Misbehaving Husbands (1940)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

William Beaudine

Writers:

Cea Sabin (story)
Vernon Smith (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 December 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

The owner of a department store is threatened with divorce by his wife, who has gotten reports that he's been seen in the arms of a beautiful blonde on the night of their 20th wedding anniversary. He has to find a way to convince her that the "beautiful blonde" in question was actually a store mannequin that he was taking in for repairs. |

Plot Keywords:

Mannequin | Anniversary | Divorce | Department Store | Jail

Cast

Harry Langdon	...	Henry Butler
Betty Blythe	...	Effie Butler
Ralph Byrd	...	Bob Grant
Esther Muir	...	Grace Norman
Gayne Whitman	...	Gilbert Wayne
Florence Wright	...	Nan Blake
Luana Walters	...	Jane Forbes
Frank Jaquet	...	Wilbur Drake
Charlotte Treadway	...	Clara Drake
Gig Young	...	Floor Walker (as Byron Barr)
Frank Hagney	...	Gooch Mulligan
Hennie Brown	...	Opal
Billy Mitchell	...	Memphis
Fred Kelsey	...	Sergeant Murphy
Mary MacLaren	...	Gossiping Friend

Also Known As:

Dummy Husbands (USA) (working title)
Dummy Trouble (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Producers Releasing Corporation

Trivia:

Shot in 15 days.

Movie Connections:

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

A delightful period piece

Misbehaving Husbands is a delightful period comedy that is well worth a look. Harry Langdon is Henry Butler, the owner of a department store about to have a big annual sale and it's all that he can think of. In fact, it's made him forget his wedding anniversary, This will, of course, lead to trouble, especially under the influence of his wife Effie's newly divorced friend. When a series of mishaps is misinterpreted by almost everyone concerned, a divorce is threatening in the Butler household. A shady divorce lawyer enters the picture and hell breaks loose.

What happens after this would be impossible today as this movie is rooted in its time as surely as a restoration comedy is in its time. Henry and Effie Butler's mores are set squarely in the 30's, but Langdon's picture of the work-a-holic store owner is convincing because he plays it straight. He walks through the story like an innocent and comes out the end just about as innocent, whereas his wife Effie (Betty Blythe) comes out a little wiser in the end. The allusions to Three's Company are a bit misleading. This is more like I Love Lucy minus the Spanish accent and the scenery chewing. It is definitely situation comedy. but Langdon makes it work with his deft portrayal of the bumbling but effective Henry.

This movie is too short to be a main feature and probably was then, but it must have been a great curtain raiser then. Now, it certainly rates an hour of our time.