The Affairs of Martha

An affluent Long Island community is thrown into a panic: word is out that a maid is writing a "kitchen's-eye view" of her employers.

Marsha Hunt stars as Martha, the family maid who doesn't really mean to cause a big ruckus. Richard Carlson is the scientist son who unexpectedly returns home from studies abroad—and it's quickly obvious that he and Martha share a sensitive secret.

Carlson and Hunt are quite good—both give unassuming performances as characters who are just slightly offbeat.

Superb character actors in colorful roles fill out the rest of the cast: Marjorie Main is at her best as the boisterous cook who rounds up all the cooks and maids on the block for a strategy session. Virginia Weidler is fine as the young daughter who says, "Every now and then I get a feeling something's going on I don't know about." Spring Byington and Melville Cooper are the mildly eccentric mother and father. Allyn Joslyn is the sharp-witted publisher of the book-in-progress. And Barry Nelson is hilarious as the delivery boy who attempts to romance Martha (Main calls him a "pantry Casanova").

No single character dominates but the entire cast is colorful and clever; the witty script gives just about everyone something funny to say and contains just enough plot to offer a few twists: It's surprising, funny and sweet.

–Oh, and Margaret Hamilton, three years removed from Oz, has one hilarious line during the maids' and cooks' discussion of their employers: "You don't know how bad those witches can get once they get moving," she says.

Amazing rom-com with socio-political overtones reminiscent of today. Spritely discussions of class both behind and in front the lower-class and higher-class subjects. Touches on marriage, publishing and false assumptions. Marsha Hunt shows her talent as being the dutiful maid, spurned wife, and eligible bachelorette.

The film begins with a small but very rich town all abuzz because a story appears in the newspaper that one of their servants has written a "tell all" novel. Most of the folks are worried that their own secrets and peccadilloes will be exposed, so everyone seems to be keyed up to say the least.

The film then centers on a particular household where Marjorie Main and Marsha Hunt are employed. Unbeknownst to all, sweet Marsha is the author, but no one seems to suspect her in particular. Later, when her boss' son (Richard Carlson) returns from an anthropological expedition, a MAJOR romantic mess is revealed and much of the rest of the film is a cute romantic comedy where it soon is apparent that these two have some unfinished business! The writing, acting and pacing of this little film are all excellent--resulting in a very nice and very watchable film. Considering the modest expectations of this low-budget film, it is a considerable success.

Martha, you sly puss. All those secrets! All those guys! What a juggling act.

Wolfercooler? Not sure of the spelling, but since it was made up on the quick, guess it really doesn't matter. Great stuff. Anytime you see Miranda (Virginia Weidler) by any other name, you know there's going to be fun. Poor Sylvia. She would have her troubles snagging one, and now that she finally does … Darn. Wonder where she went from there? Oh well, there are a lot of men that need managing out there.

We had all kinds of merry maids in this - a German wonder, the pert little minx, a couple of war horses like Ms. Main and even the wicked witch from Oz ("maid" Guinevere) (Margaret Hamilton).

Didn't Mrs. Jacel (Irene Cooper) resemble Hedy Lamarr, sitting there at the breakfast table in her peignoir? And who sort of slid out of the room when hubby mentions they didn't have any spicy secrets to worry about.

And Barry Nelson, just trying to make good here. His specialty seemed to be tugging at apron strings. Notice that?

"Mother knows best" says father Melville Cooper to daughter as Mom Byington feigns a fainting spell to withdraw from a dinner party disaster. Not long after, she really does faint with the next one. (Even the hostess with the mostest has her limits!) Great scene there around the table. Sara Haden, always interesting, very persistent in trying to get to the bottom of this telltale book business. Three-fourths are trying to open up the subject, with one-fourth trying to close it down. One has to wonder if there was any successful digestion that evening. (Didn't you hate to see all those squabs go to waste like that!)

How about the blonde trio with the revolving heads.

Why didn't that family have a snappy little dog getting underfoot in the middle of all the muddles? The only thing missing

"The Affairs of Martha" (1942) is a good illustration of how even a dream cast and solid directing cannot transform a weak script into anything more than a very average production. Imagine having the luxury of Marsha Hunt as your leading lady and female love interest; surround her with some of the best comic character actors of the era (Virginia Weidler, Marjorie Main, Margaret Hamilton, Spring Byington, and Grady Sutton); finally throw in Richard Carlson's best ever performance. Any movie buff would expect quite a treat from this ensemble.

In writer Isobel Lennart's defense, Weidler was miscast; what are hilarious lines coming from a precocious 11-year-old (for which the part was written and for which Weidler would have been perfect a few years earlier) just don't work coming from a 15-year-old actress who looks even older. Following this film with several similar disasters Weidler retired from the business.

Contrary to the plot summary, young housekeeper Martha Linddstrom's soon to be published book is not the real focus of the film. It is a romantic comedy much like "Bringing Up Baby", and could have benefited from a few of that film's screwball elements. Jeff Sommerfield (Carlson) returns home from a long absence with his new fiancée Sylvia in tow. Jeff does not reckon on the continued presence of Martha (Marsha Hunt) in his parent's household. Just prior to his departure he married his parent's housekeeper at the conclusion of a drunken bender. Because she is genuinely in love with him Martha did not follow through on her promise to have the marriage annulled but instead has worked to improve herself in night school and has just completed a book lauding his family.

Oddly, coming from a misunderstood woman writer and centered on a misunderstood woman writer, Lennart takes a lot of cheap shots at the third side of the screenplay's love triangle. Academic Sylvia Norwood (Francis Drake) is beautiful, intellectual, accomplished, and very well-adjusted. This is not the sterile Alice Swallow character in "Bringing Up Baby". Sylvia must serve as the film's villainess, which not only fails to generate any audience concern (Jeff would benefit greatly from being paired with either woman), it totally undermines the working woman political subtext of the production.

Along with Carlson's performance there are several very good things about "The Affairs of Martha". Marsha Hunt (as always) is excellent in both melodramatic and comedic moments; its just too bad her character as written is so bland. For my money Hunt is the Hollywood's all-time most underrated actress and I've enjoyed her each time I've seen her. Grady Sutton has the film's best moment early in the film in a nonverbal sequence at the breakfast table; unfortunately his character is not developed further Given the film's very short running length and its failure to develop many of the most amusing secondary characters it is likely that much was trimmed out during the editing process.

There is a clever dinner table scene near the end of the film in which Jeff is emotionally ranting against writers and publishers; a demonstration that further alienates Martha. Eventually you understand that it is a ploy to delay the announcement of his engagement to Sylvia but it works as a very nice bit of misdirection.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.