Housewife (1934)

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writers:

Manuel Seff (screenplay) &
Lillie Hayward (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 August 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Nan Reynolds encourages her copywriter husband Bill to open his own agency. Nearly out of business, he finally gets a client...

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Judge | Infidelity | Romantic Rivalry | Divorce

Cast

George Brent	...	William Reynolds
Bette Davis	...	Patricia Berkeley
Ann Dvorak	...	Nan Reynolds
John Halliday	...	Paul Duprey
Ruth Donnelly	...	Dora Wilson
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	George Wilson
Robert Barrat	...	Sam Blake
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Krueger (as Joe Cawthorne)
Phil Regan	...	Radio Singer
Willard Robertson	...	Judge
Ronnie Cosby	...	Buddy Reynolds
Leila Bennett	...	Jenny
Harry Tyler	...	Mr. Simmons
Charles Coleman	...	Bolton

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #57) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Both Lee Phelps (Court Clerk) and Lester Dorr (Chauffeur) are in studio records/casting call lists for their roles, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie.

Quotes:

Patricia 'Pat' Berkeley: Well, I've done alright. I suddenly found out I had some brains and decided to use them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bette Davis: A Basically Benevolent Volcano (1983) (TV)

Soundtrack:

O sole mio

Bette Davis as the other woman in this otherwise routine domestic melodrama.

Until Bette Davis makes a play for George Brent, this film drags badly. Even then, there's little zip in the screenplay although it does become more interesting. Davis had a crush on Brent in high school but left for New York once he married Ann Dvorak, and now is hired as the chief advertising copywriter at the unheard of salary of $25,000 per year by the advertising firm where Brent works. (Brent earns $2,100 a year as office manager.) When Brent quits at the urging of Dvorak and starts his own firm, Davis is lured back to work for him and the trouble starts. This was the type of role Davis could eat up if it were in the hands of more capable screenwriters and the mores of the 30's permitted it. Then it might have been called "Homewrecker," with the emphasis on Davis rather than Dvorak. Still, it's fun to watch the stars and is a good example of an early Bette Davis film.