First Lady (1937)

Director:

Stanley Logan

Writers:

George S. Kaufman (play) and
Katharine Dayton (play) ...

Release Date:

4 December 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

As presidential election time approaches in Washington it is the women behind the scenes who seem to be making the decisions. |

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Society | Rivalry | Supreme Court | Patriotism

Cast

Kay Francis	...	Lucy Chase Wayne
Preston Foster	...	Stephen Wayne
Anita Louise	...	Emmy Page
Walter Connolly	...	Carter Hibbard
Verree Teasdale	...	Irene Hibbard
Victor Jory	...	Senator Gordon Keane
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Belle Hardwick
Marjorie Gateson	...	Sophy Prescott
Louise Fazenda	...	Mrs. Lavinia Mae Creevey
Henry O'Neill	...	Judge George Mason
Grant Mitchell	...	Ellsworth T. Banning
Eric Stanley	...	Senator Tom Hardwicke
Lucile Gleason	...	Mrs. Mary Ives (as Lucille Gleason)
Sara Haden	...	Mrs. Mason
Harry Davenport	...	Charles

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3395)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

First Lady (1935). Comedy. Written by Katharine Dayton and George S. Kaufman. Directed by George S. Kaufman. Music Box Theatre: 26 Nov 1935- Jun 1936 (closing date unknown/246 performances). Cast: Jane Cowl (as "Lucy Chase Wayne"), Florenz Ames, Don Beddoe (as "Jason Fleming"), Leslie Bingham, Isis Brinn, Helen Brooks, Jessie Busley, Lily Cahill, Armand Cortes (as "Senor Ortega"), Frank Dae (as "George Mason"), Thomas Findlay, Ruth Hovey, Bradford Hunt, Naoe Kondo, Charles La Rue, Judson Laire, Donald McKenzie, Lillian Norton, Daniel Ocko, George Parsons, Diantha Pattison (as "Sophy"), Susan Powers, Stanley Ridges (as "Stephen Wayne"), Margherita Sargent, James Seeley, John M. Troughton, Rita Vale (as "Ann Forrester"), Regina Wallace, Ethel Wilson, Hon. Wu, Oswald Yorke (as "Cater Hibbard"). Produced by Sam Harris. Note: FIlmed by Warner Brothers in 1937 as a Kay Francis vehicle.

Soundtrack:

Yankee Doodle

Not the Washington of Today (or ever, really)

A very dated but still amusing political comedy, "First Lady" showcases Kay Francis's great comedic talent as the wife of a secretary of state destined, in her view, for the White House once presided over by her grandpa. The screen text as the film begins to roll alerts viewers to the "fact" that men control politics but behind the scenes the ladies are not without influence. Dated! But funny!

A comedy of machinations and quick-witted dialogue, "First Lady" is a period piece and it's fun to see how the filmmakers of the late 30s fantasized a Washington that never was. This must have been a nice distraction as America inched out of the Depression and moved closer to global war. It's good entertainment today.