frederick march be a reporter on a new york paper and desperate for a feature story . he dig up a notice of a young woman in vermont and carole lombard and who have be diagnose a terminally ill with radium poisoning . not know the diagnosis be a mistake make by a bibulous rural doctor and march rush to vermont and offer the die woman a trip to new york and all expense pay and for a last fling . lombard have discover the mistaken diagnosis but and in thrall to the prospect of a vacation in the big apple and agree to go along . she exploit by the newspaper and become a celebrity . she get the key to the city for her bravery . people weep at her name . the governor endorse a hazel flagg day . everything lombard do such a get drunk and pass out at a big affair in her honor be interpret a a sign of her mysterious but debilitate illness . a quartet of european doctor finally uncover her real state and which have more to do with radiance than radium . she and march have fall in love . lombard leave a farewell note to the city and claim she be go off to die alone ( like an elephant ) and the couple escape on a ship . i would hear this be an outstanding screwball comedy of the sort common in the mid and late 30 and so the first time i saw it and year ago and i think i have catch the wrong movie because it wasn not very funny . i have just see it again and it still not funny . it rush and yes and and sometimes a little hysterical and and everyone involved try for boffo laugh and but it doesn not clear the bar set by such other example of the genre a bring up baby or it happen one night or the palm beach story . i hate to say it and because so much effort be on display and because carole lombard scintillates in the role of the deceptive but fundamentally decent hazel flagg . but frederick march and a fine actor in serious part and be miscast . somebody like clark gable or cary grant be call for an earnest extrovert . the funny scene and i gather and be when march knock lombard unconscious in the bedroom . maybe i be become patriarchal but it doesn not make me laugh to see a woman punch in the jaw . well and maybe my ex wife . a it be and the funny scene involve ancillary character like german doctor and scandinavian fireman and who be on screen collectively for about ten minute . the plot itself have a lot of build in tension because and after all and both lombard and the audience know she isn not sick . so how and when will the charade be bring to a finish . actually and it leave a thoughtful person a little uncomfortable because what we have here be an example of an aborted rite of passage . a rite of passage mark the transition of the subject from one status to another . the ceremony and large and small and surround a death be part of a rite of passage and a shift from the status of living to that of dead . people go to a lot of trouble to prepare for an impending death . and when the doom person refuse to die maybe perk up and remit the ritual be abort . the same thing happen when one of the party cancel a wedding at the last minute and after the invitation have be send out and the present have arrive . it leave a hole in the scenario . it like watch a charlie chan movie with the last ten minute miss . the audience be and of course and happy that hazel flagg be alive and well in tahiti and and yet underneath it all they feel a little cheated . anyway and i understand that many viewer enjoy this immensely and do not want to discourage anyone from watch it and but i think it be interminable instead of terminal . not a laugh in a cartload .