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This is a rather simple plot for a film, but due to exceptional writing, deft direction and the winning acting of Herbert Marshall and Jean Arthur, it's a wonderful movie. This is a great old romantic film that would be great to see with someone you love.

Marshall plays the CEO of a huge car manufacturing company. When his ideas are rejected by the board, he gets annoyed with the business. At about the same time, he meets Arthur, who has no idea he's a rich big-shot. She actually thinks he's an out of work schnook and convinces him to apply to a job with her--she as a cook and he as a butler in the same household. Since Ms. Arthur is so charming and sweet, he agrees and neither she nor the employer know his true calling. Later, this misunderstanding REALLY gets out of hand, but I don't want to spoil the film by explaining further.

The bottom line is that the freshness and delightful nature of the film make up for the fact that the plot line is pretty hard to believe. Unless you are an old grouch or hate old films (people like this need to be shot), you will like this film.

Interestingly, the film was so good that Columbia Pictures' president, Harry Cohn, tried a "fast one". Since Frank Capra worked at the studio and was now famous for IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (having practically swept the Oscars) and since IF YOU ONLY COULD COOK was such a sweet film, it was marketed as a Capra Film--even though Capra had NOTHING to do with it!! As a result, Capra sued and Cohn nearly lost his job until it was all smoothed over and tempers subsided.

Entertaining, almost screwball-like, comedy about successful car designer, James Buchanan (Herbert Marshall), soon to be married in what seems like a "marriage of convenience" to a society woman he doesn't love. Well, he meets a pretty out-of-work blonde named Joan (Jean Arthur) on a park bench where she is busy reading the want ads. Finding an ad desiring a married couple for "cook and butler", they decide to pretend they are married and apply for the job (James agreeing to go along with the idea 'cause he "likes" her). Well, they get the job, the employers are a bunch of gangsters, and they end up living in the servants quarters above the garage with just one double bed!

This is a very enjoyable film, much better than I was expecting. The plot is lots of fun, and features a couple of my favorite actors, Jean Arthur and Herbert Marshall, who are both great in this - they even seemed to have some chemistry together (even though the first kiss between them looked almost like a boy kissing his grandma). The actors who play the gangsters in this are quite funny, especially Lionel Stander as the main man's sidekick, a guy named Flash who seems like just another dumb mug, but is actually the one who immediately catches on, via snooping around, that James and Joan may not really be a married couple. A really good film that deserves to be more well known than it is.

James Buchanan and Joan Hawthorne meet on a park bench one day. Buchanan is sulking away about his impending marriage which is sure to be a loveless one, while Hawthorne is perusing the job vacancy adverts in the paper completely baffled by her lack of suitability for all the positions. Once the pair strike up a conversation it becomes apparent that both of them could help each other if they are prepared to take a risk, the risk would mean posing as a husband and wife team and entering the service of Mike Rossini, but little do they know that Rossini is something of a local wise guy, love and gangsters.......interesting.

If You Could Only Cook slips firmly into the category of films that deserve to be called charming, simple in structure and honest in its intent, it's a most enjoyable piece that leaves a long and warm impression after the initial viewing. There are many different reasons why so many old black and white pictures get termed classics, with one of the main instances being the ability to have longevity of entertainment values. It only really becomes apparent with a film such as this when you compare it with the more modern day romantic comedies, where today's directors and writers are prepared to force the issue with star appeal and cloying scripts, here the makers are fresh with zippy dialogue and charm personified.

Jean Arthur is Joan, a wonderful bone structured face and a lovely fulsome figure, she's a smashing actress that carries off the required romantic humour with consummate ease. Playing off her with equally excellent results is Herbert Marshall as James, many other actors could do no worse than to watch Marshall when they want guidance in the art of line delivery, peachy and carrying a great presence, Marshall remains a sadly undervalued old time performer. Villain duties fall to Leo Carrillo {Rossini} and the wonderful Lionel Stander as henchman Flash, while all the supporting members come up to the requisite charming standards. But ultimately it's a team achievement across the board, from the writing to the wink at the end of the piece, If You Could Only Cook is a smashing film that makes one feel all the more richer for having sat thru it. 8/10

