

The cast is highly homogeneous, focusing on white, upper-class characters. The story lacks meaningful racial blending or characters of color with significant roles.

How does Next Time I Marry represent religion and culture?

Limited

The narrative operates within a traditional Western framework centered on inheritance and legal marriage. It uses class friction as a comedic device rather than a systemic critique.

Does Next Time I Marry include disability representation?

Minimal

No visible or invisible disabilities are portrayed. The characters are presented as able-bodied, with no exploration of neurodivergence or physical impairment.

Present on Screen

The female protagonist demonstrates notable ability to act and intellectual parity by driving the central plot.
The film challenges some traditional 1930s feminine archetypes through verbal sparring and active decision-making.

Limited or Absent

The cast lacks racial and ethnic diversity, presenting a highly homogeneous social environment.
There is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender narratives.
The film fails to include any characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Heiress Nancy Crocker Fleming will only receive her inheritance if she marries a "plain American." Her late father was afraid a foreign gigolo would steal her heart and money. So Nancy pays Tony Anthony, working on a WPA road project, to marry, then divorce her. When Nancy inadvertently drives off with Tony's dog, Tony seemingly kidnaps her to retrieve the pooch, which leads to a cross-country race between the two to reach Reno and the divorce court since neither one wants to be the second to file papers.

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