Ex-Lady (1933)

Director:

Robert Florey

Writers:

David Boehm (writer)
Edith Fitzgerald (story)

Release Date:

15 May 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

So frank . . so outspoken... so true...

Plot:

Commercial artist Helen Bauer believes marriage kills romance. She lives with advertising writer Don Peterson...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Artist | Advertising | Free Love | Opera Singer

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Helen Bauer
Gene Raymond	...	Don Peterson
Frank McHugh	...	Hugo Van Hugh
Monroe Owsley	...	Nick Malvyn
Claire Dodd	...	Iris Van Hugh
Kay Strozzi	...	Peggy Smith
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	Mr. Herbert Smith
Alphonse Ethier	...	Mr. Adolphe Bauer, Helen's Father
Bodil Rosing	...	Helen's Mother

Runtime:

67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Vitaphone Corporation, The

Trivia:

Edith Fitzgerald's and Robert Riskin's story was actually an unproduced play copyrighted 1 July 1930.

Quotes:

Nick Malvyn: I won't marry you.
Helen Bauer: Is that a promise?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Untitled

Woman's lib before its time.

Bette Davis portrays a woman that does not want to sacrifice her career for a man.She's a very modern woman for the time and the conclusion is rather daring :a couple is not ideally the best thing but for lack of anything better.In "Jules et Jim" ,thirty years later ,François Truffault would say the same.

As for the film itself,it's a big bore.There's nothing really witty or funny in the endless dialog between Davis and her husband .I almost fell asleep while watching it.Bette Davis is a superior actress,but she needs worthy material to work with.One wonders why someone would choose this,among all her great parts.