This dry, low-key romantic comedy is very satisfying. Arthur is excellent, and Marshall is well cast as an automobile executive who wants to get away from his stuffy board of directors and his pushy fiancé, and finds happiness posing as a butler (initially so that Arthur can get work as part of a butler-cook team). Lionel Stander (as he often does) steals the show as the acerbic sidekick of gangster Carillo, and he's given some great lines. Carillo is pleasing, too, as the gangster who wants to live like the gentry, and who's romantically interested in Arthur, but who's willing to hold back because he's a gourmet and is even more interested in retaining her as a cook. The best thing about the film is that it never gets tripped up in excessive plot complications, or telegraphs its humor. Giving Carillo a gustatorial as well as romantic interest allows him to take certain actions without burdening the romance of the principals. And, after giving us enough of a glimpse of the snotty fiancé to know what Marshall's in for, the film has the grace not to show her face again; no silly "scheming" or tiresome bared claws. In the final scene, when all are trying to convince Arthur through a locked door that she should marry, they move from straight arguments to playing roles in a "routine," but there's no winking and signaling to signify a change in technique, it just flows quickly and naturally. The film has enough confidence in the unfolding of the relationship between the principals that the intrusion of other characters and mechanical "plot complications" can be kept to a minimum Thus Carillo's proposal and interference at the denouement serves mainly to allow Arthur to voice her feelings about Marshall, and Carillo actually brings them together rather than holding them apart. Nice film.

Herbert Marshall is quite charming as an automobile tycoon who chances upon unemployed, nearly-homeless Jean Arthur in the park; he conceals his true identity and lands them both jobs at the home of a wealthy racketeer (he as the butler, she as the cook); however, his impending marriage to a society girl might put an end to the charade. Whimsical fluff, silly yet put over with so much professionalism that one isn't apt to complain too loudly. Arthur creates a likable character and has some very cute scenes (especially her cooking audition with the garlic). Her conversation with Marshall early on about "200 people for every one job" is still remarkably relevant in the 21st century, though this thin premise is nearly stretched to the breaking point. Worth-seeing for the performances, and fans of nutty '30s comedies will surely enjoy it. **1/2 from ****

"If You Could Only Cook" is a small film apparently credited to Frank Capra at one point but actually not by Capra, made in 1935, and it stars Herbert Marshall, Jean Arthur, Lionel Stander and Leo Carillo. Carillo was the Cisco Kid's sidekick Pancho on the TV series that boomers may remember; and Lionel Stander's unmistakable voice will be remembered from the Robert Wagner TV show "Hart to Hart." This is a film made during the Depression, and it concerns a wealthy auto executive named Jim Buchanan (Herbert Marshall) who is about to be married to the right kind of woman and is dreading it. While sitting on a park bench trying to escape his board of directors and his fiancé, he meets a down to earth young woman (Jean Arthur) who is desperately looking for a job and can't find anything. Plus, she's just lost her room. She finds a job that pays well, but it's for a couple. She talks Jim into applying for it with her -- he's the butler and she's the cook in the home of a gangster (Carillo). Thanks to her sauce, she is hired. Thus begins Buchanan's double life. You can guess the rest.

A very charming movie with a delightful performance by Arthur and a good one by Marshall. It's always hard to believe that Herbert Marshall was ever a leading man given the roles he had later on, but he was a type that went out of style -- very formal, well spoken, a little stuffy, modeled on the British. Films in the '30s were often based on plays, and the plays of that era dealt with class differences.

Capra initiated a lawsuit against Columbia for crediting him with this film in England, where he was very popular, but Harry Cohn purchased "You Can't Take It With You" for him in exchange for dropping the suit. So a little film, never seen by Capra, paid him a big dividend.

Auto titan Jim Buchanan is in a league with Henry Ford but in the dumps over an impending marriage to a cold fiancé and Luke warm reception to his latest models. Disconsolate, he finds himself sharing a park bench with Joan Hawthorne (Jean Arthur) a Depression victim in need of work. Unaware of Buchanan's status she gets him to agree to be a butler to her cook in order to attain employment with a wealthy mobster (Leo Carrillo). Seems they only want married couples. With everyone being less than upfront comic confusion reigns.

If Only You Could Cook is a spry enough comedy with plenty of charm supplied by Herbert Marshall and Jean Arthur ably supported by the abrasive comic turns of mobsters Leo Carrillo and especially Lionel Stander who threatens to steal the picture. Director William Seiter assembles economically, as he sums up Buchanan's dual predicament in under ten minutes before encountering Hawthorne and focusing on the couple for the rest of the picture, the first hint of romance between them a brief harmless interlude with the ruse still playing itself out. By removing extraneous characters and situation he leaves it up to the four leads to carry the pace of this benign comedy in which they more than succeed.

this movie is in the spirit of pursuing your dreams and following your heart. it's the wonderfully silly story of a auto designer whose company wants to keep making what sells rather that try his new designs. while soul-searching in the park he meets unemployed Jean Arthur who thinks he's down on his luck also. she sees a job for a married couple (a live in butler and cook), turns to him and ergo, the title. anyway, it's a lot of fun. for some reason this isn't available on video and isn't shown on TCM etc. so i had to find a copy on eBay. and now our town is having a Jean Arthur film festival (why didn't they consult me!? :-)). this is my favorite of Jean Arthur's movies not available on video, followed by Party Wire.

