After Office Hours (1935)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Laurence Stallings (story) and
Dale Van Every (story) ...

Release Date:

22 February 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

BEAUTY AND THE BOSS AND BUSINESS WAS PLEASURE! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Hard-hitting news editor Jim Branch falls for high-society type Sharon Norwood but can't get to first...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | High Society | New York City | Infidelity | Drunkenness

Cast

Constance Bennett	...	Sharon Norwood
Clark Gable	...	James 'Jim' Branch
Stuart Erwin	...	Hank Parr
Billie Burke	...	Mrs. Norwood
Harvey Stephens	...	Tommy Bannister
Katharine Alexander	...	Julia Patterson
Hale Hamilton	...	Henry King Patterson
Henry Travers	...	Cap
Henry Armetta	...	Italian Diner Owner
Charles Richman	...	Jordan
Herbert Bunston	...	Barlow, Norwood's Butler

Also Known As:

Adam Started It (USA) (working title)
Copy Cats (USA) (working title)
Sob Sister (USA) (working title)
Town Talk (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #593)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Sidney Lanfield was originally signed to direct.

Quotes:

Sharon Norwood: Why did you lie to me?
James 'Jim' Branch: If you were looking at what I'm looking at you'd know why I lied to you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome (1996)

Not bad once it gets started

Until the murder takes place, "After Office Hours" seems tired and boring with a stellar cast going to waste, but then it turns into a fairly decent romantic comedy murder yarn. Though it is always a delight to see Constance Bennett and Clark Gable on the screen, and together they do make a dynamic pair, the funniest lines come from Stu Erwin and William Demarest. The movie comes to life when the police detective (Demarest in an uncredited role)investigates the crime scene. Demarest steals the show and it becomes obvious why he went on to become one of Hollywood's leading character actors. The most hilarious part of the movie comes toward the end when Jim Branch (Gable) is doing his own investigation at the prime suspect's house. He has Hank Parr (Erwin)talk as loud as possible to see if his voice can be heard over the music coming from the Victrola upstairs. If you don't laugh at Stu Erwin's antics in this scene then you need to have your giggle box tested. It was pleasing to see Margaret Dumont, the butt of so many of Groucho's wisecracks in the Marx Brothers films, in a brief walk on part. She makes the most of the few seconds given her. Too bad she wasn't given a larger part.

Though this is no "It Happened One Night," it is entertaining with several cleverly written scenes highlighting the comic talents of Stu Erwin and William Demarest. Add the enchanting Constance Bennett, the always debonair Clark Gable, a tipsy Billie Burke and how can you go wrong?