The Secret Bride

Having big-name stars front this B-movie from Warner Brothers adds interest, but unfortunately it plays straightforwardly without any dimension to the characters. So we have a typical Depression-era feature to while away an hour on a double-bill, instantly forgettable.

Based on a play, the movie relies upon details that conveniently propel the story with little credibility. Issue of a case of bribery in exchange for a pardon from the governor is still topical 90 years later, but it has zero impact here. Directed breezily by William Dieterle, it was made around the time he shot "Fog Over Frisco", a minor classic that is often cited, with good reason, to be among the fastest-paced and most concise movie of all time.

Watching the team of Stanwyck and Warren William is fun, but their character react automatically to the flow of events -strictly stock characters.

Fairly standard murder melodrama (you wouldn't want to call it a whodunnit; it's too painfully obvious who did it). Stanwyck and her husband (the D.A.) must hide the fact that they are married until they find the evidence to clear her dad (the governor) from charges of accepting a bribe. The more they try to hide their involvement, the more they seem to implicate themselves and her father in an expanding list of crimes.

The cast is good, but the material is a bit too dry, lacks polish, and the pace is slow. Involving, but not intriguing, nor particularly memorable.

That such a piece of written garbage can come off as a competent and very entertaining film is something of a miracle. Energetically directed, fast-paced as to avoid anyone thinking of the many imbecilities of the script, and acted with conviction by all the cast, specially the supporting players.

The Secret Bride is one of those films with a completely artificial issue. If only Warren William and Barbara Stanwyck were completely open about their marriage this whole plot wouldn't have happened. But he's the state attorney general and she's the daughter of Governor Arthur Aylesworth. The two are married secretly and keep it that way thinking it helps Aylesworth avoid charges of impropriety.

In fact Aylesworth is facing charges of improprieties, taking bribes and kickbacks. William has to investigate. But the investigation blows up when his own man Douglass Dumbrille is killed and his girl friend Glenda Farrell is arrested for his murder. Barbara knows something that can clear Farrell, but is also concerned about her father's fate as well.

The real story of Dumbrille's death and the charges against Aylesworth is a rather intricately connected set of circumstances that only make sense in the end. I don't want to go into any of it lest I spoil your appetite for the rest of the story.

Glenda is quite good as the street smart dame who in reality turns out to be a true innocent. In fact there is a master villain who is a real puppetmaster in this whole affair.

The one thing that struck me in this whole affair is that if a special prosecutor law had been in place, one would have been appointed and there would be no film. This is why there are such laws. Also if like in New York, the Attorney General was an independent elected official, Warren and Barbara would have been free to keep the marriage open.

And there would be no need for Barbara to be The Secret Bride.

Secret Bride, The (1934)

*** (out of 4)

The governor's daughter (Barbara Stanwyck) secretly weds the D.A. (Warren William) but hours after the wedding he receives information that the governor has been taking bribes for paroles. This is your typical, fast paced drama from Warner that has a decent story but works mainly to the star power. William was born to play these types of roles and he steals the film delivering a very strong performance. William has such a calm, cool and collective way to deliver these types of performances and most of them are always worth watching. Stanwyck is also very good, although she delivers a few truly campy moments including one scene where she gets upset and punches a table. You'll know the scene when it happens. The two of them work well together and really carry the story which isn't the strongest in the world but it makes for a fun 64-minutes.