Irene Dunne’s star shined too bright for her to be offered very many supporting roles. For the Broadway show “Irene,” Dunne had actually auditioned for the supporting role and
“was promptly singed for the lead,” according to the LA Times. Her lack of small roles is summarized by the title of Wes D. Gehring’s biography about the star: “Irene Dunne: First Lady of Hollywood.” Bit parts were not a big part of her career since she was often sharing the screen with male co-stars like Cary Grant, Melvyn Douglas and Charles Boyer.
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However, here are three examples of Dunne in supporting roles:
1. Tessie, “The Clinging Vine” (1922)
About this Broadway play, “The Evening Telegram” in 1923 read, “Irene Dunne has the smallest part in one of Broadway’s biggest successes. She ‘works’ four minutes eight times a week or a total of little more than half an hour per seven days ... and, strangest of all, she had no sooner signed a contract that she telephone to Zelda Sears, author of the play, thanking her for keeping the part short.”
2. Laura, “Thirteen Women” (1932)
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Although technically the top-billed female, nevertheless this film featured an ensemble of actresses, of which Dunne played Laura Stanhope, but Myrna Loy’s villain is a more notable part and performance. Yet, Dunne is the last woman standing and this role was one of the few psychological thrillers Dunne was in.
3. Christina, “The Silver Cord” (1933)
In this film, Dunne goes head to head with Laura Hope Crews as the daughter-in-law to the overly obsessed, meddling, and creepy mother of her new husband. Of her performance, Rupert Alistair of
Classic Movies Digest says, “As Christina, she gives as good as she gets, better in most cases, when going rounds with the monstrous dowager. The role was considered for both Katharine Hepburn and Ann Harding before RKO cast Dunne. Not the mega star she would be later in the decade, Dunne’s grace and sophistication shone through in this pre-code soaper.”
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