One Rainy Afternoon

Philippe Martin (Francis Lederer) is a struggling actor who accidentally kisses Monique (Ida Lupino) in a darkened cinema thinking that she is someone else. This incident causes a scandal which goes to court. In the meantime, Philippe's stage career takes off and we end with a theatre performance where the story depicts the recent events and we even have a song about it.

This film isn't very good despite having 2 good main actors in the lead roles. I expected more from Lederer and Lupino but there just wasn't anything in the script to deliver. The film is about an incident which is not capable of carrying a whole film. It also contains a very annoying Hugh Herbert as "Toto" who is given comedy music when he appears, which is all the way through the film. His character helps ruin the film. But it is a film with a nothing story to begin with. Shame the two main actors wasted their time with this.

This is a fun romantic comedy which relies upon Ida Lupina's face expressions to do much communication. This is an under rated enjoyable movie w lots of laughs. Ida is terrific.

When you see a cast that contains such folks as Roland Young, Hugh Herbert, Mischa Auer, Donald Meek, Erik Rhodes, Eily Malyon, and Richard Carle in the cast it's almost an obligation to watch the film. All these are in the cast filling out roles you would expect of them supporting leads Francis Lederer and Ida Lupino.

This could only happen in France where they are a bit more permissive. And it could only work for a charming guy like Francis Lederer. Don't try this here unless you're Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. One afternoon Lederer who is opening in a revue shortly decides to spend an afternoon at the cinema with a woman he's dating and do the things couples do at the movies. Only Lederer gets the wrong row and when he reaches over and plants a big wet on Ida Lupino she's started and screams. when she's startled.

When the lights go on and everybody in the theater jumps into their business Lupino is willing to just let it all drop. But Eily Malyon best remembered as the parish housekeeper in Going My Way is there and happens to be the head of the Purity League. She insists on bringing a complaint against Lederer and the gendarmes haul him off to the pokey.

The court scene is pretty funny too as Judge Donald Meek looking for a few jollies has Lederer, Lupino, and Malyon who wants Lederer boiled in oil give their accounts of this incident.. Theater manager Roland Young fires Lederer from his revue, but his popularity among the French public skyrockets.

As was said by another reviewer this is a film that Maurice Chevalier should have done. But as Chevalier went back to France and was unavailable, Lederer is a good substitute.

Does all this lead to romance? Watch this charming comedy and find out.

Picture quality is pretty rough at the beginning, but this thing is already 85 years old, so i guess we should just appreciate still having it around. Produced by Mary Pickford, it stars Francis Lederer as Philippe, who is planning on meeting his (married) girlfriend in a Paris Theater. He mistakenly kisses the wrong girl, Monique, played by Ida Lupino. this starts a huge uproar in Paris, as the President of the Purity League was also in the theater. and no comedy would be complete without Donald Meek. and Erik Rhodes and Hugh Herbert. Roland Young (Topper!) this one is just loaded up with the best comedians. and we sit through the whole court case as they demand to know why Philippe kissed a girl. kind of like Much Ado about Nothing! a kissing caper. fun. moves right along. ice skating. Directed by Rowland Lee, who had directed some biggies, Count of Monte Cristo and Three Musketeers. Pickford played such a HUGE role in all aspects of films over her career, although it seems to have stopped when she divorced Fairbanks in 1936. THIS film was one of the last ones she produced. looks like she mostly retired from the biz when she married Buddy Rogers. Definitely catch One Rainy Afternoon if you can find it... Roland Young does a really FUN version of "Rainy Afternoon"!

In Paris, "Incorrigible Philippe Martin, a rakish actor, has arrived at a darkened movie theater for a tryst with his married girlfriend Yvonne. Everything changes when he accidentally sits in the wrong seat and kisses a beautiful publisher's daughter named Monique. To protect Yvonne in the ensuing scandal, he claims that Monique's beauty was irresistible. Now Monique is intrigued, but her fiancé is anything but happy," according to the fine folks at Mill Creek Entertainment.

This is a mostly unsuccessful romantic comedy from the intriguing production team of Mary Pickford and Jesse L. Lasky. She was, of course, THE film sweetheart last appearing in "Secrets" (1933) and he was the likewise legendary former Paramount Studios boss. "One Rainy Afternoon" was the first of two films from Pickford and Lasky, both starring Ida Lupino. The second was better, but they stopped there. Interestingly, you can see traces of Ms. Pickford in Ms. Lupino's character - these parts look like they might have appealed to Pickford herself. Leading man Francis Lederer receives star-billing, but is lesser remembered today; he was a versatile and convincing actor. Everyone delivers competent, albeit uninspired, work.

Interesting, too, is that two of filmdom's very first popular players appear as uncredited extras. They are Florence Turner and Florence Lawrence, two of the movies' first genuine "STAR" actresses. Popular for several years, they were still big enough to appear in the first annual "Motion Picture Story Magazine" players poll, for 1912; Ms. Lawrence was #8, Ms. Turner was #11, and an up-and-coming Pickford appeared at #12. Pickford passed them in the next year's poll.

**** One Rainy Afternoon (5/13/36) Rowland V. Lee ~ Francis Lederer, Ida Lupino, Hugh Herbert, Roland Young