Should Ladies Behave

After attending a New York play, six romantically challenged characters gather at the Riverdale, Connecticut home of flighty Alice Brady (as Laura) and her grumpy husband Lionel Barrymore (as Augustus "Gussie" Merrick). Twenty-five years married, Ms. Brady and Mr. Barrymore snap at each other frequently and seem ready to separate. Lonely and bored, Brady enjoys visiting playboy painter Conway Tearle (as Max Lawrence), believing he's an old lover returning to sweep her off her feet...

Unbeknownst to the gushing Brady, Mr. Tearle is having an affair with her sister, Katharine Alexander (as Winifred "Winnie" Lamont). But Tearle prefers Brady's flirty 19-year-old daughter Mary Carlisle (as Leone Merrick), who is looking for the experience young boyfriend William Janney (as Geoffrey "Geoff" Cole) wants. An obvious solution exists. The unpleasant premise (don't repeat the older couple's mistake?), clever ending (by writer Paul Osborn) and likable ensemble are a mixed bag.

***** Should Ladies Behave (12/1/33) Harry Beaumont ~ Alice Brady, Lionel Barrymore, Conway Tearle, Katharine Alexander

William Janney tells Mary Carlisle she's too unworldly to marry. So when her aunt Katharine Alexander visits with her 'friend' Conway Tearle, she proposes to run away with him, much to the displeasure of her parents, Alice Brady and Lionel Barrymore.

There are many witty lines in this movie, and Miss Brady offers her usual delightful nitwit. However the show's theatrical background shows, particularly in Miss Carlisle's performance. Tearle remains the answer to the question no one asked, to wit "What if you needed Conrad Nagel, but bulkier?", while Barrymore's performance consists of him being disagreeable mst of the time. He result is a pre-code movie in which much i talked about, mostly unpleasantly, with enough bright spots to maintain interest.

Some call this a screwball comedy. Well, the only screwball is Laura Merrick (played by Alice Brady). At the beginning of the film, we think that her husband, Augustus (Lionel Barrymore), is a cantankerous meanie, but it does not take long to realize that he is remarkably tolerant when it comes to his loud, obnoxious wife.

Most of the action of the film is about their daughter, Leone (Mary Carlisle), who at age 19 laments her lack of experience and decides to remedy the situation by getting involved with a man more than twice her age. A young, more suitable suitor is Geoffrey Cole (William Janney), but his feelings towards Leone seem rather lukewarm.

"Should Ladies Behave" has a charm that most pre-code films possess, and the acting is fine. But it has the distinct feel of a play adaptation. That does not ruin the film, though, especially if you are interested in films of this era as representative of their time. They all play a game of Twenty Questions that is a glimpse into the past and perhaps the funniest part. Rate this film "pleasant".

By the end of the first 15 minutes, we've been introduced to three couples: Gussie and Laura (Lionel Barrymore and Alice Brady), Leone and Geoff (Mary Carlisle and William Janney), and Max and Winkie (Conway Tearle and Katharine Alexander). Gussie and Laura have an unpleasant-appearing marriage, with Gussie irritable and Laura flightier than a very, very flighty Billie Burke. Leone is dissatisfied with the Callow Geoff. Winkie, who we'll learn is Leone's oft-married sister, is having an affair with artist Max, who is introduced to, and entranced by, Leone.

Winkie arranges a rendezvous for Max and herself at Gussie and Laura's place, where Max falls further victim to Leone's innocent charms while the vapid Laura believes that he has come back to claim her after a promise she recalls him making to her 25 years ago.

Gussie's aggravation with Laura becomes tiresome to the viewer, and Laura's ditziness does so as well. Max's instantaneous enthrallment by the unrealistically child-like Leone (who still retreats to her almost life-sized doll-house under stress) rings as false and stagy as one might expect from something based on an early-20th-century stage play. But through the viewer's frustration there are glimmers of real quality. Winkie is a great character and Alexander does her wonderful justice. Gussie's scenes with Leone, especially when he tries to talk her out of her plans with Max, are very moving--as is Laura's attempt to do the same.

It's difficult to recommend such a spotty film, but it's almost worth it for Geoffrey's solution to his relationship problem and, especially, the wonderful reveal at the very end.

I found myself liking this film far more than it deserved. And the Adrian gowns are fantastic--especially Laura's black gown with the open shoulders.

This didn't seem so promising at first, but hold on, it gets better. Here in the the depths of the Depression we have a screwball comedy, populated with foolish rich people. Alice Brady is quite funny as Laura, the airhead wife of Lionel Barrymore's grumpy character, Augustus.

The best character, by far, is Winnie, played Katharine Alexander, who is Laura's sister. Her snarky attitude backfires when she coerces her beau, a famous painter, Max, into a visit at the country estate owned by her sister. There, Max becomes infatuated with Laura's daughter, Leone, and the feeling is mutual as they plan to elope together.

Winnie's character shows real poignancy as she navigates the mess she's made. The other characters start to wear as the plot rolls on. Butler jokes, in particular, fall flat. But stick around for the end. There is a nice satisfying twist to the tale.