Under exclusive contract to RKO Studios for the first part of her screen career, Dunne was typecast in melodrama for several years after her success as the long-suffering wife in the Oscar-winning "Cimarron" (1931). Her best-known films from this period are two prototypical "women's films", "Back Street" (1932) and "Magnificent Obsession" (1935), both highly watchable sudsers well directed by John Stahl. Dunne took a breather from heavy drama with the delightful musical "Roberta" (1935) and although the dazzling new team of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire stole the show, Dunne made a lovely impression as the Russian princess turned Parisian dress designer. Her fine lyric soprano did complete justice to several haunting Jerome Kern classics, including "Yesterdays" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes".
Dunne made too few operettas during her film career, and, interestingly enough, she almost invariably lent her voice to Kern's music when she did. Such Kern efforts as "Sweet Adeline" (1935) and "High, Wide and Handsome" (1937) are, though not without their merits, relatively minor films in Dunne's career, at least compared to "Show Boat" (1936). In James Whale's masterful adaptation of the Edna Ferber-Oscar Hammerstein II novel turned Broadway smash, Dunne made a lovely impression as Magnolia, a role she had played onstage in the 1920s.
It was around this same time that Dunne really hit her stride as a star personality. Liberated from a steady diet of tearjerkers, Dunne alternated a string of memorable screwball comedies with her more dramatic efforts. Some of the best of her comedies include "Theodora Goes Wild" (1936), "The Awful Truth" (1937), and "My Favorite Wife" (1940), the latter two featuring one of Dunne's most felicitous co-stars, Cary Grant. She also starred in one of her best-loved efforts, "Love Affair" (1939). The first of several films she made opposite another well-suited partner, Charles Boyer, "Love Affair" is a sterling mix of screwball elements and warmly sentimental romance. Although twice remade (under its original title in 1994 and as "An Affair to Remember" in 1957), Dunne's version is easily the finest telling of the tale.
As the 40s progressed, Dunne moved into more maternal roles in a series of fine, gentle comedy-dramas including "A Guy Named Joe" (1943), "Anna and the King of Siam" (1946), "Life with Father" (1947) and "I Remember Mama" (1948). After leaving the big screen, Dunne acted on several occasions on television, but became more involved worked for the United Nations and several charitable organizations. Dunne was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actress five times during her career but never won; luckily, a Kennedy Center Honors celebration rewarded her many triumphs with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1985.