One Sunday Afternoon is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Roberts and starring Gary Cooper and Fay Wray. Based on the 1933 Broadway play by James Hagan, the film is about a middle-aged dentist who reminisces about his unrequited love for a beautiful woman and his former friend who betrayed him and married her. This pre-Code film was released by Paramount Pictures on September 1, 1933.

Plot

Dr. Lucius Griffith "Biff" Grimes (Gary Cooper) is a small town dentist dissatisfied with his lot. Though married to the lovely and affectionate Amy Lind Grimes (Frances Fuller), Grimes still carries a torch for his former sweetheart, Virginia "Virgie" Brush Barnstead (Fay Wray). Years earlier, Grimes lost Virgie to his old friend Hugo Barnstead (Neil Hamilton). When the Barnsteads returned to town, Hugo gave Grimes a job in his carriage factory on condition that he spy on the other employees. Desperate for money because Amy's mother came to live with them, Grimes went to work there but refused to turn snitch. When Barnstead fired him, Grimes lost his temper and wrestled with a security guard, who was shot in the leg. Hugo blamed Grimes, who served two years in prison. Amy and her mother took in washing to survive. She lied to Grimes about it and spent her hard-earned money on a correspondence course in dentistry. In the present, Grimes is consumed with the desire for revenge. The now-wealthy Hugo has a dental emergency and comes to see Grimes, who—under the influence of several drinks with his buddy, Snappy—comes close to killing his old rival while administering a blend of nitrous oxide and oxygen. The story of their past is told in flashback while the anesthetic is taking effect. In the present, Biff turns off the oxygen—and Virginia appears. She is now a harridan who dresses and acts like a prostitute. Clearly she makes Hugo's life a misery. Grimes rushes to restore the oxygen and pulls the tooth. Barnstead comes to, oblivious to his close call and oblivious to the pass Virginia makes at Grimes, who cooly bids them good afternoon and tells Barnstead there is no charge. Amy comes in and gently scolds Grimes for drinking. Singing “In the Good Old Summertime” he tells her she is very sweet and beautiful and he loves her, and sweeps her up in his arms.