By Your Leave (1934)

In the midst of a mid-life crisis, Henry Smith convinces his wife, Ellen, that they should take separate one-week vacations, with no questions asked. He tries to sow some wild oats with a ... See full summary »

Director:

Lloyd Corrigan

Writers:

Gladys Hurlbut (play), Emma B.C. Wells (play),

Stars:

Frank Morgan, Genevieve Tobin, Neil Hamilton

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Frank Morgan	...	Henry Smith
Genevieve Tobin	...	Ellen Smith
Neil Hamilton	...	David Mackenzie
Marian Nixon	...	Andree
Glenn Anders	...	Freddie Wilkins
Gene Lockhart	...	Skeets
Margaret Hamilton	...	Whiffen
Betty Grable	...	Frances Gretchell
Charles Ray	...	Leonard Purcell
Lona Andre	...	Florence Purcell

Storyline

In the midst of a mid-life crisis, Henry Smith convinces his wife, Ellen, that they should take separate one-week vacations, with no questions asked. He tries to sow some wild oats with a show girl and a paid escort, while she reacquaints herself with a childhood friend, now a famous explorer. Both get more than they bargained for.

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Plot Keywords:

vacation | explorer | marriage | author | insurance | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1934 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 24 January 1934 and closed in February 1934 after 37 performances. The opening night cast included Howard Lindsay as Henry Smith and Dorothy Gish as Ellen Smith.

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Goofs

Glenn Anders' onscreen credits lists his character name as Freddie Wilkins, but he's called Freddie Clark throughout the movie.

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Soundtracks

"Far Above Cayuga's Waters"
(ca 1870) (uncredited)
(Cornell University's alma mater)
Music (from the song "Annie Lisle") by H.S. Thompson (1857)
Lyrics by Archibald Croswell-Weeks and Wilmot Moses Smith (ca 1870)
Sung a cappella by Gene Lockhart

User Reviews

Frank Morgan in innocuous RKO programmer...

One of the pleasures of my movie-going life is to watch FRANK MORGAN in just about anything. His well established mannerisms gave many an MGM film a lift, particularly in the '30s and '40s, but here he's doing a job for RKO under Pandro S. Berman's auspices and his lovable presence is somewhat ill served by a less than original script.

But even a mild programmer like this has some compensations. MARGARET HAMILTON plays a nosy maid influenced by astrology and a platinum-haired BETTY GRABLE makes a brief appearance in one of her early starlet roles. But the story revolves around the "seven year itch" aspect of Frank Morgan's marriage and his own inability to accept the fact that he's middle-aged. GENEVIEVE TOBIN makes no particular impression as his understanding wife who reluctantly accepts the idea that they take a vacation from marriage. NEIL HAMILTON has virtually little to do as her romantic interest.

It's Morgan's restless, blustery performance that carries the film, but there's not much plot to carry. Based on a play, it's a theme better handled years later in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH.