Envy (1930)

Two bored couples think they can find happiness if they exchange spouses for the evening.

Director:

Arthur Hurley

Writer:

Geoffrey Kerry (story)

Stars:

Madge Evans, Eric Dressler, Romney Brent

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Madge Evans	...	Helen
Eric Dressler	...	Jimmy
Romney Brent	...	George Parker

Storyline

Helen and Jimmy have invited Rose and George over for an evening of bridge. Before their guests' arrival, Helen and Jimmy are arguing about the sorry state of their relationship, they believing that Rose and George are the perfect couple. Helen wants Jimmy to be more like George, while Jimmy wants Helen to be more like Rose. What they are unaware of is that Rose and George too are unhappy about their relationship, which they want to be more like "perfect" Helen and Jimmy. Instead of playing bridge, Helen, in the ruse of a party game, manages to maneuver the foursome into two boy-girl couples, Helen with George, and Rose with Jimmy. The winner of this party game is the couple who is the most amused by the end of the evening. Helen and Jimmy and Rose and George will truly discover if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

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Plot Keywords:

couple | vitaphone varieties | wife swapping

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1930 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vitaphone Corporation, The, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

9 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vitaphone reel #1125.

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Soundtracks

"Painting the Clouds with Sunshine"
(uncredited)
Music by Joseph Burke
Played on the piano by both husbands

User Reviews

A One-dimensional Skit

Consider this a bit of fluff, a skit in a comedy program. One bored couple anticipates a visit from another. To each couple, the other seems to be having more Public Displays of Affection; "the grass is greener." On a lark, they set aside their card game for a "new" game: trading partners and having fun. Nothing more than arms around waists and sweet talk, but each couple sets out to convince the other couple that their new coupling is having more PDA. Interesting for the flapper outfits and 'dos. In the end, they're back where they started, not having learned a thing from the experiment.