History Creator / IreneDunne

* TheCastShowoff:[[invoked]] Whenever the movie would pause to give Dunne a chance to sing to an audience.
* CatSmile:
** Dunne [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/irene_dunne_cat_smile.jpg could sport one]] if she wanted to. Studio producer William Frye even referred to the look as "her impish smile" in his piece for Vanity Fair. The dimples in her cheeks made the grin more disarming.
** A drunk, partying Maggie in ''Joy of Living'' flashes several, most likely attempting to drunkenly flirt with Dan.

* AwardSnub:[[invoked]] Considered this by many critics, to her Oscar nominations. More so for ''The Awful Truth'' nowadays, since the Best Actress winner, Creator/LuiseRainer, won for [[Film/TheGoodEarth a role]] considered to have [[ValuesDissonance aged like milk]] these days.

** In ''Together Again'', Mayor Anne and George the sculptor go to a strip club, which gets raided by police when Anne excuses herself to the restroom to clean her dress. The police catch her in her underwear and [[MistakenForProstitute throw her in jail]] for the night.

* MsFanservice: Yes, really!
** Although never marketed as a sex symbol or "the hot chick" of the movie, with her characters' wit, her innuendo-laden dialog, her mischievous grin, and her SilkHidingSteel persona, many a critic back then and in the present has admitted she's their {{celebrity crush}}.
--->'''Bosley Crowther:''' ...Mere man is powerless [to Irene Dunne's] luxurious and mocking laughter, her roving eyes and come-hither glances.
** Dunne isn't one in the traditional sense of the trope. Her characters didn't wear TheissTitillationTheory-esque outfits and a scene in ''Joy of Living'' had to be rewritten because she refused to be in a swimsuit. The thought of participating in that part of movie stardom [[{{justified}} embarrassed her]], but it didn't stop many men (including Charles Boyer) from telling her [[ShesGotLegs she had the best legs in Hollywood]].[[note]]Frequent reports reveal the goal to snap Dunne in a fanservicey outfit (whether on or off-set) became so huge in Hollywood, there was a $100 reward.[[/note]] Dunne's leg enthusiasts needn't worry because the beach scene in ''Penny Serenade'' implies she's wearing a swimsuit ... under a robe [[HerBoyfriendsJacket big enough]] to fit Cary Grant, though.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Dunne was told to lie about her age (as she was much older than her contemporaries) and even her epitaph has the wrong year of her birth. To put in perspective, she was older than most Hollywood Golden Age SmallReferencePools actresses that can come to mind, and the only leading men she was younger than were Creator/WilliamPowell (born in 1892), Creator/CharlesBoyer (born in 1899), and Creator/AdolpheMenjou (born in 1890).

* CovertPervert: A lot of her characters were this, surprising to some. Critics have noted that many of Dunne's films are full of moments other film stars wouldn't get away with in the era of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode, mostly because her persona of the ladylike ingenue. Dunne was the one most likely to have the most innuendo in her dialog, and notably ended up sharing a bed with Cary Grant ''twice'' -- a trope strictly forbidden. Strange double standards Dunne got away with include:

* CreatorBacklash

* IronyAsSheIsCast:[[invoked]]

** [[invoked]] Dunne isn't one in the traditional sense of the trope. Her characters didn't wear TheissTitillationTheory-esque outfits and a scene in ''Joy of Living'' had to be rewritten because she refused to be in a swimsuit. The thought of participating in that part of moviestardom [[{{justified}} embarrassed her]], but it didn't stop many men (including Charles Boyer) from telling her [[ShesGotLegs she had the best legs in Hollywood]].[[note]]Frequent reports reveal the goal to snap Dunne in a fanservicey outfit (whether on or off-set) became so huge in Hollywood, there was a $100 reward.[[/note]] Dunne's leg enthusiasts needn't worry because the beach scene in ''Penny Serenade'' implies she's wearing a swimsuit ... under a robe [[HerBoyfriendsJacket big enough]] to fit Cary Grant, though.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Dunne was told to lie about her age (as she was much older than her contemporaries) and even her epitaph has the wrong year of her birth. To put in perspective, she was older than most Hollywood Golden Age, SmallReferencePools actresses that can come to mind, and the only leading men she was younger than were Creator/WilliamPowell, Charles Boyer and Creator/AdolpheMenjou.

