Bride by Mistake

Her name is Nora Hunter (Laraine Day), but call her Sylvia. Wartime shipbuilding magnate Nora poses as her secretary Sylvia to ward off newshounds and marriage-minded fortune hunters. Meanwhile, the secretary poses as Nora to attend all ship christenings and public functions. But when a handsome airman (Alan Marshal) catches the real Nora's interest, the charade begins to crack. Bride by Mistake boasts a notable romantic comedy pedigree. It's a remake of The Richest Girl in the World by Norman Krasna (his other credits include Bachelor Mother), and it's the first screenplay by Phoebe and Henry Ephron of Daddy Long Legs and Desk Set fame. The Ephrons' daughters - Nora, Delia and Amy - would all have careers in film and TV.

BRIDE BY MISTAKE is a remake of the 1934 Miriam Hopkins vehicle THE RICHEST GIRL IN THE WORLD, with a wartime angle providing topicality. Tired of being romanced by fortune hunters and being rejected by poor-but-proud suitors, fabulously wealthy Norah (Laraine Day) decides to pose as her own secretary Sylvia (Marsha Hunt), and vice versa. The plot thickens when Norah falls in love with convalescing fighter pilot Tony (Alan Marshall)-while he in turn falls for the very married Sylvia. All sorts of manic complications ensue, with Sylvia's hapless husband (Allyn Joslin) the "odd man out". RKO Radio revived RICHEST GIRL IN THE WORLD for a third time in 1954 as the Jane Russell musical THE FRENCH LINE.