The Goose and the Gander

A silly but smoothly directed farce that throws together adultery, smallpox and jewel thieves acted by a game cast against the usual luxurious backdrops. Routine but fun.

Delightful comedy in which Kay Francis is a divorcee who devises a cunning plot to get her ex husband back from his new wife (Genevive Tobin) whom she overhears planning a rendezvous with another man (George Brent). Things get very complicated and several people end up pretending to be someone else, including a couple of jewel thieves. With all the complications, imposters etc, this film reminds me a bit of a story by P.G. Wodehouse, his books were always rich with imposters, and he had more than one jewel thieving couple. He could have written this entertaining tale, it even has a formidable elderly aunt (Helen Lowell). Great fun.

After Kay Francis retired from films, she was recognized. "Aren't you Kay Francis?" someone asked. She answered, "I was."

Certainly no one had risen higher than Francis and had stuck it out, even when Warners filled her scripts with words that had 'r' in them to play up her speech impediment, and even when she could only get roles at studios like Monogram and Republic. Tough isn't the word.

Here she's at the height of her career, very glamorous, in "The Goose and the Gander," from 1935. Besides Francis, the film features George Brent, Geraldine Tobin, John Eldredge, and Claire Dodd.

At a party, Georgiana (Francis), whose husband left her for another woman, overhears that woman (Tobin) planning a weekend affair with another man (Brent).

Georgiana puts together an complicated plot whereby the cheaters wind up at her house, and her ex comes over and catches them. The situation that brought them to her house (too complex to go into - it concerns no gas and a quarantine) brings another couple to her door - jewel thieves!

As others have pointed out, this was probably written during the precode era and rewritten to meet the Code. The only thing that confused me is that Brent and Tobin were going to spend the weekend together and present themselves to Georgiana as a married couple. So she naturally puts them in one bedroom. Tobin has a fit and forces Brent out onto the roof! What were they planning on doing on this weekend? Play cards? It made no sense, even though it was funny.

Very cute comedy, and Brent looks quite handsome. Nice to see Francis in something besides a turgid melodrama. She not only suffered well, but she had a nice comedic style.

Don't let the first ten minutes put you off. You might get the impression that it's going to be a stuffy drawing room comedy about people you're not going to like but you'd be wrong - it becomes an engaging and genuinely funny old fashioned farce.

The biggest revelation this picture gives you is that men's swimwear in the 30s was insanely ridiculous. The second revelation is that Kay Francis' dress could only exist in a world where gravity didn't exist - logically that shouldn't stay up! All that aside, this film after a slow start eventually turns into a charming silly comedy in the same vein as TOP HAT.

We've got a bunch of people stranded in a country house swapping bedrooms with the wrong partners, plots to break up a marriage, plots to save a marriage, plots to bring two people together, plots to steal diamonds and.... well it's not that important, just enjoy the trip.

OK, the first ten minutes doesn't shout out to you: this is going to be fun but stick with it because it really is. Kay Francis and George Brent were never going to win any Oscars but they are perfect in something light like this - they do make a great romantic couple. Likewise Genevieve Tobin, once you get used to the affected accent, also shows a real talent as for comedy whilst also adding a bit of class.

Overall it's put together perfectly. The script is tight, witty and fast, the acting natural and believable and the direction, although nothing spectacular is professional but most miraculously of all is that dress!

This is the best of the Kay Francis vehicles, and I had never heard of it before a couple days ago.

Kay is stylish, George Brent actually looks handsome. And there is a real plot, not just cutesy and/or tear-jerking posturing.

Married couples, formerly married couples. And -- a couple who are jewel thieves.

It zings along and is great, amusing, romantic fun.