I Married a Witch (1942)

I loved this little known jewel. Veronica Lake is Jennifer, a witch who was burned at the stake, along with her father, in Puritan times. Before she is burned she places a curse on the Wooley family, the man who sentenced her, that they should always marry the wrong women. The Wooley's plant a tree so that their spirits should always be bound to the Earth. In 1942 the tree is hit by lighting and their souls are released. Jennifer then decides to wreak havoc on Wallace Wooley, who is running for governor and is getting ready to marry Estelle Masterson. She brews up a love potion but she drinks it instead of Wallace. She falls in love with Wallace, he falls in love with her, and her father is not happy about it. He must try to keep Jennifer and Wallace apart because of the long feud between the families.

This is a wonderful movie. Lake is wonderful, as well as extremely beautiful, in the lead role. Frederic March is also terrific as Wallace Wooley, a man who is being pushed to the edge. Also giving a great performance is Susan Hayward as the cold fiance Estelle. A cute little comedy. There is a remake directed by Danny DeVito in the works for 2007. Another bit of trivia about this movie, the TV show Bewitched was inspired by this film.