* PlayingWithCharacterType:[[invoked]] Her ambitious SilkHidingSteel, NiceGirl persona shows up in ''Together Again'', but a business trip ends up with Mayor Anne falling for her hired sculptor. Despite Dunne's other hardworking characters not being sidetracked from their jobs by a love interest, Anne turns into a SmittenTeenageGirl, dressing and styling her hair differently, singing and dancing around the house, and is unable to think straight whenever the sculptor looks at her. Her former political popularity begins dimming as problems start piling up.
* ThoseTwoActors:[[invoked]] She did three films with Creator/CaryGrant and Creator/CharlesBoyer. Interestingly, she went through ActorShipping with both, being dubbed the funniest Hollywood couple with Grant and the most romantic with Boyer.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Dunne was told to lie about her age (as she was much older than her contemporaries) and even her epitaph has the wrong year of her birth. To put in perspective, she was older than most Hollywood Golden Age, SmallReferencePools actresses that can come to mind, and the only leading men she was younger than were Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/AdolpheMenjou.

* CovertPervert: A lot of her characters were this, surprising to some. Critics have noted that many of Dunne's films are full of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Radar-pushing moments]] other film stars wouldn't get away with in the era of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode, mostly because her persona of the ladylike ingenue. Dunne was the one most likely to have the most innuendo in her dialog, and notably ended up sharing a bed with Cary Grant ''twice'' -- a trope strictly forbidden. Strange double standards Dunne got away with include:

** Dunne isn't one in the traditional sense of the trope. Her characters didn't wear TheissTitillationTheory-esque outfits and a scene in ''Joy of Living'' had to be rewritten because she refused to be in a swimsuit. The thought of participating embarrassed her, but it didn't stop many men (including Charles Boyer) from telling her [[ShesGotLegs she had the best legs in Hollywood]].[[note]]Frequent reports reveal the goal to snap Dunne in a fanservicey outfit (whether on or off-set) became so huge in Hollywood, there was a $100 reward.[[/note]] Dunne's leg enthusiasts needn't worry because the beach scene in ''Penny Serenade'' implies she's wearing a swimsuit ... under a robe [[HerBoyfriendsJacket big enough]] to fit Cary Grant, though.

** Dunne isn't one in the traditional sense of the trope. Her characters didn't wear TheissTitillationTheory-esque outfits and a scene in ''Joy of Living'' had to be rewritten because she refused to be in a swimsuit. The thought of participating embarrassed her, but it didn't stop many men (including Charles Boyer) from telling her [[ShesGotLegs she had the best legs in Hollywood]].[[note]]Frequent reports reveal the goal to snap Dunne in a fanservicey outfit (whether on or off-set) became so huge in Hollywood, there was a $100 reward.[[/note]] Dunne's leg enthusiasts needn't worry because the beach scene in ''Penny Serenade'' implies she's wearing a swimsuit ... under a robe [[SexyShirtSwitch big enough]] to fit Cary Grant, though.

