Although she had talked of retirement, Kay Francis was not really ready for it and when a chance came to co-produce her own films she eagerly signed. Most of her friends advised against it - after all she was going to the studio of burned out stars - Monogram!! Her associate was a feisty Cockney, Jeffrey Bernerd. He could remember Kay from her "royal heyday" and was surprised at her cost cutting ways - insistence on searching for low budget vehicles, taking a hand in re-writing the scripts and even convincing other players to take pay cuts. Even so, I do agree with the other reviewer, this movie had a stylish look about it and could have held it's head up with a Paramount or even a MGM logo.
"Marriage - entered into with such high hopes etc" - can this preachy prologue really be part of a film co-produced by Kay Francis, one of the slinkiest, sexiest of the pre-code dames!! How times had changed!!! Sophisticated Diane Carter (Kay Francis) goes back to her home town to escape being present at her latest divorce. Bob (Bruce Cabot) and Martha (Helen Mack) are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary - Bob is not 100% happy, he has just returned from the army and is a bit discontented with his humdrum life.
Enter Diane, who is delighted to take off where she left off all those years ago - and Bob is happy to oblige!!! Later that night Bob and Martha have words and Bob gets quite defensive about some comments made about Diane at the party. Diane persuades Bob to go into a real estate partnership with her and then starts to insinuate herself into the children's lives - buying them bikes, train sets and taking them on picnics. Martha brings things to a head by issuing Divorce proceedings!!
Scorning support from Bob, Martha gets a job in a department store and Bob Jnr. starts to sell newspapers after school. Bob Snr., on the other hand, is so besotted with Diane that he neglects his visits to his children - just what Diane intends!! It bogs down in sentimentality at the end (as you knew it would) when Bob, finally finding a chance to see his children, gets into a game of "Court Martial" - "Daddy, you made Mommy cry - so you will be reduced in rank to a private and be banished from the house"!! Diane overhears and by the end credits is on the train -alone and sadder but wiser. Whether it was Cabot's wooden acting (probably), somehow it is hard to believe he is sufficiently chastened - you can imagine him waiting until another old flame hits the town.
Sadly, this movie proved to be Helen Mack's last movie. She may have been a poor man's Frances Dee but she moved from young ingenue roles ("Son of Kong" (1933), "Sweepings" (1933)) to young mothers ("I Promise to Pay" (1937)) effortlessly. She left films to take an active role in producing and writing radio dramas.
Highly Recommended.
"Marriage - entered into with such high hopes etc" - can this preachy prologue really be part of a film co-produced by Kay Francis, one of the slinkiest, sexiest of the pre-code dames!! How times had changed!!! Sophisticated Diane Carter (Kay Francis) goes back to her home town to escape being present at her latest divorce. Bob (Bruce Cabot) and Martha (Helen Mack) are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary - Bob is not 100% happy, he has just returned from the army and is a bit discontented with his humdrum life.
Enter Diane, who is delighted to take off where she left off all those years ago - and Bob is happy to oblige!!! Later that night Bob and Martha have words and Bob gets quite defensive about some comments made about Diane at the party. Diane persuades Bob to go into a real estate partnership with her and then starts to insinuate herself into the children's lives - buying them bikes, train sets and taking them on picnics. Martha brings things to a head by issuing Divorce proceedings!!
Scorning support from Bob, Martha gets a job in a department store and Bob Jnr. starts to sell newspapers after school. Bob Snr., on the other hand, is so besotted with Diane that he neglects his visits to his children - just what Diane intends!! It bogs down in sentimentality at the end (as you knew it would) when Bob, finally finding a chance to see his children, gets into a game of "Court Martial" - "Daddy, you made Mommy cry - so you will be reduced in rank to a private and be banished from the house"!! Diane overhears and by the end credits is on the train -alone and sadder but wiser. Whether it was Cabot's wooden acting (probably), somehow it is hard to believe he is sufficiently chastened - you can imagine him waiting until another old flame hits the town.
Sadly, this movie proved to be Helen Mack's last movie. She may have been a poor man's Frances Dee but she moved from young ingenue roles ("Son of Kong" (1933), "Sweepings" (1933)) to young mothers ("I Promise to Pay" (1937)) effortlessly. She left films to take an active role in producing and writing radio dramas.
Highly Recommended.