The Good Fairy is a 1935 romantic comedy film written by Preston Sturges, based on the 1930 play A jó tündér by Ferenc Molnár as translated and adapted by Jane Hinton, which was produced on Broadway in 1931. The film was directed by William Wyler and stars Margaret Sullavan, Herbert Marshall, Frank Morgan and Reginald Owen.
Sturges' screenplay diverges significantly from the Molnár play, and later became the basis for the book of the 1951 Broadway musical Make a Wish. Sturges wrote a scene for a movie-within-the-movie, in which the leading man responds to the leading lady's impassioned pleading with the single word "Go", delivered in varying tones.
Plot
Luisa Ginglebusher (Margaret Sullavan) has grown up in the Municipal Orphanage, delighting the other girls with her fairy stories. When Luisa is given a job as an usherette in a Budapest movie palace, the kindly orphanage director Dr. Schultz (Beulah Bondi), herself somewhat inexperienced, sends the young woman into the world with instructions to do a good deed every day and be friendly to everyone, as well as a little (off screen) advice about the male gender.
When Luisa leaves work that evening, Joe (Cesar Romero) a handsome masher, tries to pick her up and refuses to take no for an answer, backing her into a wall and seizing her by the shoulders. She sees Detlaff (Reginald Owen), a waiter she met in the theatre, on the sidewalk, and tells Joe he is her husband. It works. Detlaff takes her out for sandwiches, and is charmed by her complete innocence. To give her a glimpse of the beautiful world he sees as a waiter in a fine establishment, he gives her an invitation to an exclusive party—and a dancing lesson,
At the party, Luisa looks lovely in a dress borrowed from the theater; her complete ignorance of the world is played for gentle laughs. Thinking he is a waiter, she chides Konrad (Frank Morgan), a meat-packing millionaire, for sitting down with her. He is enchanted, but Detlaff is keeping an eye on his protégée and interferes with the attempted seduction. When Luisa finally understands Konrad's intentions (when he scoops her up in his arms in the private dining room) she uses the same ploy that worked with Joe: She tells him she is married. When he demands to know the man's identity, ostensibly in order to give him a job, she picks a name from the phone book. Delighted with her good deed, she tells Detlaff that now she is someone's good fairy.
When Konrad goes to the lucky man, poor but honest lawyer Dr. Max Sporum (Herbert Marshall), and promises a 5-year employment contract and a big bonus, Sporum thinks he has been recommended to the millionaire because of his ethical behavior, diligent hard work and integrity. In fact Konrad plans to send the "husband" to South America so that he will be free to seduce Luisa.
Luisa goes to see Sporum and to tell him the truth. He thinks she is there to deliver the magnificent new pencil sharpener he has just ordered. They hit it off while he sharpens pencils with childlike delight, and she cannot bear to challenge his belief. They spend the day together, shopping for him. She persuades him to buy a bright-colored car and to shave his precious beard. He buys her a "genuine foxine" fur stole, the first present she has ever received. But when she tells him she has to meet a man at his hotel that night, he misunderstands and refuses to see her anymore. Detlaff is also furious that she plans to see Konrad again, but she must ensure Sporum's future. She calls Sporum on the phone and he is all apologies. She tells him to think of her as if she loved him.
Konrad is furious at the sight of the foxine stole, which he says is cheap cat. He is also having difficulty continuing the Lothario scenario. Apparently his behavior was fueled by alcohol. Now sober, he wants to marry her and have children. Detlaff interrupts and literally carries her off, threatening to tell Konrad everything and ruin Sporum's new life. A chase ensues, and Konrad, Luisa and Detlaff end up in Sporum's rooms, where, weeping, she at last explains, more or less coherently. She wishes she were a real good fairy and could wave a wand and undo everything. Sporum soon recovers and he and Luisa are looking forward to a life of poverty together, when Konrad insists on holding him to his contract. Everybody competes for the title of "good fairy". Cut to Luisa coming down the aisle on Sporum's arm, the star on her bridal crown gleaming, while the orphans sing "Faithful and True".