The Housekeeper's Daughter

The sultry Joan Bennett adds some class to this tame comedy about a rookie reporter who stumbles upon a murder involving a mentally challenged serial killer and gangsters (one of whom is a debuting Victor Mature). It's slow to start and doesn't quite seem to know where it's going, but builds up to a decent finale.

The two (2) main studios for comedies from 1915 to 1930 were Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. Sennett developed or introduced many great stars including one (1) Charles Chaplin. The Sennett form of madcap slapstick humor were staples of the silent era. Competing with him was Hal Roach with his comedy genius Harold Lloyd. The third genius was Buster Keaton an independent. Sennett lost Chaplin and Roach later Lloyd but Roach was luckier. He was able to pair up the perfect comedy couple Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel and a group of ragamuffins called 'His Rascals' then 'The Little Rascals'. He also proved a better business man. When their mutual distributor Pathe collapsed in the early 1930s Sennett went down the tubes. Roach attached himself to LOEWS and M.G.M. the most successful combo in film distribution and production of the time.

After the mid thirties though Laurel & Hardy were showing their age as well as the 'Rascals'. Roach also had made some poor business and political connections attaching himself to the Fascist Dictator Mussolini. This ended his association with LOEWS and M.G.M. He rebounded though selling off 'His Rascals' to M.G.M. which became THE OUR GANG series. Others who supported the short subjects would also be jettisoned as the move was made to feature films distributed by UNITED ARTISTS. Later in 1940 even Laurel & Hardy would be let go.

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER showed that Hal Roach had not lost any of his skill as a Director/Producer. The cast was first rate, lead by Joan Bennett and Adolphe Menjou. By this time Joan had abandoned the blond look and had become a attractive brunette with a lithe though rounded figure. This was used to advantage in several scenes. Menjou of course was always the professional. The rest of the cast is filled with other top flight character actors including, William Gargan, Marc Lawrence, Donald Meek, George E. Stone and Peggy Wood. Also in his debut feature, Victor Mature. The only weak link is the male lead a John Hubbard.

The story revolves around the murder of a Broadway BABY and has the right mix of comedy, drama and suspense. None of these are over the top nor do each of them interfere with the other. Roach was able to keep the disparate plot lines cleanly delineated. The film from start to finish is very satisfying and this was clearly reflected in other HAL ROACH STUDIO productions like OF MICE AND MEN and ONE MILLION B.C.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has for the past year featured many of the efforts of the HAL ROACH STUDIOS. Those who appreciate their efforts should contact TCM and tell them so. There are many other GEMS in their library that have not seen the light of day.

In some ways an odd mix, "The Housekeep's Daughter" is generally well done and extremely well acted.

Joan Bennett looks more beautiful than ever, but doesn't have much to do, except look beautiful.

Adolph Menjou is simply always great, although his character makes a change that doesn't really ring true -- but so what?

Some of the finest of Hollywood's character actors make this just so much fun to watch, and seeing Victor Mature in an early role additionally makes "The Housekeeper's Daughter" a joy.

John Hubbard gives a good portrayal of a rather spacey character, but for some reason never did become the star he probably deserved to be, though he did keep busy most of the rest of his life.

I can recommend "The Housekeeper's Daughter" despite its minor flaws. Those flaws are vastly outnumbered by the joys.

The brunette, beautiful Joan Bennett is the main attraction in "The Housekeeper's Daughter," a 1939 Hal Roach movie. With her similarly-shaped face, hair-do, and hairline, the dark-haired Joan is reminiscent of Hedy Lamar, whereas, as a blonde, she resembled her sister Constance. In my opinion, Bennett was the most beautiful actress who auditioned for Scarlett in Gone with the Wind and didn't get it.

Bennett plays Hilda, a gun moll who gets sick of the life and goes home to mother. Her mother, Olga (Peggy Wood) is the housekeeper and lives in the home of a wealthy man, Robert Randall (John Hubbard) who has aspirations to be a reporter. When two reporters (Adolphe Menjou and William Gargan) see Randall throwing around money, they stick to him like glue and wind up sleeping at his home and meeting mother and daughter. Randall, meanwhile, is hot on a murder case, which will eventually combine Hilda's past and present.

This is a pleasant enough, well acted film in the beginning but deteriorates into a lot of slapstick later on. Victor Mature has an early role, and Donald Meek is the harried newspaper editor.

As a side note about William Gargan, he had a laryngectomy in 1960 and spoke thereafter with the use of an artificial voice box. He spent the remaining 19 years of his life involved with the American Cancer Society and warning about the hazards of smoking.

Unworldly professor's son John Hubbard returns to his father's house, ambitious to become a newspaper. He's encouraged in this by The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939), Joan Bennett, who has just quit Marc Lawrence's mob in disgust. Newspaper editor Donald Meek wants a story on Lilian Bond's death, apparently form falling off a houseboat, and after a night of drinking with ace reporter Adolphe Menjou, Hubbard writes a story claiming he knows who did it and falls soddenly asleep. Lawrence thinks he's going to be framed, so he continually sends henchman Victor Mature (in his screen debut) to beat up Hubbard, failing because he is a wimp.

Hal Roach not only produced this movie, he directed it, and it's pretty uneven: best when Menjou, Lawrence or Miss Bennett is about, while Hubbard is uninteresting as the mild-as-water lead. At least part of the problem with this movie seems to lie with the editing by William Ziegler, which introduced a couple of plot points which it then ignores, or has people do things simply to set up a gag. But the comedy keeps this one continually interesting.