First Lady

"First Lady" released in 1937, is a somewhat silly tale of Washington wives. The story has flaws, but Kay Francis and Veree Teasdale give solid performances as two arch enemies. Teasdale wants to divorce her stuffy older husband (Walter Connolly) who is a Supreme Court Justice. Then some high minded folks want to put Connolly up for President. Just why they want to do this is never fully explained - Connolly looks about as presidential as a toad. But, Teasdale relishes the thought of being first lady, so naturally divorce is now out of the question. Well, the sparks fly as a horrified Kay Francis loathes the thought of her enemy (Teasdale) potentially being first lady. The catty dialogue flies between the two women, and this is where they both shine as actresses. Francis herself wants to be first lady too, and wants her husband (Preston Foster in a thankless role) who is the current Secretary of State, to run also. Some of this is unrealistic - since when do Supreme Court Justices and Secretaries of State run for President anyway? Anyway, the film is certainly dated by today's standard of political movies, but see it for Kay Francis alone - Francis was one of Warner Brothers finest actresses from the Golden age of Hollywood.

Kay Francis is an aspiring "First Lady" in this 1937 comedy, based on the play of the same name which had a healthy Broadway run in 1935-36 and starred Jane Cowl. The film also features Preston Foster, Walter Connelly, Verree Tisdale, and Anita Louise.

Francis is Lucy Chase Wayne, granddaughter of a former President, and she'd like her Secretary of State husband (Foster) to make a run for President since the existing President isn't running again.

When she realizes her nemesis Irene (Verree Tisdale) is dumping her fuddy-duddy Supreme Court justice husband (Connelly) and taking up with the dashing Senator Keane (Victor Jory) and will probably be pushing him to run, Lucy gets to work convincing the powerful head of a women's organization (Louise Fazenda) that Irene's current husband is great presidential timbre, thus forcing Irene to stay by her husband's side.

Hubby is the world's dullest man, about as presidential as a piece of wood, and spends his evening listening to a family radio show.

This is obviously a play and as talky as all get-out, plus it's very dated, based on the premise that while politics is a man's world, the men are merely puppets for the women behind them.

Kay Francis looks great and is very charming, but for me her comedy is a little bit pushed. As far as I'm concerned, Verree Tisdale as Irene walks away with the movie as the bored, bitchy Irene. Her scene with Connelly where she complains about their evenings at home is a riot. Connelly is great as the plodding Supreme Court Justice.

Kaufman wrote some wonderful dialogue, so the script is witty if low on action. Watch it for the performances.

A very dated but still amusing political comedy, "First Lady" showcases Kay Francis's great comedic talent as the wife of a secretary of state destined, in her view, for the White House once presided over by her grandpa. The screen text as the film begins to roll alerts viewers to the "fact" that men control politics but behind the scenes the ladies are not without influence. Dated! But funny!

A comedy of machinations and quick-witted dialogue, "First Lady" is a period piece and it's fun to see how the filmmakers of the late 30s fantasized a Washington that never was. This must have been a nice distraction as America inched out of the Depression and moved closer to global war. It's good entertainment today.

Kaufman without Hart and Kay without Lubitsch results in a film with mid level ladies magazine dialogue and the cinematic quality of a Liberty Mutual commercial.

Added Bonus: My Personal Top 5 and Bottom 5 First Ladies of the 20th/21st centuries

Top 5 5) Jackie Kennedy 4) Rosalyn Carter 3) Michelle Obama 2) Betty Ford 1) Eleanor Roosevelt

Bottom 5 5) Jill Biden 4) Florence Harding 3) Melania Trump 2) Nancy Reagan 1) Edith Wilson.

Before the Web, before TV, before mass media, evidently Presidents were chosen at Washington cocktail parties and in smoke-filled rooms, judging from this talky but amusing filming of a hit George S. Kaufman stage comedy. The behind-the-scenes machinations are, as noted elsewhere, dated, but the Washington types--ambitious wives, stuffy old coots, self-important self-proclaimed representatives of the "women of America," newspaper barons--are still around, and you may be reminded of Cindy McCain or Rupert Murdoch when you view Verree Teasdale and Grant Mitchell. Teasdale really makes the movie, as the dissatisfied spouse of a preternaturally stupid Supreme Court justice (Walter Connolly, wonderful); her bitch-dialog scenes with Kay Francis have the tang of Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford in "The Women." Credit what must have been some original Kaufman stage dialog lovingly preserved by the filmmakers, who add little cinematically. Francis hasn't quite the natural bitchiness her character requires, and Preston Foster is a dullard of a Secretary of State, but the supporting cast is a pip--there's one exchange between Victor Jory and Anita Louise about corn stalks, of all things, that justifies the whole movie. It starts a bit slowly, and it's stagy, but it's very entertaining.