* CovertPervert: A lot of her characters were this, surprising to some. Critics have noted that many of Dunne's films are full of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Radar-pushing moments]] that other film stars wouldn't get away with in the era of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode, mostly because her persona of the ladylike ingenue. Dunne was the one most likely to have the most innuendo in her dialog, and notably ended up sharing a bed with Cary Grant ''twice'' -- a trope strictly forbidden. Strange double standards Dunne got away with include:

* MsFanservice: Yes, really! Although never marketed as a sex symbol or "the hot chick" of the movie, Dunne didn't need to have stereotypical fanservice scenes or pose in swimsuits for her to gain admirers.[[note]]The idea of posing in swimsuits embarrassed Dunne, she later revealed. It didn't stop many men (including Charles Boyer) from telling her [[ShesGotLegs she had the best legs in Hollywood]], though.[[/note]] With her characters' wit, her innuendo-laden dialog, her mischievous grin, and her SilkHidingSteel persona, many a critic back then and in the present has admitted she's their {{celebrity crush}}.
-->'''Bosley Crowther:''' ...Mere man is powerless [to Irene Dunne's] luxurious and mocking laughter, her roving eyes and come-hither glances.

* CovertPervert: A lot of her characters were this, surprising to some. Critics have noted that many of Dunne's films are full of {{Radar}}-pushing moments that other film stars wouldn't get away with in the era of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode, mostly because her persona of the ladylike ingenue. Dunne was the one most likely to have the most innuendo in her dialog, and notably ended up sharing a bed with Cary Grant ''twice'' -- a trope strictly forbidden. Strange double standards Dunne got away with include:

* MsFanservice: Yes, really! Although never marketed as a sex symbol or "the hot chick" of the movie, Dunne didn't need to have stereotypical fanservice scenes or pose in swimsuits for her to gain admirers.[[note]]The idea of posing in swimsuits embarrassed Dunne, she later revealed. It didn't stop many men (including Charles Boyer) from telling her [[ShesGotLegs she had the best legs in Hollywood]],though.[[/note]] With her characters' wit, her innuendo-laden dialog, her mischievous grin, and her SilkHidingSteel persona, many a critic back then and in the present has admitted she's their {{celebrity crush}}.

* MsFanservice: Yes, really! Although never marketed as a sex symbol or "the hot chick" of the movie, Dunne didn't need to have stereotypical fanservice scenes or pose in swimsuits for her to gain admirers. With her characters' wit, her innuendo-laden dialog, her mischievous grin, and her SilkHidingSteel persona, many a critic back then and in the present has admitted she's their {{celebrity crush}}.

** Although ''Love Affair'' was one of her favorites she made, she would say years later that she Terry's HonorBeforeReason attitude after her accident ridiculous because if Dunne was in the situation, she'd wheel herself back to New York City every day to look for Michel.

Irene Marie Dunne (December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actor and singer famous during UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood. She was nominated five times for an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward but never won.

** Downplayed to an extent and {{lampshaded}} by the woman herself when it came to the remake of ''Show Boat'', when she sent a letter to the studio, joking that they should've asked her to be in it if they needed extra singers (only one member of the cast's singing was dubbed: Creator/AvaGardner.)

* ''Film/IRememberMama'' (1945)

* NoblewomansLaugh: Her melodious giggle sounded like this a lot, especially if she was about to avenge or embarrass someone. A great example is in Theodora Goes Wild when she confronts her publisher, chuckling like this when she walks into the office in her feathered coat with her dog on a leash.

* {{Adorkable}}: Common; either when her character CantHoldHerLiquor or rushing around flustered as things went FromBadToWorse. Sometimes, it was a few steps away from CringeComedy.

* NiceGirl: In fact, she barely was the antagonist. The closest she'd get to would be an {{antihero}}ine.

* SpiritedYoungLady: One thing that stuck out with Irene's comedies was that she was one of the only few that didn't have a [[{{cloudcuckoolander}} wacky personality]], often being the complete opposite to the ones that made [[Film/BringingUpBaby Katharine Hepburn]] and [[Film/MyManGodfrey Carole Lombard]] well-remembered. Irene is also notable for being one of the only screwball comedy actresses in the [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hollywood era of censorship]] that ended a movie [[ThereIsOnlyOneBed sharing a bed with her co-star]]. She was also a master of DoubleTake [[DoubleEntendre innuendo]].

* HeroicDimples: Her dimples only added to her characters’ nice perks.