Hired Wife

Stephen Dexter (Brian Aherne) owns a big company and has never paid his very competent personal secretary, Kendal (Rosalind Russell), a moment's notice. Instead, he is suddenly interested in a blonde, Phyllis (Virginia Bruce) and Kendal is not happy. But instead of saying anything, she tries to sabotage the relationship. This SHOULD have convinced Stephen that Kendal had the hots for him when he discovers this, but despite being good in business, he is an idiot when it comes to women.

A bit later, the idiot Stephen learns that his company is vulnerable to a possible hostile takeover. So, to save his butt, he realizes he could hide many of his assets if he gets married and proposed a very business-like arrangement with Kendal--marry him but it will be in name only. Not exactly Mr. Romance, huh? Well, Kendal agrees...but also has plans of her own and they DON'T involve just getting married for his convenience...and he realizes this when she suddenly refuses to grant him a divorce! And, in those days, that meant he was in serious trouble!

While I liked this film, I did not love it and have seen similar sorts of movies from the era that worked better. What is the big problem? Well, the ending (which is a foregone conclusion) comes way too abruptly. It seemed almost like the director realized the film was running on long enough and just decided to wrap it up and call it a day! Enjoyable...but nothing more.

I saw this film for the first time tonight on Turner Classic Movies. As a fan of films of this period, I had never heard of it. As a fan of Rosalind Russell, I was surprised that I had never seen it mentioned in essays or articles about her career.

Brian Ahearn was OK, but Russell is her comic best here, much as she is, of course, in "His Girl Friday".

Another spark in this comedy is the always reliable Robert Benchley as Brian Ahearn's attorney and friend of many years. He is vintage Benchley, with the droll line uttered with a poker face, a sly double take, and more than one sequence involving snoring and talking in his sleep....the sort of comedic genius which Benchley is remembered for.

Very enjoyable.

The same year Myrna Loy had to invent a fake husband in order to save her professional career in Third Finger, Left Hand, Brian Aherne had to participate in a sham marriage to save his company in Hired Wife. While the two movies aren't exactly similar, there are similarities that make them both delightful. Whichever one you watch first, you won't think the other's a copycat; instead, you'll just want to make your evening a double feature!

Brian's a successful businessman who gets spring fever every year with a different blonde. His faithful and capable secretary, Rosalind Russell, is in love with him. She sees the flings come and go, and she's not above lending a hand to help them go faster. When his company is in jeopardy, his lawyer Robert Benchley suggests the only way to save it is to get married and put every asset in his wife's name. Brian wants to propose to his current sweetie-pie, Virginia Bruce, so he sends Roz while he tends to the paperwork. Roz isn't keen to see him marry another woman, so she just might louse up the proposal on purpose!

This movie is so delightful, it's bound to make a Rosalind Russell fan out of her biggest critic. I've never liked her very much, but she's very cute in this movie. It's not a screwball comedy, but it's smart and savvy with enough humor to have you laughing at every minute. Brian is handsome, clueless, forgiving, and hilarious; why else would Roz go through so much trouble to land him? For a very funny evening, or a perfect matinee day, check out Hired Wife.

"Hired Wife" is a very funny 1940 comedy romance with a sterling cast. But, with this cast and the plot, it should and could have been a great comedy. The front and back parts have some hilarious dialog. The problem with the middle section is too much time devoted to Stephen wining and dining Phyllis Walden, with very little humor. That could have been greatly condensed and then have a couple of instances toward the beginning with Kendal helping get Stephen out of some gold-digger relationships. One can just imagine the humorous dialog there could be here with Kendal. But for that slow middle section, this could have been among the very best comedy films.

Rosalind Russell is Kendal, the private secretary and behind-the-scenes manager who keeps the Dexter Cement company afloat. Her bachelor boss isn't inept, but isn't very good at handling things when he lapses into one of his overboard infatuations. Kendal bides her time until the day she hopes he'll open his eyes and fall for her. Brian Aherne's Stephen Dexter isn't a wolf or playboy, but a guy who romanticizes about romance. He's looking for the right girl, and every so often he falls for some damsel, who turns out to be a gold-digger. So, Kendal gets him out of the jam. That's the setting when this film opens, and the boss has just returned from a trip.

Robert Benchley is Roger Van Horn, the Dexter Company attorney. And John Carroll is José de Briganza, a long-time acquaintance of Kendal's. They contribute a lot of the humor. Since Kendal mostly runs the business, when Stephen flips over his latest heart-throb, she hires José to run interference - in the form of luring Phyllis away from Stephen. Benchley is a hoot as Van Horn. One of scenes that had me laughing so hard had the three leads together when Roger sends Kendal to go packing her bags. Stephen asks where she's going, and she says to his house. Stephen says, "My house, my house?" And Roger comes back with a reply about "Your house, house" and more. Because Benchley was a humorist, including writing for magazines and newspapers columns, I wondered if this wasn't an ad lib on his part in the film, and it was so funny that Universal kept it in.

