Service de Luxe

Romantic comedy from Universal Pictures and director Rowland V. Lee. Constance Bennett stars as Helen Murphy, who runs the title company which specializes in overseeing the mundane details of her wealthy clients' daily lives. Her exhausting work pace forces her to take a short vacation where she meets engineer Robert Wade (Vincent Price in his debut). He's on his way to the city to see about building his new tractor design, and he and Helen fall for each other without knowing the identities of each other. Wade finds a financial backer in Scott Robinson (Charlies Ruggles), but a complication in Robinson's daughter Audrey (Joy Hodges) who sets her sights on marrying Wade. Also featuring Helen Broderick, Mischa Auer, Frances Robinson, Halliwell Hobbes, Raymond Parker, Frank Coghlan Jr., Lawrence Grant, and Chester Clute.

This is an agreeable, fairly routine rom-com of the era, made noteworthy thanks to Price's debut. He was 27 at the time, and he looks traditionally handsome. He sounds as if he deepened his voice a bit to try and sound more macho, and his height is imposing. He has a scene late in the film where he angrily shouts about having insanity in his family bloodline, and I thought, "There's the Vincent I know!" Mischa Auer is amusing as a pompous Russian chef.

Constance Bennett and her aunt Helen Broderick run the Madison Agency, a collection of women who help out people with lots of dollars and no sense. Miss Bennett is sent upstate by Lionel Belmore to stop his nephew Vincent Price (in his screen debut) from coming to New York. She stops the wrong man. After Price knocks her hat into the Hudson, they swiftly fall in love. However, he doesn't like bossy women, so she has to hide behind Miss Broderick as she gets him an appointment to sell his three-way tractor -- whatever that is -- to Charles Ruggles, whose ditzy daughter, Joy Hodges, develops a passion for the immensely tall Price. Meanwhile, Mischa Auer and his spirit guide teach Ruggles how to be a chef.

You can see how this will easily become the makings of a romantic comedy, and with a good script by various hands who include Vera Caspary. Ruggles and Auer are delightful, Miss Broderick plays the sort of role that Eve Arden would assume, and Price and Miss Bennett are very amusing, playing their roles mostly straight. Rowland Lee is better remembered these days for his horror movies, but demonstrates the good studio director's ability to do well with any assignment handed him.

Fun comedy. A bit labored in parts, but enjoyable. Mischa Auer as a Russian chef who talks to his spirit guide and threatens at a crisis moment to return to his job at the Sara Goode Waffle Shop is a hoot. Constance Bennett is rather bland and forgettable, but it's fun to see Vincent Price six years before the classic "Laura". He looks much you would expect a young Vincent Price to look, but he sounds quite different. It's before he started doing the "Mid-Atlantic" accent that many actors affected in the 1930s and 1940s. Unfortunately, the great Helen Broderick isn't given enough to do in this film and the bland Constance Bennett is given too much.

1938's "Service De Luxe" found Constance Bennett working at Universal in a formula quickie designed to capitalize on her recent hit "Topper," surprisingly upstaged by a screen newcomer direct from Broadway's "Victoria Regina," a 27 year old Vincent Price! Even he seemed to realize that his aristocratic bearing and distinguished tones weren't suited to romantic leads, so it was no surprise that villains like Shelby Carpenter in "Laura" would become his early stock in trade; better still, that a small company in American International Pictures would put him under contract at the age of 50 to do a series of films based on Edgar Allan Poe in which he could stretch his wings with tragic figures haunted by personal demons, sometimes heroic, sometimes evil, yet always engaging and even romantic. That is part of what makes this debut such a curiosity, to enjoy the chemistry he shares with his fetching leading lady, though he appears miscast in the role of a country boy who yearns to make something of himself in the big city. Robert Wade (Price) journeys to New York City to obtain backing for a new tractor he hopes to market, and meets Constance during the voyage, her character Helen Murphy the owner/manager of the Dorothy Madison Company, famous for seeing to the needs of their wealthy (mostly male) clientele. She is very good at her job, aided by loyal assistant Pearl (Helen Broderick, wisecracking mother of actor Broderick Crawford), but longs to meet a gentleman who can actually fend for himself, while Wade believes her to be the helpless type who needs a man to take care of her. He confesses that a lifetime of being surrounded by adoring but pushy aunts has made him wary of bossy females, so she naturally can't bear to spill the beans about her career, playing along in lovesick fashion until using her influence to gain him a contract for his new tractor. An accidental engagement is enough for her to come clean, but in being rejected by the man she loves is then called upon to set up his own wedding! Light and frothy but with this unique pairing an interesting match, sluggish to start until Price enters near the 20 minute mark, with one fascinating moment of foreshadowing where he tries to gently dissuade his unlikely fiancee by pretending that madness runs in his family, perhaps a blueprint for Roderick Usher.

Since Thriller seems to be played every five minutes on the radio following the death of Michael Jackson, I've found myself lecturing the kids about the wonderful, 55-year career of the legendary Vincent Price.

Well here's where that wonderful career began - the male lead in his debut feature! His role here couldn't be any further removed from the genre he's famous for. This romantic screwball comedy sees Price play the heart-throb hero(?!) opposite comedy actress Constance Bennett (who, incidentally, my mother was named after).

Helen Murphy (Bennett) runs the titular service which caters for the every need of its customers, from meals to shopping, finances to social arrangements. Constance is sick of running around after men (her main customers) and seeks an independent, self-sufficient partner.

She meets one in the form of Robert Wade (Price) who, after a case of mistaken identity (have you ever seen a 30s comedy in which this didn't happen?), treats her like a real woman. Unfortunately, Murphy's business-like lifestyle clashes with Wade's vision of the ideal woman - a homely child-bearer who lets the man pay for everything.

So Murphy lies and hides the truth of her real occupation - with hilarious consequences. Naturally Wade hates Murphy's service (remember, he doesn't know she's behind it!) which he finds unnecessary intrusive. This of course causes Murphy to perpetuate the deceit.

There's plenty of madcap behaviour as Wade's now antiquated views of women force Murphy to use underhanded tactics to win his heart. Bennett is great as always and Price is also very good, although no Cary Grant. There's also a supporting cast of zany characters including Mischa Auer (mad Russian chef who constantly consults his spirit guide), Charles Ruggles (eccentric old businessman) and Helen Broderick (dumb romantic dreamer).

The comedy is often predictable as Wade sets about selling his new innovative tractor idea and gets himself accidentally engaged to the wrong person. However, it's all very likable and sweet and makes for a perfect afternoon matinée.

Considering Price makes his feature film debut here, it is amazing to see how comfortable he is and how consistent his look and persona are with later roles. The ever-present 'tache is obviously on show, as is that slight southern twang and dignified manner. To be fair, the 27-year old Price looks exactly here as he does in 'The House on Haunted Hill' – 20 years later! And there's an interesting scene in which Price jokingly talks about madness in his family, as he slowly and menacingly advances towards his finance – an eerie forecast of things to come