Wife vs. Secretary (1936)

The wife of a publishing executive mistakenly believes that her husband's relationship with his attractive secretary is more than professional.

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Norman Krasna (screen play), John Lee Mahin (screen play),

Stars:

Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clark Gable	...	Van
Jean Harlow	...	Whitey
Myrna Loy	...	Linda
May Robson	...	Mimi
George Barbier	...	Underwood
James Stewart	...	Dave
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Joe
Tom Dugan	...	Finney
Gilbert Emery	...	Simpson
Marjorie Gateson	...	Eve Merritt
Gloria Holden	...	Joan Carstairs

Storyline

Magazine publisher Van Stanhope is a hard-working, dynamic executive very happily married to his beautiful wife Linda. Although their relationship is is built on unconditional trust, friends caution her about the dangers of allowing Whitey, her husband's extremely sexy secretary, to continue to have access to him. Even Van's mother warns Linda that Van's father philandered during their marriage, and Van, like all men, will eventually succumb to opportunity and temptation. Although Whitey has a faithful boyfriend, she secretly harbors unrequited feelings for her boss. When they take business trip to Havana, circumstantial evidence convinces Linda that the rumors she's heard may have a basis in fact.

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Plot Keywords:

secretary | magazine | publisher | business trip | marriage | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seine Sekretärin

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of one of the screenwriters, Alice Duer Miller, is seen as the author of an article in a magazine, and Clark Gable remarks, "Hey, Alice has written a very nice article here."

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Goofs

When the wife sits down to breakfast she is wearing gloves. She is not as she is walking from the bedroom before, or after when she leaves the kitchen.

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Quotes

Joan Carstairs: There's an old Chinese proverb that says if you want to keep a man honest, never call him a liar.

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Connections

References A Message to Garcia (1936)

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Soundtracks

"Thank You for a Lovely Evening"
(1934) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Jimmy McHugh
Sung a cappella by Clark Gable and by Myrna Loy
Played at the party and danced to by the guests
Played as background music often

User Reviews

"I'm the best, aren't I?"

This is a perfect little film, absolutely well-rounded and exquisite. Beautifully scripted, intelligently directed, ebulliently acted.

Clark Gable is the successful publisher, newly married to society lady Myrna Loy who, although very modern and not jealously disposed, begins to suspect that he is carrying on an affair with his bleach-blonde secretary, Jean Harlow. As Gable's mother states, laconically of her son, "You wouldn't blame a boy for stealing a piece of candy".

All fluff, right? Light as air, unsubstantial? Of course it is, it takes masters of their craft to make this plot stick, to make the movie plain unforgettable. Gable was never better, he seems to relish every second he is on screen, and there is none of the masculine stiffness about him that his worst performances have. He is a joy to watch with the always delightful Loy, their scenes together bristle and self-combust, and they are a really sweet, engaging couple. Loy has to be the most sophisticated creature ever to be filmed, she is SO cool and contemporary ("I'm the best, aren't I?", she says with just the slightest sardonic hint.) Harlow isn't given as much to work with, and she has to downplay her sassy sexiness in order not to tip the scales. But she is still almost all Harlow, and they go as far as they possibly could under the Production Code. The scene with Harlow and Gable in the Havana hotel room is all about sex, as we are left in no doubt.

So, watch it and love it. It is as perfect a piece of 30's film-making as you are likely to see.