THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM (United Artists, 1932), directed by Lowell Sherman, became producer Samuel Goldwyn's contribution to the Warner Brothers "Gold Diggers" comedies from the pre-code era. Following the pattern of Warners' own "The Gold Diggers of Broadway' (1929) and post-edition of "Gold Diggers of 1933," THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM is straight comedy, with no staged production numbers involved. Even with the borrowed assistance of Warner Brothers' own Joan Blondell, the story, based on the play "The Greeks Had a Word for It" by Zoe Atkins, follows the pattern of three girl pals and the rich men in their lives. With Madge Evans (from MGM) and Ina Claire completing the rest of the trio known as "The Three Musketeers of Riverside Drive," it's Broadway legend, Ina Claire (in one of her very few film roles), and not the sassy Joan Blondell, who gathers the most attention for both her comedic performance and sassy one-liners that stand out among the rest.
Opening title: "Throughout the ages, half of the women of the world have been working women. And the rest of the women have been working men." Schatze (Joan Blondell), and Polaire (Madge Evans) are former showgirls sharing an apartment in New York City. Arriving home from Paris "broke and disillusioned" is Jean Lawrence (Ina Claire), a gold-digger with the catch phrase of, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." With Jean's recent downfall being engaged to a married man, she resumes her manner in nabbing any worthwhile male with pants. While at a speakeasy with her friends, the girls meet Dey Emery (David Manners), a millionaire playboy loved by Schatze, along with his friend, Boris Feldman (Lowell Sherman), a pianist. With Jean relishing the challenge of stealing boyfriends, she captures the attention of Boris, who, in turn, becomes very much interested with Polaire and her piano playing skills. With his attempt to develop her talent and make her rich, Polaire accepts his teaching invitation when she finds Dey shows no interest in asking her to remain with him. Polaire changes her mind when she comes to meet with Boris later that night, only to learn he's spend much of the evening with Jean. As much as Jean has her connections with a sugar daddy named "Pop" (whose character is never seen), she also finds Pop has been seeing Schatze during her absence in Paris, and upon his death, inherited his penthouse. Problems arise when Jean risks her lasting friendship with the girls by framing Polaire as a thief to break her engagement with Dey, only to become interested in Dey's father, Justin (Phillips Smalley), to a point of accepting his proposal of marriage. What further surprises does this "Italian blonde" have for her friends, Schatze and Polaire, must be seen to be believed.
Based on the plot summary, Ina Claire's Jean happens to be the wildest of them all. Joan Blondell is the sensible one who sides with the one she feels is right, while Madge Evans is the good girl-type not afraid to venture to the outside world when the chance allows. Lowell Sherman, who acts as both film director and character performer, resumes his scoundrel type he's been playing dating back to the silent movie era, while David Manners as a rich man's son who feels he has no tie on the girl he loves, is agreeable in his role as well. Others seen in the cast are: Sidney Bracey (The Waiter); Arthur Housman (The Drunk); Charles Coleman (The Butler); and Barbara Weeks (The Beautician).
For anyone unfamiliar with THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM, the reissue has been changed to a more familiar title of "Three Broadway Girls" with Joan Blondell rather than Ina Claire heading the cast. The reissue print, now in public domain, is the one that has been released to television (notably public television during the 1980s), as well as video cassette and DVD formats at 79 minutes. Overall, a familiar yet funny screen adaptation to a risqué play of the time that for contemporary movie viewers may seem tame and lackluster today. While some prints may be disturbing to watch due to either poor sound quality or bad picture transformation, it still gets by for its theme reworked many times thereafter, best known being HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (20th Century-Fox, 1953) with Betty Grable (Coco), Marilyn Monroe (Pola), and Lauren Bacall (Schatze). Though based on the Zoe Atkins play, both films differ greatly in style and story, with the original Samuel Goldwyn production seemingly more faithful to the stage play than the others, which makes this one acceptable viewing. (***)
Opening title: "Throughout the ages, half of the women of the world have been working women. And the rest of the women have been working men." Schatze (Joan Blondell), and Polaire (Madge Evans) are former showgirls sharing an apartment in New York City. Arriving home from Paris "broke and disillusioned" is Jean Lawrence (Ina Claire), a gold-digger with the catch phrase of, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." With Jean's recent downfall being engaged to a married man, she resumes her manner in nabbing any worthwhile male with pants. While at a speakeasy with her friends, the girls meet Dey Emery (David Manners), a millionaire playboy loved by Schatze, along with his friend, Boris Feldman (Lowell Sherman), a pianist. With Jean relishing the challenge of stealing boyfriends, she captures the attention of Boris, who, in turn, becomes very much interested with Polaire and her piano playing skills. With his attempt to develop her talent and make her rich, Polaire accepts his teaching invitation when she finds Dey shows no interest in asking her to remain with him. Polaire changes her mind when she comes to meet with Boris later that night, only to learn he's spend much of the evening with Jean. As much as Jean has her connections with a sugar daddy named "Pop" (whose character is never seen), she also finds Pop has been seeing Schatze during her absence in Paris, and upon his death, inherited his penthouse. Problems arise when Jean risks her lasting friendship with the girls by framing Polaire as a thief to break her engagement with Dey, only to become interested in Dey's father, Justin (Phillips Smalley), to a point of accepting his proposal of marriage. What further surprises does this "Italian blonde" have for her friends, Schatze and Polaire, must be seen to be believed.
Based on the plot summary, Ina Claire's Jean happens to be the wildest of them all. Joan Blondell is the sensible one who sides with the one she feels is right, while Madge Evans is the good girl-type not afraid to venture to the outside world when the chance allows. Lowell Sherman, who acts as both film director and character performer, resumes his scoundrel type he's been playing dating back to the silent movie era, while David Manners as a rich man's son who feels he has no tie on the girl he loves, is agreeable in his role as well. Others seen in the cast are: Sidney Bracey (The Waiter); Arthur Housman (The Drunk); Charles Coleman (The Butler); and Barbara Weeks (The Beautician).
For anyone unfamiliar with THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM, the reissue has been changed to a more familiar title of "Three Broadway Girls" with Joan Blondell rather than Ina Claire heading the cast. The reissue print, now in public domain, is the one that has been released to television (notably public television during the 1980s), as well as video cassette and DVD formats at 79 minutes. Overall, a familiar yet funny screen adaptation to a risqué play of the time that for contemporary movie viewers may seem tame and lackluster today. While some prints may be disturbing to watch due to either poor sound quality or bad picture transformation, it still gets by for its theme reworked many times thereafter, best known being HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (20th Century-Fox, 1953) with Betty Grable (Coco), Marilyn Monroe (Pola), and Lauren Bacall (Schatze). Though based on the Zoe Atkins play, both films differ greatly in style and story, with the original Samuel Goldwyn production seemingly more faithful to the stage play than the others, which makes this one acceptable viewing. (***)