The way "Three Wise Girls" was going I thought it was going to be a straightforward romance that I could endorse, but no, it turned into a circus. I should've known it was going to be a circus. Why? It was made in 1931, the year of infidelity romance movies. Every other romance involved a married man or a married woman as though it was the thing to do back then.
A small town girl named Cassie Barnes (Jean Harlow) moved to New York City to try to make something of herself and better her financial situation. There she met a wealthy man named Jerry Wilson (Walter Byron) whom she didn't at all get along with to start. Predictably, they fell in love.
Everything seemed copacetic until we found out that Jerry was married. Sure, he was estranged from his wife and wanted a divorce, but he was married nonetheless and he withheld that information from Cassie.
Eventually, Cassie discovered Jerry was married when Jerry's wife, Ruth (Natalie Moorhead), broke the news to Cassie in a very childish manner. Naturally, Cassie was heartbroken and Jerry was apologetic.
The solution to it all was for Jerry to get a divorce, but he was going to try to explain to Cassie that his wife wouldn't grant him a divorce and yada yada yada. Well, when he went to see Cassie he saw another man in the apartment with her. The other man was Arthur Phelps (Jameson Thomas), significant other of Cassie's good friend Gladys (Mae Clarke). Because this is a romance and romances are built on miscommunication and misunderstandings, he thought the man was Cassie's side-dude and stormed off in a huff which had me utterly perplexed. Somehow "Three Wise Girls" was able to make a married man, who'd kept his marriage a secret, the victim.
Let me understand this: A married man had the nerve to be upset at a single woman for being with another man (though she wasn't really)?
Get outta here with that.
Until that point I actually liked the movie a lot. Although Jean Harlow wasn't a strong leading lady it worked being that she was from a small town. I still somewhat like the movie but not nearly as much.
Cassie went chasing after Jerry to explain the situation as though she owed him an explanation. It was really pathetic. Where I would've liked to see fire and brimstone from the leading lady we got a cold, flat, resignation instead.
Things worked out for them in the end, which I suppose was good, but to me their reunion lacked the umph that a true reunion should have.
A small town girl named Cassie Barnes (Jean Harlow) moved to New York City to try to make something of herself and better her financial situation. There she met a wealthy man named Jerry Wilson (Walter Byron) whom she didn't at all get along with to start. Predictably, they fell in love.
Everything seemed copacetic until we found out that Jerry was married. Sure, he was estranged from his wife and wanted a divorce, but he was married nonetheless and he withheld that information from Cassie.
Eventually, Cassie discovered Jerry was married when Jerry's wife, Ruth (Natalie Moorhead), broke the news to Cassie in a very childish manner. Naturally, Cassie was heartbroken and Jerry was apologetic.
The solution to it all was for Jerry to get a divorce, but he was going to try to explain to Cassie that his wife wouldn't grant him a divorce and yada yada yada. Well, when he went to see Cassie he saw another man in the apartment with her. The other man was Arthur Phelps (Jameson Thomas), significant other of Cassie's good friend Gladys (Mae Clarke). Because this is a romance and romances are built on miscommunication and misunderstandings, he thought the man was Cassie's side-dude and stormed off in a huff which had me utterly perplexed. Somehow "Three Wise Girls" was able to make a married man, who'd kept his marriage a secret, the victim.
Let me understand this: A married man had the nerve to be upset at a single woman for being with another man (though she wasn't really)?
Get outta here with that.
Until that point I actually liked the movie a lot. Although Jean Harlow wasn't a strong leading lady it worked being that she was from a small town. I still somewhat like the movie but not nearly as much.
Cassie went chasing after Jerry to explain the situation as though she owed him an explanation. It was really pathetic. Where I would've liked to see fire and brimstone from the leading lady we got a cold, flat, resignation instead.
Things worked out for them in the end, which I suppose was good, but to me their reunion lacked the umph that a true reunion should have.