Kept Husbands

Nearly a century old, this romantic dramedy starring Dorothy Mackaill and Joel McCrea is surprisingly fresh and heartwarming, thanks to the utter sincerity of the performances, and a terrific commitment to tried and true dramatic arcs. What a breath of fresh air compared to current facetious and downright silly trends in rom-coms.

McCrea is one of the great actors who is taken for granted, no cult for him, and not a name bandied about among Hollywood legends. I suppose his sin was being hard-working and rising to the occasion when cast in great roles -at least the '30s through '60s filmmakers knew his talent, ranging from Preston Sturges all the way to Sam Peckinpah.

The revelations here for me were the actresses: Mackaill as his wife and Mary Carr as his mother. The vivacious and rather amazing performance by Dorothy - captivating in the early reels, then downright hissible with her selfishness later on, on;y to bring a tear near the end - that's a style that would be worth bringing back -she really poured her heart into it. And in a sentimental role, I was with Carr 100% as the bedrock underneath all the film's frivolity.

This is surefire Depression Era entertainment (with a solid director of that era, Lloyd Bacon, in charge). One can't help but immediately identify with Joel's all-American boy character and live vicariously in the glamour of the upper class during the Depression, while the script carefully makes clear their shortcomings. Dorothy's bad behaviour and comeuppance are expertly delineated, and the lack of censorship only adds to the power of certain risque scenes, such as their wedding night and her dalliance with a scoundrel at Joel's lowest moment.

Joel McCrea is a steel worker whose valor moves his boss to invite him to dinner. The boss's wife and daughter are terrible snobs and think this a hilarious idea. It turns out he was a star football player from Harvard, despite his humble origins. And the daughter sets her sights on them.

(All this occurs in the first 15 minutes.) McCrea, one of my great favorites, is not the star he was soon to become. He's a fine actor and looks good but his image is not yet set.

The daughter is a very disagreeable character, in my view. What better catch could anyone want than McCrea? And she doesn't always appear to appreciate him.

Dorothy Mackaill, ex-Ziegfeld star-turned-actress, did some great early talkies in the 1930's, this being one of them. She's pouty and childish as 'Dot', the rich bride of blue-collar worker Joel McCrea--who hates being married to money! Very fresh, fast and funny showcase for 'Dot', a great actress who was perhaps before her time.

This is being sold as a pre-code movie, but it has little of what you'd expect.

Its a simple redemption story of a spoiled rich girl who "buys" a lower class but swell guy as a husband. At the very end, and only in the last few seconds, does she come around. Its more leveraged around class than sex.

But there is a really interesting scene: our rich girl is miffed at her husband so goes off with an old friend, almost certainly a former sexual partner. He locks the door and they work through a few role games, him chasing her, and she being coy in order to increase the charm of being caught. All the while they are taking archetypal roles from movies. Now, remember that this is 1931, so the roles are relatively new and unsettled.

What's so amazing about this scene is that you do not know, you are never allowed to see what side she is on, whether she really is running away so as not have sex, or playing the role to enhance the game of seduction. It seems that the actress is carefully in a scintillating state, showing and denying. Its masterful, and very engaging. Its only two minutes or so, but fabulous. Sexy stuff in the story and of the story.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Yeah, as the above quote indicates, this is an old, old movie. But it's a darling one, starring Dorothy Mackaill and Joel McCrea. McCrea plays football star Dick Brunton, who now works for Mackaill's dad. Dad brings Dick home for dinner one night, which doesn't make anyone very happy - after all, they're filthy rich and he's just filthy, i.e., a working man. Mackaill can't take her eyes off of him - and who can blame her? McCrea is gloriously handsome and shy. After a month has gone by, Mackaill, a spoiled brat, has proposed marriage and bought herself an engagement ring. She tells dad they'll need $50,000 a year to live on. Since poor Dick only makes $180 a month, Dad says he'll make up the difference. Dick soon begins neglecting what little work he has to do as Vice President of the family company and starts feeling like a kept man.

There are several "kept" men in this movie, the difference here being that Dot and Dick are truly in love. Mackaill does a beautiful job of being a manipulative daughter and wife, but we're able to see the vulnerable woman underneath who finally realizes what's important in life. McCrea, only 26 here, is at his natural, adorable, hunky best.

Mary Carr gives a sweet performance as Dick's mom, the one who offers the summary comment quote. Ned Sparks is on hand with some funny lines and great delivery.

All in all, a delightful movie, if dated, though I'm sure there are still some people today who think that keeping your man is all that matters.