Married Before Breakfast

I really enjoyed this movie! I thought it was really cute, and it made me laugh a lot. It wasn't the most in depth movie, plot wise, but it was meant to be a light story. It was just really goofy, all the way through, and I think it was a comedy that was ahead of its time. There may have been a few times when it dragged on a little, but for the most part it made up for it with its quirky lines and fun characters.

And (I doubt anyone can tell me this, because I can't find it anywhere) does this movie exist as a VHS or anything?? I saw it on TV at some God awful hour of the morning, loved it, but can't seem to find it anywhere!

Robert Young had been hanging around hollywood for about ten years by this time, and was already the dashing, well dressed figure. Tom invents a cream that makes razors obsolete, and is now a very rich man. he makes all kinds of plans. going to marry the snobby girlfriend, going to take a cruise around the world, going to give all his friends the things they need most. and about halfway through, we take a left turn, and we all go along for the ride. Tom and a new girlfriend (Florence Rice) go gallivanting around the city, and have various adventures. stealing taxis and buses, getting caught up in robberies. it's all silly and over the top, but it's a fun caper from MGM. Directed by Ed Marin, probably best known for directing some of the Maisie films. died quite young at 52.

"Married Before Breakfast" has perhaps one of the most contrived and ridiculous plots I've seen in a Hollywood film of the 1930s. In order to enjoy the film, you need to turn off your brain. Otherwise, you can't help but wonder why you're even watching the picture.

The film begins with Tom (Robert Young) demonstrating his latest invention to the board of a razor blade company. It's a lotion that dissolves beards--making shaving unnecessary. They decide to pay him $250,000 just so he WON'T market the cream.

Later, at a dinner party thrown by Tom for his various friends, he gives them all expensive presents. It's nice to see that he's decided to share some of his wealth. However, what happens next makes no sense and makes the movie hard to endure. When a woman from the travel agency interrupts his party to bring him tickets for a honeymoon cruise, Tom INSISTS that he do something nice for the lady. She tells him that her fiancé is trying to sell some milkman an insurance policy--and Tom leaves his party and ignores that he's supposed to be going to meet his new in-laws to-be--all in order to help a total stranger. However, selling the man on the policy ends up being very difficult and the pair spend the evening on all sorts of kooky adventures--including becoming mixed up a mob robbery, being chased by the police and more. At no point does Tom just give up and do what any sane man would do--and that is the biggest problem with the film. Suspension of disbelief is possible to a point. But when people behave irrationally again and again, it's really hard to stick with the film. Plus, who would imagine two people engaged to two other people spending all this time together?! Plus, in Hollywood cliché tradition, you KNOW that by the end of the movie the mismatched pair will decide to marry instead--even though they know NOTHING about each other. Unless they both are insane or suffer from traumatic brain injuries, there's no accounting for this.

If it sounds like I didn't like the film, you are correct. I think Young was way too good for this material and the film went from being fun and quirky to just plain dumb. Not a particularly good film but despite this one of the reviewers said they wanted to see this film again and they were looking for a copy. Well, it is shown periodically on Turner Classic Movies--and I just saw it on this channel.

Inventor Robert Young has just sold one of his inventions for a lot of money, and so can satisfy a lot of wishes. One friend gets a piano. Another get a hundred share in a publicly traded company. And Young will marry his socialite fiancee June Clayworth the next morning and they will honeymoon in Europe. But first, Florence Rice shows up and he offers her a wish. Her fiance, Hugh Marlowe, has to sell an insurance policy to Tom Kennedy, which will gain him a promotion. So Young sets out with her to do that, and gets involved in some odd adventures.

It's a surprisingly sprightly, wide-eyed comedy, not at all the sort of thing that MGM did particularly well, even with the usual gloss available for Metro's roster of character comedians. I attribute it to a well-built script, ably punched up by George Oppenheimer. He had helped found Viking Press in 1925, had four plays on Broadway, ghost-wrote for George S. Kaufman and Robert E. Sherwood, helped write three Marx Brothers movies and ended his career as a drama critic. He died in 1977 at the age of 77.

This bears all the hallmarks of the MGM studio system.Although only 3 writers are credited it changes direction so often that it feels as if about 30 writers have had a hand.The comic premises are so laboured that you can see them coming at least one reel before they arise.If the plot is flagging well stick in an eccentric character or a well known plot device.We have for example the standard jail scene.Either the idea was copied from Bringing Up Baby or was done much better by the later.Although this film is only 70 minutes long it feels double that length and by the time it limps to its daft finale one can only sigh with relief.So if you are looking for a screwball comedy or any sort of comedy forget this.