leo mccarey the awful truth be among the best of the screwball comedy of the 1930s . it be also one of the simple in plot and screenplay and because it do not require any attempt at conspiracy or hidden identity or mystery ( say a in the comic mystery the thin man and or in his gal friday which also co starred cary grant and ralph bellamy in somewhat similar character type ) . the plot of the awful truth be reminiscent of what jimmy cagney and pat obrien always be argue about a screenplay writer in boy meet girl . there the plot be boy meet girl and boy loses girl and boy find girl again . here it would be and husband and wife split and husband and wife sabotage each other love affair and husband and wife reconcile . grant and irene dunne have be marry for awhile ( we later learn in court that they meet when both fell in love with a puppy in a pet shop ) and but both jump to the conclusion that the other have be have extra marital affair ( grant and in particular and be funny grow disgusted and angrier at dunne fairly blameless voice teacher alex darcy ) . they agree to separate and eventually divorce ( their only bone of contention be the puppy asta from the thin man series who dunne win by a slightly sneaky trick . dunne be introduce by her aunt ( cecily courtneigh ) to a neighbor in her luxury apartment house bellamy . he a very wealthy oil man from oklahoma . grant try to pick up a romance with a nightclub dancer ( joyce compton ) and but he find he delight in humiliate dunne with her ham hand new beau . the scene in the nightclub be funny because of how compton act embarrass grant and but he watch bellamy jitterbug dunne off the dance floor . grant manages and without fully plan it and in wreck dunne romance . then he start show a serious interest in snobby socialite molly lamont . dunne and follow this romance in the social column and show up at the home of lamont parent a grant drunken young sister and proceeds to demolish his engagement before his shocked fiancé and her parent . the reconciliation be at the end and although it seem hint that dunne come out a little ahead of grant in look less absurd at the conclusion . the dialog be worth listen to here . a disgusted bellamy announce that a boy best friend be his mother ( here esther dale ) . darcy weakly agree to help dunne make grant look foolish but inquire if grant carry a gun ( oddly enough ingrid bergman servant carl be use in a similar way in indiscreet and and worry about get shot by grant too . ) . grant reassure a dismal look dunne that if she get tire of the nightlife of oklahoma city and she can always go with bellamy to swing tulsa . if not a somewhat meaningful a my man godfrey or a dramatically balance a the thin man and the awful truth end up be sweetly mirthful to the conclusion . it be a comedy that never fail to entertain .