The Bride Came C.O.D. Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Bride Came C.O.D. Blu-ray Movie Review

"Oh, you're not even good enough for the cuss words I know."

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 2, 2026

A rollicking screwball comedy co-adapted by twin brothers one year before they wrote the screenplay for Casablanca, William Keighley's The Bride Came C.O.D. still entertains more than eight decades later. It's largely due to yet another standout lead performance from the eternally charismatic James Cagney, whose recent four-film collection from Warner Archive in one of the boutique label's very best multi-disc sets, but really this is a top-down showcase for just about everyone involved. I mean, who can resist any romantic comedy fueled by Stockholm Syndrome?

Heiress Joan Winfield (Bette Davis, in fine form) is the daughter of gruff-voiced oil tycoon Lucius (Eugene Pallette), and she wants to finally marry band leader Alan Brice (Jack Carson) in Las Vegas against her dad's wishes. The otherwise high-profile event will hopefully be a quick and quiet affair, so the soon-to-be newlyweds charter a private plane owned by Steve Collins (Cagney). Steve's secretly in debt for more than $1,000, though, and needs to come up with the cash by midnight or he'll lose everything. Joan and Alan have another problem, too: her dad finds out about their elopement from the press and he immediately tries to stop in, and soon enough Steve comes up with a slick way to cover his debt. He'll basically kidnap Joan and deliver her to Lucius instead of Las Vegas for the approximate amount he owes, which is calculated by a $10 per-pound rate based on her weight that'll be collected cash on delivery.

This all sounds awful for poor Joan, what with the sneaking around and ransom money, and it is. But The Bride Came C.O.D. treats its subject matter with such a light and careful touch that everything happening on-screen feels like part of the fun. Developments happen along the way, of course: Joan finds out about Steve's asking price and offers to pay him more, at least one person tries to jump out of the plane at a high altitude, an abandoned town with one occupant is explored, and there's a recurring encounter with cacti that involves sound effects straight out of Tom and Jerry. Add in a few more twists and turns and a generous amount of one-punch knockouts and you're got a recipe for 92 minutes of brisk, enjoyable comedy. (Well, maybe 80 minutes -- some of the initial setup is a little awkward and a few of the jokes don't land, so perhaps one of the twin screenwriters is pulling more of the weight here?)

The performances are largely on-point (George Tobias as Steve's employee "Pee Wee" Dafoe is especially great), the story is nearly fat-free, and other fundamentals are also strong, from the workmanlike cinematography of Ernest Haller to the sharp editing of Thomas Richards and of course the music by prolific composer Max Steiner. This is dangerously close to a "total package" film where every individual element creates something greater than the sum of its parts, so fans and first-timers are encouraged to seek out Warner Archive's new Blu-ray: it features a flawless restoration and plenty of era-specific extras that help to recreate a fun night at the movies in the summer of 1941.

The Bride Came C.O.D. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive's new 1080p transfer has been sourced from a recent 4K scan of The Bride Came C.O.D.'s original nitrate camera negative, which as always translates to an incredibly crisp and film-like presentation that should meet or exceed any and all viewer expectations. Fine details, black levels, density, and contrast are all uniformly excellent, and of course the image is exceedingly clean thanks to the boutique label's proprietary manual cleanup process which has removed all signs of age-related wear and tear. Disc encoding is very good as well with no obvious compression-related issues such as banding, black crush, or macro blocking to report, and the film runs at a high and supportive bit rate from start to finish. As always, buy with confidence and enjoy this outstanding presentation.

The Bride Came C.O.D. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix repurposes The Bride Came C.O.D.'s original monaural presentation as a split stereo track for wider playback, and it again shows similar signs of careful restoration efforts that collectively far outpace previous home video presentations. The often rapid-fire dialogue is clean and clear, while background effects and Max Steiner's solid original score sound excellent as well; everything's very much right in line with expectations for a film from this era, but for an over 80 year-old film it still sometimes manages to sonically impress.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Bride Came C.O.D. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover artwork; several great extras are included, most of which have likely been sourced from earlier DVD releases with some newly upgraded to HD.

• Warner Night at the Movies - This long-running and sorely missed staple of WB DVD releases simulates an era-accurate night at the movies by playing newsreels, cartoons, and other vintage extras in a marathon-style session before the main feature. They can also be accessed individually if you're a party pooper.

• Carnival in Rhythm (17:21) - This Brazil-themed song-and-dance short stars Katherine Dunham.
• Forty Boys and a Song (10:13) - A black-and-white mini-doc about the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir.
• Newsreel (1:11) - A look at fresh new ladies' fashions for Easter 1941.
• Porky's Pooch (7:08) - A black-and-white Looney Tunes short directed by Bob Clampett.
• Rhapsody in Rivets (7:35) - Merrie Melodies in full color this time, and restored in HD too.
• Saddle Silly (7:35) - Another restored color MM short, this one by Chuck Jones.
• "Honeymoon for Three" Trailer (2:29) - A trailer for this film starring Ann Sheridan and George Brent, which was also co-written by the screenwriters of The Bride Came C.O.D.

• Lux Radio Theater (59:28) - This condensed radio adaptation, which originally aired December 29, 1941, stars Bob Hope and Hedy LaMarr in the lead roles and also features short interviews afterwards.

• The Bird Came C.O.D. (7:41) - A fourth cartoon from the vault? I'll take it? This Chuck Jones short starring Conrad Cat first appeared in January 1942 and doesn't follow the plot of the film, but it's fun anyway.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:51) - This rowdy, tongue-in-cheek promo piece can also be seen here.

The Bride Came C.O.D. Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Twin brothers Julius and Philip Epstein co-wrote the screenplays for several excellent films including Casablanca, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Last Time I Saw Paris, and Strawberry Blonde. The latter is akin to The Bride Came C.O.D. because it was also released in 1941 and stars James Cagney, but this is a decidedly more brisk and screwy affair with fun twists, despicable behavior, multiple KOs, and plenty of memorable one-liners. Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray edition offers loads of support, including another top-tier restoration and great legacy bonus features that transport you back to theaters more than 80 years ago. Highly Recommended.