The Affairs of Martha (1942)

Members of a well-to-do small community become worried when it is revealed that one of their maids is writing a telling exposé.

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (original screenplay "Once Upon a Thursday"), Lee Gold (original screenplay "Once Upon a Thursday")

Stars:

Marsha Hunt, Richard Carlson, Marjorie Main

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marsha Hunt	...	Martha Lindstrom
Richard Carlson	...	Jeff Sommerfield
Marjorie Main	...	Mrs. McKissick
Virginia Weidler	...	Miranda Sommerfield
Spring Byington	...	Sophia Sommerfield
Allyn Joslyn	...	Joel Archer
Frances Drake	...	Sylvia Norwood
Barry Nelson	...	Danny O'Brien
Melville Cooper	...	Dr. Clarence Sommerfield
Inez Cooper	...	Mrs. Jacell
Sara Haden	...	Mrs. Justin I. Peacock
Margaret Hamilton	...	Guinevere
Ernest Truex	...	Llewellyn Castle
Cecil Cunningham	...	Mrs. Llewellyn Castle
William B. Davidson	...	Homer Jacell

Storyline

The town gossips are reporting that a household servant in exclusive Rocky Point is writing an expose of the colony. Mrs. Sophia Sommerfield is convinced it can't be either one of her maids, Martha Lindstrom or Mrs. McKessic, although, unknown to Sophia, she is totally unaware that her son, Jeff, is married to Martha. At the moment, Jeff wants a divorce so he can marry another woman. The book comes out and Sophia is relieved to find that Martha's book does not reveal Sophia's fondness for reading "true-confession" magazines, nor mention that Sophia's young daughter, Mirand, writers her club reports for Sophia. Other items are cleaned up, also.

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Plot Keywords:

maid | book | club | colony | true confessions magazine | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sua Criada Obrigada

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:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Patroling Beach Cleaner: If you folks ain't got nothin' to do, maybe you'd like to fish. I got a lot of tackle.
Jeff Sommerfield: Thanks, but we're just trying to talk.
Patroling Beach Cleaner: Well, all right, but I got a hunch they're bitin'. Sure you won't change your mind? cuz after you get old, you got a lot of time to talk.
Jeff Sommerfield: Let's get out of here.

User Reviews

screwball comedy based on play, lots of stars

We open with a narrator describing the quiet, calm life in Rock Bay, where even the horses wear silencers on their hooves to keep the peace. Then we're in the dining rooms of high society, where we find out that SOMEONE's maid has a written a "Tell-all" book about the private goings on in town... Keep an eye out for Spring Byington as the high-society Mrs. Sommerfield, and Margaret Hamilton in a smaller role a couple years after Gone With the Wind.... Grady Sutton is in here as Justin Peacock Jr (he made all those films with W.C. Fields). The awesome Marjorie Main was Ma Kettle, and also a major role in "The Women", is in here as Mrs. McKessic; Virginia Weidler is the daughter Miranda Sommerfield... you may remember her as "Mary", also from "The Women". The real story here is the class war where the maids all gather together, and the society women band together to find out who has written the book, and decide what to do about it. With that collection of stars, this one should be great, but as of September 2009, only 89 votes and 3 plot comments on IMDb. The lesser known Marsha Hunt stars in this MGM short, but it's really an ensemble film. Fun, wacky, screenplay by Isobel Lennart, who also wrote the screenplay for Funny Girl, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Anchors Aweigh, and soooo many more big time films. You can tell this was originally a play, with all the fast, clever talking. Excellent clear photography and sound. Directed by Jules Dassin, who had worked with Hitchcock. He apparently worked in France after being part of the McCarthy hearings, and was quite successful.