That Way with Women

Dane Clark's hair remains a distraction; that any leading man should look like a cheap $5.00 party wig was provided as part of costuming/makeup shall forever remain a mystery. Whenever Dane appeared on screen it would appear a pompadour was glued about his head. Of the many romance comedies on TCM from the 1930s and 40s, this singular distraction of a leading man is comical in its own right.

From the cast principals (Clark, Vickers, & Greenstreet), I was expecting moody lighting, a stylish snarl, and maybe a .45 slug to the gut. But no. Instead the two guys are humorous and nice, while Vickers is not looking for just anything in pants. Still, it's only a mild comedy, at best. Wealthy old man Alden (Greenstreet) takes a shine to working stiff Wilson (Clark), equipping him with a super modern gas station, except Wilson doesn't know Alden's true identity. Meanwhile, a white-collar gang of extortionists tries to muscle in on the highly profitable set-up. Sounds convoluted because it is, especially when Alden's snappish daughter (Vickers) is added to the mix.

Most of the comedy comes from the mix-up of true identities. Seems poor Wilson doesn't know who anyone really is. Greenstreet's both tough and amiable, which helps create the proper tongue-in-cheek mood, while Clark manages a regular guy attitude to go along with his blue-collar looks. Plus, Vickers is drop-dead beautiful, but has a very waspish attitude. Her barbs with Wilson, however, lend humorous grit to the proceedings. But the movie never really gels as a comedy, while the extortion angle seems an unneeded and unamusing complication. Too bad Alan Hale's typically jovial character doesn't get more screen time. The real problem, however, is with the slack direction. Whatever deCordova's skills as director of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, they don't show here. Instead, there's no needed snap or drive to heighten the slender comedic effect. Thus, the movie unfolds in strictly pedestrian fashion.

All in all, the movie's chief attraction may be in seeing some well-known 40's actors playing outside their usual stereotypes. Certainly, it's a chance to catch the one-&-only Greenstreet doing something besides sitting in a chair and looking gruffly sinister.

This light-hearted, lightweight comedy is also a romance, since the story revolves around the (far-fetched) falling in love of two main characters.

But the film's significance orbits Sydney Greenstreet's portrayal of J.P. Alden, an automobile magnate who has moved to sunny Pasadena and now follows the orders of his doctor, his wife and his daughter--who are concerned for his health. He is cantankerous and bored. He longs for the old days, when he could eat whatever he preferred and he could work on cars.

After a series of coincidences and Alden's assumption of a false identity, he finds a way to assuage his cravings. Soon he is smiling again and ditching the pharmaceuticals. There's a solid message here for those who lose sight of their heart's desires.

It's nice to see Greenstreet in a comedy. And there are some notable appearances by recognizable character actors, notably Ian Wolfe as L. B. Crandall, Alden's personal attorney.

The mating dance between boy and girl is fairly routine (no surprises), but the real joy of this film is watching Sydney's character blossom and learn to self-actualize again.

The avuncular Sydney Greenstreet dominates this film as his sinister image is turned upside down in The Way With Women. Greenstreet plays an automobile tycoon who like Henry Ford came from humble beginnings and is Ford like wealthy now without the Fordian idiosyncrasies.

Bored with retirement Greenstreet on impulse buys a half interest in a gas station with war veteran Dane Clark incognito and the two start to build a business. Then they have to fight off a nasty protection racket with Clark and Greenstreet in jail where no one believes he's the wealthy tycoon he says he is. Henry Ford never had problems like this.

The fact that Greenstreet is incognito allows for a romance to develop between his daughter and Clark who really doesn't hit it off with her. The daughter is played by Martha Vickers known for two things, playing Lauren Bacall's psychotic sister in The Big Sleep and being one of Mickey Rooney's wives.

Although Clark and Vickers are attractive the film really belongs to Greenstreet and it is nice to see him not being the mastermind behind some sinister plot or hanging around the fringes of polite society. The man had a real gift for comedy that was not utilized all that often, the only other film I can think of with a funny Greenstreet is Christmas In Connecticut.

Not the best of films, but entertaining and a must for fans of Greenstreet. To see the funny side of Caspar Guttman by all means see The Way With Women.

The usual romance story, with a couple different subplots going on. You have the man vs. female misunderstandings and high-society dame vs. the common man battles, with racketeers and the police sniffing around. Stars Dane Clark and Martha Vickers, who had both been making films for a couple years. Also has big names Sydney Greenstreet with his usual, famous guffaw and Alan Hale, who was in almost every single movie made in the 1930s and 1940s. The story is a bit convoluted, which is probably why they don't show it very often. It's pleasant enough to watch, but they do everything except take a rocket to the moon. The best role in this must have been the costume designer Leah Rhodes, who has Martha Vickers dolled up in exquisite dresses and hats throughout. Rhodes won the 1950 Oscar for costumes in Don Juan, a couple years after this one. Directed by Fred DeCordova, who also produced and directed Johnny Carson all those years.