If You Could Only Cook had been made over at MGM, Jean Arthur would have had her pick of leading men like Robert Montgomery, William Powell, Robert Young, or Franchot Tone all of who might have been a bit more believable as the auto tycoon who gets tired of his stuffy board of directors and walks out on them. As it was Columbia Harry Cohn got her Herbert Marshall is far better cast in more mature parts like in The Little Foxes or the head of MI5 in The List of Adrian Messenger. He really hasn't the touch for light fare like If You Could Only Cook.

That's what happens to Marshall though, he walks out on his board of directors and a week before his wedding to Frieda Inescourt who's from a family with an old name, but no dough. On the park bench he runs into Jean Arthur who is one of the great mass of unemployed. They get to talking about food and Arthur sees in the want ads one for a married couple to be cook and butler on an estate. On a whim as these things are in screwball comedies, Marshall and her agree to pose as husband and wife.

What they don't know is that who's hiring them is gangster Leo Carrillo who's particular about his food. Not unusual because if you remember Goodfellas the wise guys in stir were very particular about their food and were rich enough to buy what they want in the joint. Carrillo's number two, Lionel Stander, thinks these two just don't sound right.

The rest of the film is the normal antics of mistaken identities and mistaken motives and finding out who really loves who after all. It's not a bad film, but not particularly a memorable one.

But If You Could Only Cook attained a status way beyond its own importance in film history by becoming the object of a fraud perpetrated on the foreign markets by Harry Cohn. Seems as though when the film reached Europe, Cohn advertised it in the foreign markets as being a Frank Capra Production. When Capra found out about it, he went ballistic and ultimately his connection with Columbia was severed.

The story is described in great detail in Capra's memoirs and the whole saga is a great example of the power those studios had back when they were at their height.

In fact that whole story might make a great movie.

The Austin Film Society showed this entertaining old film last week on election night. The receptive audience found laughs in many lines that still seem current, especially about unemployment, the want ads and being broke.

Jean Arthur looked lovely in this movie, and Herbert Marshall was perfect. What a wonderful voice that man had! My husband thinks that his walk may have inspired C3PO's formal motions, although the robot had a metal leg, not a wooden one like Mr. Marshall's.

Lionel Stander was already in full bellow, many decades before 'Hart to Hart', and Leo Carillo was a treat as the gangster employer. It was a surprise to hear them use the term 'wise guy' for a prospective member - I didn't realize it was already being used back then.

TCM's star tribute to JEAN ARTHUR included a few of her early films, some of which are on the weak side, as is IF YOU COULD ONLY COOK. With a brief running time of an hour and ten minutes, it might have been ideal for the bottom half of a double feature back in the '30s, yet it opened as an A-film at New York's Roxy theater. But what can I tell you? Not every film TCM shows is really what we call a "classic".

HERBERT MARSHALL is Jean's husband, who poses with Jean, as a servant in the home of a mobster. Marshall is a bored designer for an automobile manufacturer mistaken for being unemployed by Arthur who's job hunting and sees an ad for a husband and wife team. She talks Marshall into joining forces so they can find work.

Marshall, who says he's "fishing for something better to do with his life" proves to be quite adept at light comedy rather than the heavier material usually associated with him. His scenes with Arthur have every bit as much sparkle as those she did with stars like William Powell or Cary Grant.

Both stars are warm and appealing in roles that could have been written expressly for them. LIONEL STANDER and LEO CARILLO are amusing in supporting roles as the mobsters who hire the housekeeping team, with Stander suspicious of both of them from the start.

JEAN ARTHUR, as the girl who has faith in Marshall's auto designs, was never one of my favorites but she's on good display here and HERBERT MARSHALL is much less stiff than usual. Basically a romantic comedy, it turns screwball for the frantic ending.

Fans of the stars should find it an enjoyable romp that passes the time pleasantly.

Summing up: Strictly fluff.

