Day-Time Wife (1939)

When a young wife discovers her husband of two years is involved with his beautiful secretary, she applies for a job as secretary to a business rival.

Director:

Gregory Ratoff

Writers:

Art Arthur (screen play), Robert Harari (screen play),

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Warren William

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tyrone Power	...	Ken Norton
Linda Darnell	...	Jane
Warren William	...	Bernard Dexter
Binnie Barnes	...	Blanche
Wendy Barrie	...	Kitty
Joan Davis	...	Miss Applegate
Joan Valerie	...	Mrs. Dexter
Leonid Kinskey	...	Coco
Mildred Gover	...	Melbourne
Renie Riano	...	Miss Briggs

Storyline

When Jane Norton inadvertently discovers that Ken, her husband of two years, is dallying with his beautiful secretary, she decides to turn the tables by applying for a job as secretary to philandering architect Barney Dexter, an associate of her husband. Despite cynical advice from her friend Blanche, a three-time divorcée, Jane stays one step ahead of the amorous Dexter and uses Ken's jealousy to get him to renounce his extra-marital indiscretions.

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Plot Keywords:

secretary | architect | jealousy | marriage | nightclub | 

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Taglines:

He had someone on the side, so did she!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Csintalan férjek

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Loretta Young rejected the female lead, refusing the get the second billing.

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Quotes

Bernard 'Barney' Dexter: I'd like you to think of me as a sort of an... an ineligible eligible bachelor.

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Connections

Referenced in Myra Breckinridge (1970)

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Soundtracks

"Moonlight Serenade"
(1939) (uncredited)
Music by Glenn Miller
Lyrics by Mitchell Parish
Background music at the Sheepshead Bay restaurant

User Reviews

Roving Husband, Roving Wife

Day-Time Wife starred Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell together for the first time, they went on to do two more films and much better ones, The Mark Of Zorro and Blood And Sand. Look very closely at Darnell she was only 16 at the time playing a relatively new bride with only two years of marriage under her belt. Back then Darnell's mother added a couple of years to her resume so she would be hired and it worked. In fact this was only Linda Darnell's second feature film all together.

The story involves the age old gambit of the spouse starting to suspect the husband is cheating on her. In this case Darnell has a candidate with the flirtatious Wendy Barrie who is Ty's secretary and would love to have him nail her. Darnell also has a confidante in the older much married Binnie Barnes who is functioning as Eve Arden here. She feeds Darnell's suspicions with a good wisecrack or three.

So Linda goes out in the working world and becomes a secretary to another man with a roving eye, Warren William. Of course that Power and William are business associates she doesn't know and finds out after she's taken the job. That's when the film gets interesting.

Joan Davis is in Day-Time Wife as the receptionist at William's office and she's somewhat subdued and a bit wasted here. Her zaniness was not all that in evidence.

Day-Time Wife will never make the list of best screwball comedies of the era nor of the top ten films of Tyrone Power or Linda Darnell. Still it's a pleasant and none too taxing diversion for the viewer.