Aherne and Russell were in three other comedies together. While they were all very good, they weren't among the best of the comedies for either one. Two of Brian Aherne's films are among the best comedies of all time, and seven of Roz Russell's comedies area among the best of all time.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Stephen Dexter, "Mac. I want a new campaign. And it must be warm, and it must be human." Kendal Browning, "The cement you love to touch." Stephen, "Yes, uh, the cem... you love... no, no, no. I mean we must make our cement stand out - give it personality."

Kendal Browning, "I'll tell you what you could do - you could perfume it."

Kendal Browning, "I think you've got something there - Little Annie Cement, that'd be kinda cute."

Stephen Dexter, looking at the billboard on the building opposite his office window, "Kendal, uh, who is that girl?" Kendal Browning, "Well, I don't know her name, but her face in on the canned tomatoes I use."

Stephen Dexter, "Get ahold of her. I'll see her myself." Kendall Browning, going out the door, "Wouldn't it be easier and quicker to pay her off right now?"

Kendal Browning, "If you're sure this is the real thing, my blessings, Stephen. I won't try and stop you. I'm through." Stephen Dexter, "What? Y, yo, you're not going to leave me with all this work...."

Kendal Browning, "I'm not through working for you. I'm just through caring what you do outside office hours." Stephen Dexter, "Mmm, well that's better." Kendal, "For me, not for you."

Roger van Horn, "All you've got to do is marry someone. It doesn't make any difference who she is or what she is. Of course, it would be better if she was a girl you could trust. But all she's really got to do is say, 'I do.'" They both look at Kendal. Stephen Dexter, "Kendall, whatta you say?" Kendal Browning, "I do."

Kendall Browning, "I wish I could afford to strangle you."

Roger Van Horn, "Well, Kendal, you better go home and start parking." Stephen Dexter, "You going away?" Kendall Browning, "Oh, heh, your attorney advised me to move." Stephen, "Move? Where?" Kendal, "Your house." Stephen, "My house? My house!" Roger, "Naturally your house, your house. Would Kendal move into my house, my house?" Stephen, "She's capable of anything."

Stephen Dexter, "What are you doing to me now?" Kendal Browning, "Not to you - for you."

Kendal Browning, "What's this item, one cockatoo?" José de Briganza, waving one hand behind his head, "You know, cockatoo?" Kendal, "Yeah, I know what they are, but what I wanna know is how do you use them in making love?" Jose, "Phyllis want one for the pet, so I give her the bird." Kendal, "Oh, that's all right by me. But, uh, José, $75 for one bird." Joseé, "It talks." Kendal, "For that amount of money it ought a read, write and vote."

Roger Van Horn, after Kendal makes a racket to wake him up, "Hey, cut that out. I'm asleep." Kendal Browning, to Stephen, "Ask grandma - he was in the house all night." Roger, "Oh, go to bed."

Stephen Dexter, "Roger, get me a divorce." Roger Van Horn, "You mind waiting until morning?" Stephen, "How soon can I get one?" Roger, "Well, is Kendal willing?" Kendal Browning, "Uh, no." Roger, "Well, if she fights..." Kendal, "She will." Roger, "Then it'll take years." Stephen, "Years?" Roger, "Five years. You're best chance is to disappear and be given up for dead. Course, it's just a curbstone opinion."

Haven't even watched the whole thing yet, but there are a few ways I know I will like it. One, it's a movie made in the Golden age of Hollywood - and even the so-called bad movies from that. Are good compared to some movies of today. There really was no such thing as a truly bad movie from that time. Two, it's a romance, and romance is always good. And three, it's Rosalind Russell! Anything starring Rosalind Russell usually hits the spot with me.

So, I'm looking forward to enjoying this - because I know I will!

Update: I was right! I really like this! It's such a simple movie, that you need to be in a simple mindset and in a lazy mood to really enjoy it. But this is a good, lazy afternoon or late night getting ready for bed movie. It just puts you in a easy going, worry free mood, because you just know that everyone is going to be okay in the end. And this is the feeling that you come away with, when watching a light movie like this. Thank God for them! This movie had a way of making me believe in love more as well. Anything that can do that is a good thing!

And Rosalind Russell does her best Mae West voice in this movie a lot of the time. She is so fun to watch on screen, and her voice is a character all in its own! No wonder she's one of my favorites - all at once sophisticated, and comical. One of the best!