Am being very serious about that. After seeing a lot of good but not great films, mixed bags and mediocrities or less recently in the comedy genre (and with melodramas), it was refreshing to have a comedy with a story that sounds silly on paper and not have the most appetising of titles (my opinion) that was actually very good. Even being very close to being a gem, if anybody getting into older films and screwball types of comedy and wants to know what the fuss is about, 'If You Could Only Cook' is a very good representation.

Saw it because of liking Jean Arthur and this type of comedy. Herbert Marshall is more hit and miss for me but it does depend on the role, he did have great meaty characters in his career but also dull ones that don't give him enough to work with. Have always tried, something that has been said frequently, to appreciate comedy of all kinds and decades, from the sophisticated and witty kind to the more daring kind to the broader kind (while tending to not care that much for the crude type, which tends for my liking to be distasteful). 'If You Could Only Talk' is a good example of one of my personal favourite types.

Is 'If You Could Only Cook's' story quite thin, even for the short running time, and tends to be quite silly? Sure, with a finale that is somewhat on the far-fetched side.

Len Carillo tends to overact a bit, but seems to be having fun.

Marshall though really lets himself go and is restrained and delectable but also amusing. Arthur is even better, cute as a button without being sickly sweet with sparkling comic timing. They have a very warm and affectionate chemistry together, actually think they work well as a romantic pairing, bouncing off each other very entertainingly. Lionel Stander provides a few of the film's best laughs with ease and is never less than very funny, really liked how he used his voice. The direction is assured and doesn't sleepwalk or lets things get strained.

Dialogue sparkles just as much as Arthur's comic timing, maybe even more so. It is some of the best and funniest writing for any comedy seen recently and always treats the viewer with respect. The story has a lively energy and also is respectful and is easy to follow, it is not a perfectly executed story by any stretch but there is enough spark and charm to it. The characters don't bore or irritate while the production values are suitably slick.

Overall, very good and refreshing. Very close to being a gem, let down a little only by some imperfect storytelling and one performance that doesn't completely work. 8/10

As much as I want to like anything Jean Arthur is in, I have to admit that "If You Could Only Cook" is a rather drab attempt at a screwball comedy.

Arthur and Herbert Marshall play an out-of-work girl and an auto executive, respectively, who pose as husband and wife in order to take a job as cook and butler in the home of a gangster (Leo Carillo). You might think this sets the stage for all manner of screwball antics, but no such antics ever really arise. The film treats the story lazily and perfunctorily. Arthur and Marshall of course fall in love, but more because the screenplay forces them to than because it seems natural for their characters. The two actors acquit themselves as well as they can, but the movie just sort of plods along around them.

Fans of either Arthur or Marshall will probably want to give this film a look, but don't expect a screwball classic.

Grade: B-

If You Could Only Cook (1935) : Brief Review -

A sweet little rom-com deliciously cooked and smartly buttled. Here comes another less well-known and underrated romantic comedy from the 30s. This decade was the best period for romantic and screwball comedies. Almost all of those formulas were invented in the same decade. If you ever think of watching a great original comedy, then I'll suggest you look into the 30s and nowhere else. William A Seiter was ruling behind some of the best directors with his comedies and musical comedies during the 30s, and he also had a couple of good comedies in the 40s as well. If You Could Only Cook surely makes it into the top 5 films of Seiter from the 30s, so you don't have to give a second thought about watching it. Just watch it and I guarantee you won't regret those 70 minutes. You'll enjoy it for an hour and may even wish to watch it again. This screwball tells a story of a frustrated automobile executive and a young woman who talks him into posing as her husband so they can land jobs as a butler and a cook. They fall in love, of course, but is it that easy to get married? It's a sweet little tale with lots of tasty ingredients, and it's too delicious. No matter what kind of food you like, this will satisfy your tongue and stomach both. I just loved some of those scenes. That buttler teaching Jim how to buttle scene was hilarious and intelligent too. Another one was Jim claiming Joan as his real life as his tongue slips, but much funnier part comes when Joan does the same after a while. That was cute and enchanting. Herbert Marshall makes a perfect fit for a businessman and a buttler, while Jean Arthur goes on with her suave accent and beautiful looks. Leo Carrillo is funny enough, but his right hand, aka Lionel Stander, is simply overwhelming. What accents these two had. Complete riot. William A Seiter cooks a delicious rom-com and serves it even better than a professional buttler.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebeatest.

It's good to have this almost excellent screwball delight now available on an excellent Columbia/Sony DVD. Although it's not a fraction as famous as My Man Godfrey or Bringing Up Baby, I think it's a much funnier film, even though it does have a couple of minor defects – not in the writing, but in the playing. First off, I think that first-billed Herbert Marshall is miscast. His acting is faultless, but his personality is wrong. For me, Herbert Marshall lacks charm. It's hard to believe that a lovely girl like Jean Arthur would fall in love with him.

