Wife vs. Secretary (1936)

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Faith Baldwin (story)
Norman Krasna (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 February 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

The wife of a publishing executive mistakenly believes that her husband's relationship with his attractive secretary is more than professional.

Plot Keywords:

Periodical | Skating Rink | Maid | Seaplane | Business Trip

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Van
Jean Harlow	...	Whitey
Myrna Loy	...	Linda
May Robson	...	Mimi
George Barbier	...	Underwood
James Stewart	...	Dave
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Joe
Tom Dugan	...	Finney
Gilbert Emery	...	Simpson
Marjorie Gateson	...	Eve Merritt
Gloria Holden	...	Joan Carstairs
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hooper Atchley	...	Postal Clerk (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	Ship's officer (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey	...	Butler at Club (uncredited)
Frederick Burton	...	Ned Trent (uncredited)
Leonard Carey	...	Taggart (uncredited)
Maurice Cass	...	Mr. Bakewell (uncredited)
André Cheron	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
Clay Clement	...	Herbert 'Herb' (uncredited)
Nick Copeland	...	Sam, the Elevator Starter (uncredited)
Guy D'Ennery	...	Cuban Waiter (uncredited)
Frank Elliott	...	Mr. Ted Barker (uncredited)
Paul Ellis	...	Raoul (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
George Guhl	...	Mendel (uncredited)
Richard Hemingway	...	Bridegroom in Havana (uncredited)
Holmes Herbert	...	Frawley (uncredited)
Tom Herbert	...	Business Man in Lobby (uncredited)
Hilda Howe	...	Mary Conners (uncredited)
Margaret Irving	...	Edna Wilson (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Ship's Room Clerk (uncredited)
Edward LeSaint	...	Party Guest with Herbert (uncredited)
Mary MacGregor	...	Ellen (uncredited)
Tom Mahoney	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Myra Marsh	...	Miss Clark (uncredited)
Greta Meyer	...	Molly (uncredited)
Harold Minjir	...	Harry Williams (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Howard, Party Guest (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Tom Wilson (uncredited)
Aileen Pringle	...	Mrs. Anne Barker (uncredited)
Frank Puglia	...	Havana Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
John Qualen	...	Mr. Jenkins (uncredited)
Nina Quartero	...	Cuban Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Paul Rowan	...	Battleship (uncredited)
Helen Shipman	...	Ice Skater Whose Feet Hurt (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Poker Player with Pair of Jacks (uncredited)
Phillip Trent	...	Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Charles Trowbridge	...	Hal Harrington (uncredited)
Lucille Ward	...	Anna (uncredited)
Niles Welch	...	Tom Axel (uncredited)

Directed by
Clarence Brown

Writing credits
Faith Baldwin		(story)
Norman Krasna		(screenplay) &
John Lee Mahin		(screenplay) &
Alice Duer Miller		(screenplay)

Produced by
Clarence Brown	....	producer
Hunt Stromberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Herbert Stothart		(musical score by)
Edward Ward		(musical score by)

Cinematography by
Ray June		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Frank E. Hull

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
Adrian		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dorian	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
William A. Horning	....	associate art director
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dolly Tree	....	wardrobe

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Inc.)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #1989)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The sets of Van's office were also used in the anti-crime short The Public Pays (1936).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the wife sits down to breakfast she is wearing gloves. She is not as she is walking from the bedroom before, or after when she leaves the kitchen.

Quotes:

Simpson: [to maid] Whether Mr. Stanhope touches his trout or not is no concern of yours!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell (1993) (TV)

Soundtrack:

(Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag) and Smile, Smile, Smile!

Very close to a perfect movie

It goes without saying that the best Myrna Loy movies have William Powell - but this movie has enough cast that it can virtually throw away Jimmy Stewart and still carry you along with the strength of the character performances. Clark "Big Ears" Gable is not my favorite star, but he plays the role of the loving but thoughtless husband perfectly. He believably pulls off being shrewd in business, but naive enough of his personal life to be almost innocent while looking completely guilty.

Actually, it is the pair of leading ladies that makes this movie so great - Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow. Myrna is great in everything she does - and so is Harlow. Harlow is proof that the original is nearly always the best. Anyone who has ever enjoyed a Marilyn Monroe movie is simply watching second best - Harlow was the original "blonde bombshell" - and is still the best. Her usual forte is comedy, but she nails this light dramatic role perfectly. There are times when you don't know who to cheer for - the Wife or the Secretary - and that's the movie. The whole tension rides on which of these two ladies Gable chooses - or, rather, which one the audience wants him to choose. Myrna may have been the only actress who could have given Harlow a run for her money - and Harlow may have been the only one who could challenge Myrna Loy.

Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow teamed up in another movie - "Libeled Lady" - another tour de force of casting with William Powell and Spencer Tracy along for the ride. "Lady" is a very good movie; a comedy with both drawing room and slapstick elements. This type of comedy is usually more my cup of tea, but as good as "Lady" is, "Wife vs. Secretary" is better - mainly because "Lady" doesn't let Harlow bust loose until the end of the movie.

The light touch that these two great actresses bring to "Wife vs. Secretary" offsets one of the fundamental conflicts and tragedies of life - that though we are often presented with two paths in life, we can only choose one - knowing that we will always wonder about the other....