She Had to Say Yes

She Had to Say Yes (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Warner Pre-Code has a sleazy boss coming up with the idea of "offering" girls from his stenographic department to clients in exchange for deals. This is going well until one (Loretta Young) turns down a high-powered client (Lyle Talbot) but soon the two begin to fall in love but more shady deals might happen. This is certainly a strange film for someone like Berkeley to make a debut on but if you're a fan of Warner's Pre-Codes then there should be enough here to keep you entertained even if the film tampers off during the second half. The first half is a pretty interesting mix to the genre as it is hammered home that women are nothing more than sex objects and their only place in the world is to serve men. This certainly isn't a storyline we could see too often in the Golden Era and especially after the Hayes Office took full effect the following year. On that level this film remains entertaining just because of the sexual innuendo, riske storyline and some rather snappy dialogue including a funny little dig at the (then) Republic Party. Young turns in a nice performance because she can perfectly mix that innocent nature with a burning sexuality. Not for a second will anyone not believe she's this sweet girl but at the same time, when she needs to, she can turn on that sexual lure and it too is believable. Talbot is just as usual and he too turns in a nice performance in that Lyle Talbot fashion. What keeps the film from being a total success is the second half of the film when it loses its edge and goes into typical melodrama with one predictable turn after another.

For his first director's credited film (shared with the film's editor) Berkeley got this strange, sleazy story. The direction is mostly pedestrian except for a few good shots: a nightclub introduced by a track through shaking maracas and our discovery that Tom is cheating on Flo when he is talking to her from a phone booth and a woman's gloved hand takes the cigarette from his mouth. These touches don't make up for a film that leaves a very sour taste in the mouth. Not only is the idea of the film offensive, if believable (using secretaries as call girls for clients) but all the men in the film are scum. This film ranks with "In The Company Of Men" for its portrait of the perfidy of men toward women. Throughout I found myself wondering how this film could ever wrap up satisfactorily and indeed it doesn't. A near-rape scene is shot in the look associated later with film noir. After that no quick Hollywood wrap-up would suffice.

This 1933 film is surprisingly frank about the practice of using "customer girls" to promote commerce. A throw away line in this flic is an early indication of Hollywood leftist group think that now dominates the industry.

Flo (Loretta Young) explains to Maizee (Winnie Lightner) why she once loved a two-timing salesman:

Flo: He was different once. Maizee: Yeah, and so was the Republican Party.

She Had to Say Yes is a masterful expose' of a Depression-era America that was dominated by men. Exploitation, manipulation, and harassment of women is the focus of every scene. The film clearly casts men as the enemy, as every male role is a sleazy businessman constantly trying to trick a woman into sex or into making money for him. The only help for the female lead comes from her female friend, who helps her to gain some self-assurance near the end of the film.

Loretta Young is superb as the lead, maintaining a heartbreaking look of hope and innocence while suffering through terrible yet socially acceptable abuse from every man in her life. Also, Lyle Talbot gives a jaw-dropping portrayal of sleazy machismo and ruthlessness that lend to a truly frightening ending.

The film is quite depressing and the final lines of dialogue will leave your head spinning. Unfortunately, the film is not readily available, but if you get a chance to see it, it will blow you away.

She is quite charming and beautiful in this film, you could see why Gable was so smitten with her (she had his child, denied it for a long time but the kid looked too much like him to believe anything else). This film could not be made a year later after the Hayes code kicked in--young women who worked for a company that also acted as call girls for company buyers visiting town overnight. The sexual innuendo would never had passed muster after the code...the overall plot would have been rejected or asked to be reworked to a point that was unrecognizable. There are some vile people in this film and some misunderstandings that occur that make you frown. Good movie!!