My second problem player is Leo Carillo. I think everyone would agree that he over-acts. Problem is that he is actually required to do so, in order to keep up with Lionel Stander. And the funny thing is that we don't mind Lionel over-acting. In fact, we enjoy it. He always shouts and over-reacts because that is his shtick. You could say that's Carillo's method of drawing attention to himself too. But I nearly always find Carillo's performances at least slightly offensive. I don't have the same reaction to Stander's, because Stander is sending up gangsters – or at least movie gangsters. On the other hand, Carillo is satirizing Mexicans. All Mexicans! True, he wasn't the only player in the what-a-dumb-lot-Mexicans-are business, but he was certainly the most prominent. I always cringe when his name comes up on the screen.

Aside from the not-always-appropriate presence of Marshall and Carillo, If You Could Only Cook is a delightfully engaging movie. Almost one of the best!

Frustrated executive (Herbert Marshall) meets an unemployed cook (Jean Arthur). She mistakenly believes he is also out of work so she suggests the two answer a help-wanted ad seeking a live-in maid and butler. Looking for a change of pace he agrees and the two go to work for a colorful character (Leo Carrillo) who turns out to be a gangster. Charming romantic comedy has a fine cast headed by likable Herbert Marshall and lovely Jean Arthur, who I've never seen in a bad performance. Leo Carrillo is a bit much at times but he often was, especially when they let him use accents. It's a good one so catch it if you can.

If You Could Only Cook is a romantic comedy from the 1930s, which has everything to be an excellent screwball comedy, but unfortunately, it isn't.

The cast is perfect, Herbert Marshall and Jean Arthur, in the main roles, there's even Lionel Stander, always fun in his picturesque characters, with a mobster slang (here literally).

The script seems adequate, crazy enough to work, although, from a certain point on, it seems to rush towards the inevitable happy ending, through tortuous paths that are more melodramatic than fun.

What is mainly missing is rhythm and firm direction, which makes the script work, which takes advantage of the burlesque underlying the entire plot.

It is essentially a failed, undeveloped project, with everything to be successful, like a screwball comedy, but instead, moves towards a simple melodrama.

Still, it's entertaining enough if you're a fan of the genre.

Auto magnate Jim Buchanan (Herbert Marshall) meets an unemployed woman named Joan (Jean Arthur) in a park, and she suggest that they apply for a position as cook and butler. They get the job, but Joan does not know Jim's real identity.

If You Could Only Cook is a charming little comedy. Apparently Columbia marketed this as a Frank Capra film in Europe, but it's better then the two Frank Capra comedies I've seen. Marshall and Arthur are wonderful together, and Leo Carrillo is good as the ex-bootlegger they work for, and I liked Lionel Stander too.

First time viewing. 4/5

Following a loveless wedding rehearsal, automobile designer Herbert Marshall (as James "Jim" Buchanan) has a bad day with his "Buchanan Motor Co" board of directors and goes for a walk in the park. Contemplating life on a park bench, Mr. Marshall meets attractive blonde Jean Arthur (as Joan Hawthorne). Assuming Marshall is likewise unemployed, Ms. Arthur shares the "Help Wanted" classified ads with him. She thinks they might improve their luck by responding to a "cook and butler" job offer together. They get a job working for shady Leo Carrillo (as Michael "Mike" Rossini) at "Rossini Manor", but must pretend to be husband and wife. When he discovers Marshall and Ms. Arthur are not sharing the bed in their living quarters, Mr. Carrillo decides to move in on Arthur...

Of course, Marshall and Arthur discover they mutually attracted. Partially because it's so expected, there is little interest or investment in Marshall and Arthur as a couple. The co-stars have a few good moments – curiously, they are more appealing when they are not sharing the screen. The story seems to slow down as it progresses. Gravel-voiced Lionel Stander (as Flash) adds some much-needed spark. "If You Could Only Cook" is more famous as the film Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn falsely promoted abroad as a Frank Capra Production. The successful filmmaker was understandably miffed at the studio mogul.

****** If You Could Only Cook (12/25/35) William A. Seiter ~ Herbert Marshall, Jean Arthur, Lionel Stander, Leo Carrillo

Light, very light, but it works for fans of the genre and period. The story was not deserving of much credit, but the cast seemed to have some fun with it and that kept it entertaining all of the way through.