The Housekeeper's Daughter

The brunette, beautiful Joan Bennett is the main attraction in "The Housekeeper's Daughter," a 1939 Hal Roach movie. With her similarly-shaped face, hair-do, and hairline, the dark-haired Joan is reminiscent of Hedy Lamar, whereas, as a blonde, she resembled her sister Constance. In my opinion, Bennett was the most beautiful actress who auditioned for Scarlett in Gone with the Wind and didn't get it.

Bennett plays Hilda, a gun moll who gets sick of the life and goes home to mother. Her mother, Olga (Peggy Wood) is the housekeeper and lives in the home of a wealthy man, Robert Randall (John Hubbard) who has aspirations to be a reporter. When two reporters (Adolphe Menjou and William Gargan) see Randall throwing around money, they stick to him like glue and wind up sleeping at his home and meeting mother and daughter. Randall, meanwhile, is hot on a murder case, which will eventually combine Hilda's past and present.

This is a pleasant enough, well acted film in the beginning but deteriorates into a lot of slapstick later on. Victor Mature has an early role, and Donald Meek is the harried newspaper editor.

As a side note about William Gargan, he had a laryngectomy in 1960 and spoke thereafter with the use of an artificial voice box. He spent the remaining 19 years of his life involved with the American Cancer Society and warning about the hazards of smoking.

Joan Bennett (was "Mom' in Father of the Bride) plays Hilda, the daughter and Adolphe Menjou and John Hubbard are reporters in Housekeeper's Daughter. Everyone involved (except Mature) had made tons of movies by 1939, so the story moves right along. In Housekeeper's Daughter, Benny (George Stone, was in the "Boston Blackie" films )helps serve Hilda's guests, and there's a murder to be solved. The newspaper reporters go on a bender and get fact and fiction confused. The dashing Victor Mature (Samson & Delilah 1949) is one of the mobster's men who goes to visit Hilda, the housekeeper's daughter to see just how much she knows. Keep an eye out for the always funny character actor Donald Meek ("You Cant Take it with You" and "My Little Chickadee" ) as the newspaper editor Mr. Wilson. Reminded me a little bit of "His Girl Friday" which would come out a year later in 1940, but not nearly as clever as H.G.F. How could anyone compete with Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell? See also "Big Brown Eyes" from 1936, also Cary Grant, also a newspaper caper....

Unworldly professor's son John Hubbard returns to his father's house, ambitious to become a newspaper. He's encouraged in this by The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939), Joan Bennett, who has just quit Marc Lawrence's mob in disgust. Newspaper editor Donald Meek wants a story on Lilian Bond's death, apparently form falling off a houseboat, and after a night of drinking with ace reporter Adolphe Menjou, Hubbard writes a story claiming he knows who did it and falls soddenly asleep. Lawrence thinks he's going to be framed, so he continually sends henchman Victor Mature (in his screen debut) to beat up Hubbard, failing because he is a wimp.

Hal Roach not only produced this movie, he directed it, and it's pretty uneven: best when Menjou, Lawrence or Miss Bennett is about, while Hubbard is uninteresting as the mild-as-water lead. At least part of the problem with this movie seems to lie with the editing by William Ziegler, which introduced a couple of plot points which it then ignores, or has people do things simply to set up a gag. But the comedy keeps this one continually interesting.

The two (2) main studios for comedies from 1915 to 1930 were Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. Sennett developed or introduced many great stars including one (1) Charles Chaplin. The Sennett form of madcap slapstick humor were staples of the silent era. Competing with him was Hal Roach with his comedy genius Harold Lloyd. The third genius was Buster Keaton an independent. Sennett lost Chaplin and Roach later Lloyd but Roach was luckier. He was able to pair up the perfect comedy couple Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel and a group of ragamuffins called 'His Rascals' then 'The Little Rascals'. He also proved a better business man. When their mutual distributor Pathe collapsed in the early 1930s Sennett went down the tubes. Roach attached himself to LOEWS and M.G.M. the most successful combo in film distribution and production of the time.

After the mid thirties though Laurel & Hardy were showing their age as well as the 'Rascals'. Roach also had made some poor business and political connections attaching himself to the Fascist Dictator Mussolini. This ended his association with LOEWS and M.G.M. He rebounded though selling off 'His Rascals' to M.G.M. which became THE OUR GANG series. Others who supported the short subjects would also be jettisoned as the move was made to feature films distributed by UNITED ARTISTS. Later in 1940 even Laurel & Hardy would be let go.

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER showed that Hal Roach had not lost any of his skill as a Director/Producer. The cast was first rate, lead by Joan Bennett and Adolphe Menjou. By this time Joan had abandoned the blond look and had become a attractive brunette with a lithe though rounded figure. This was used to advantage in several scenes. Menjou of course was always the professional. The rest of the cast is filled with other top flight character actors including, William Gargan, Marc Lawrence, Donald Meek, George E. Stone and Peggy Wood. Also in his debut feature, Victor Mature. The only weak link is the male lead a John Hubbard.

The story revolves around the murder of a Broadway BABY and has the right mix of comedy, drama and suspense. None of these are over the top nor do each of them interfere with the other. Roach was able to keep the disparate plot lines cleanly delineated. The film from start to finish is very satisfying and this was clearly reflected in other HAL ROACH STUDIO productions like OF MICE AND MEN and ONE MILLION B.C.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has for the past year featured many of the efforts of the HAL ROACH STUDIOS. Those who appreciate their efforts should contact TCM and tell them so. There are many other GEMS in their library that have not seen the light of day.

Scrambled comedy more interesting for some of its players than anything else. There's sort of a plot, but its more thrown together than anything that evolves. It's like if we just keep shouting and pushing something funny is bound to happen.

On the cast side, Joan Bennett has way too much screen gravitas for a farce like this. She sure looks the part that guys would fall all over. Nonetheless, she also looks lost in the role. Good thing she soon paired up with film impresario Fritz Lang who sensed her spider woman potential. Note too, early presence of Victor Mature as a hunky gangster. No wonder he went on to starring roles. Then there's poor John Hubbard in the lead. Unfortunately, he has about as much comedic talent as I do, putting a hole in the movie's middle. But my real take-away is little George E. Stone as Benny who keeps popping up with unusual cups of coffee in the gentlest most self-effacing manner possible. He's like a demented little elf, a truly disturbing presence, at least in my movie book. I hope he finally found the right movie set. Just don't let him fix the coffee.

Anyway, I'd skip this over-cooked stew unless the only alternative is a politician's speech.