The Warrior's Husband (1933)

Director:

Walter Lang

Writers:

Walter Lang (writer)
Sonya Levien (writer)

Release Date:

28 April 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Matriarchy | Greek | Amazon | Prehistoric | Female Dominated Society

Cast

Elissa Landi	...	Antiope
David Manners	...	Theseus
Ernest Truex	...	Sapiens
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lionel Belmore	...	Homer
Claudia Coleman	...	Heroica
Maude Eburne	...	Buria
Ferdinand Gottschalk	...	Sapiens Sr.
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Hippolyta
Tiny Sandford	...	Hercules
Helen Ware	...	Pomposia

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The Warrior's Husband (1932) Comedy (revival). Written by Julian Thompson. Incidental music by Richard Malaby. Directed by Burk Symon. Morosco Theatre: 11 Mar 1932- May 1932 (closing date unknown/63 performances). Cast: Eve Bailey, Paula Bauersmith, Don Beddoe (as "Homer"), Bertha Belmore, Arthur Bowyer, Arthur Brady, Romney Brent (as "Sapiens"), Thaddeus Clancy, Rose Dresser, Barbara Dugan, Theodosia Dusanne, Harriet Eells, Jerry Feagin, Helene Fontaine, Agnes George, Dorothy Fowler Gillam, Porter Hall, Nancy Hamilton, Katharine Hepburn (as "Antiope"), Edna Holland, Colin-Keith Johnston, Walter Levin, Randolph Leyman, Irby Marshall (as "Hippolyta"), Frances Newbaker, Al Ochs (as "Hercules"), Avalon Plummer, Rita Rheinfrank, Nina Romano, Miriam Schiller, Theodore St. John, Mary Stuart, Dorothy Walters, Clara Waring, Jane Wheatley. Produced by Harry Moses.

Soundtrack:

Amazon Blues

An irreverent glance at the Theseus/Amazon Greek myth

"The Warrior's Husband" as a broadway play was an early and successful vehicle for Katharine Hepburn. Alas, when she went to Hollywood soon after she did not appear in the film version. Instead we got Elissa Landi. Alas, also, this film appears to be lost. It is not listed in any film database except IMDB and has not appeared on TV or video cassette to my knowledge. I saw it as a 12 year old and remember it as very funny. Only later did I come to realize that it was a very irreverent and satirical look at a number of topics under the guise of retelling the Theseus/Amazon legend. There was something to offend almost any bluenose of 1933, including homosexuality, militarism, male egotism, family values, or you name it. Probably this was the reason for its disappearance, for it reached the screen just before the Production Code began to be rigidly enforced. The plot involves Antiope, sister to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and Theseus, who arrives in Amazon country, apparently wife seeking, only to get an arrow in his shield. In the course of his courting we get a view of Amazon life as girlish looking men lodge complaints against brawny lady warriors for sexual harassment, and so on. In literature based on the Greek myths, Antiope and Hippolyta are often confused. In the generally accepted version, Theseus took Antiope back to Athens as his queen, but Shakespeare in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" has Hippolyta as the lucky lady. It is certainly a pity that this very amusing satirical movie appears to have been utterly lost.