Quick Reviews: The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)

"THE BRIDE CAME C.O.D." (1941) 
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Shrewd, stellar casting elevates this madcap romantic comedy about a Texas oil heiress (Bette Davis) who is nabbed by a pilot (James Cagney) at the behest of her father (Eugene Pallette) in an attempt to stop an impulsive marriage.

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The plane crashes in the Nevada desert and hilarity ensues as the nearly-deserted ghost town of Bonanza becomes the center of attention. Cagney is willingly, amusingly buoyant. [B]
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"THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER" (1942)
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Sprightly and effervescent with a draft of Yuletide coziness, this practically one-set comedy is a joyous reproduction of the 1939 play about a wise, crotchety old radio celebrity who, while briefly confined to a wheelchair, is forced to live in the home of a small-town Ohio family.

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The entire ensemble is immaculate, from Bette Davis to Anne Sheridan to the Witch of the North herself, Billie Burke, but it’s stage actor Monty Woolley, a modest film presence to that point, who hisses his delectable zingers with aplomb and anchors this refined, winning gem. [A]