independent producer. Internal studio previews of the film were so positive that Fields was offered a full contract at Fox in June 1943. The motion picture premiered in Los Angeles, California, on August 27, 1943, and in New York City on September 15, 1943. Reception Holy Matrimony won high praise at the time of release. Bosley Crowther, writing in The New York Times, called it "a most delightful union between [Monty Woolley] and Gracie Fields", and said it was "a charming picture which is full of sly humor. And John Stahl has directed it with understanding of its smooth wit and satire." He also had strong praise for actors Cregar, O'Connor, Mowbray, and Pangborn. Nunnally Johnson was nominated for the Oscar for Best Screenplay, but lost to Philip G. Epstein, Julius J. Epstein, and Howard Koch for Casablanca. The film made a profit of $267,400. Later appraisals have also been very positive. Film historian Tony Thomas wrote: "The humor of Holy Matrimony stems not only from the grand performance of Monty Woolley, but also from the offbeat casting of Gracie Fields as the warmhearted wife. ... [The film is] a perfect vehicle for an actor whom nature had already typecast as a crusty highbrow." Geoffrey McNab, a British film critic, called it "brilliantly scripted" in 2000. Historian of LGBT culture Eric Braun said Holy Matrimony was the "most charming yet low-key comedy" of Woolley's career. Film historian Peter Cowie praised Laird Cregar's "distinguished performance ... as the effeminate art dealer Clive Oxford". Legacy The film was so successful that Woolley and Fields were reunited again two years later in the motion picture Molly and Me. The film also spawned a literary legacy. According to Gore Vidal, a subplot in Dawn Powell's novel The Wicked Pavilion is lifted directly from Holy Matrimony. In 1968, the Theater Guild (an organization that commissioned plays for production off-Broadway) turned the screenplay into a musical, Darling of the Day. So many changes were made to the play, however, that Johnson demanded that his name be removed from it. The musical, although not a huge hit, was praised for its score, by Jule Styne and Yip Harburg, and the performance of Patricia Routledge, who won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Vincent Price co-starred with her as Priam Farll. References External links 1943 films 1943 comedy films American comedy films American black-and-white films