... and I say that with all due respect to Mr. Manners. I really enjoy his films. This film is just full of stuff you couldn't do or insinuate after the production code. Besides all of the precode naughtiness going on, you certainly couldn't have a woman rescuing a man from a life of dead end jobs and financial struggling. Tom (David Manners) is a man - a Harvard man at that - in a rut of a job selling athletic equipment at a retail store. He's reluctantly engaged to Ruth (Una Merkel) whose chatter seems to annoy him but not enough that he'll make a clean break of it. His big chance comes when high-powered magazine editor Lois Ames (Kate Francis) has her secretary quit late at night and Tom, who is there to demonstrate a rowing machine, offers to pitch in and help. By night's end Lois has offered the secretarial job to Tom. Tom's paychecks grow with his performance and his job responsibilities - steadily from 50 to 250 a week - big money in the Depression.
Unlike films from the late 30's on where the male boss is chasing the secretary around the desk, this one has the flirtation growing subtly with Lois initiating matters. At first it's little things such as Lois making sure their feet touch under the desk. Pretty soon though Tom is feeling the attraction too. The hitch here - Lois is married to Freddie, who apparently has his own money and doesn't need to work and therefore doesn't - he likes being an idler.
This movie is very modern and intelligent in how it handles the marriage. The beginning of the film has Lois and Freddie seemingly in love, going to lunch together, kissing and acting affectionate. They say it doesn't matter that they're so different, they love each other anyways. They seem to mean it when they say it too, but the marriage is a mistake and time and their attraction to other people more suitable to their individual habits - Freddie to a partying socialite (Claire Dodd) and Lois to hard working Tom gradually has the two drifting apart.
After the production code began to be enforced this film would probably end with Freddie seeing the error of his wanton ways and deciding that he wants to run the magazine, Lois deciding that she wants to have babies and Tom - the fallen somewhat kept man - slinking off into the sunset alone. Instead this film ends intelligently - I'll let you watch and see how. It says much about how people will choose unhappy stability over taking a chance and possibly winding up truly happy.
Recommended for fans of precode films and definitely for fans of the elegant Kay Francis whose appeal is timeless.
Unlike films from the late 30's on where the male boss is chasing the secretary around the desk, this one has the flirtation growing subtly with Lois initiating matters. At first it's little things such as Lois making sure their feet touch under the desk. Pretty soon though Tom is feeling the attraction too. The hitch here - Lois is married to Freddie, who apparently has his own money and doesn't need to work and therefore doesn't - he likes being an idler.
This movie is very modern and intelligent in how it handles the marriage. The beginning of the film has Lois and Freddie seemingly in love, going to lunch together, kissing and acting affectionate. They say it doesn't matter that they're so different, they love each other anyways. They seem to mean it when they say it too, but the marriage is a mistake and time and their attraction to other people more suitable to their individual habits - Freddie to a partying socialite (Claire Dodd) and Lois to hard working Tom gradually has the two drifting apart.
After the production code began to be enforced this film would probably end with Freddie seeing the error of his wanton ways and deciding that he wants to run the magazine, Lois deciding that she wants to have babies and Tom - the fallen somewhat kept man - slinking off into the sunset alone. Instead this film ends intelligently - I'll let you watch and see how. It says much about how people will choose unhappy stability over taking a chance and possibly winding up truly happy.
Recommended for fans of precode films and definitely for fans of the elegant Kay Francis whose appeal is timeless.