Men Are Such Fools

I gave 6 stars only because of Priscilla Lane and Penny Singleton. The movie is ridiculous because Morris' character treats Lane's character so horribly, but she "falls in love" with him anyway. He practically kidnaps her, forces himself on her, acts like a spoiled child, and treats her terribly, but she marries him anyway. Not much has changed when it comes to women marrying idiots like this guy. You'd think they would pay attention to all the red flags that indicate what morons, narcissists, misogynists, and crybabies these dudes are, but they go right ahead and marry them regardless. On top of that he's a frat boy, which is just slightly better than being a serial killer.

Priscilla Lane does her best to keep afloat in this somewhat entertaining but maddeningly uneven B comedy. Roommate Penny Singleton just wants to get married but office worker Priscilla has ambition: "I'm going to be somebody in this advertising racket and I've got what it takes!"

Standing in her way is co-worker Wayne Morris, who takes for granted that she should be more interested in him than in her job, despite the fact that he is both dense and obnoxious.

Lane is perky but the relationship between her and Morris never seems believable, and a nice cast of character actors are sorely let down by a mediocre script.

Hugh Herbert is fine as the company boss, apparently silly and absent-minded but not as dumb as he seems. Johnnie Davis is his usual blustery self as Singleton's fiancé then husband.

Mona Barrie has most of the film's best lines as a successful but cynical ad writer who's had some ups and downs in the racket herself. Taking newcomer Lane under her wing, Barrie invites her to the lake for a weekend party—whether out of kindness or hoping to stir up mischief, it's not quite clear: "Bring your boyfriend along. Give you a chance to compare him with the other insects."

Alas, Barrie's role is too small, and what might have been another fun role is simply too dull—young Humphrey Bogart as a playboy radio executive is mildly annoying but little else. This might be Bogie's most boring role ever.

Priscilla Lane is very good and her character is smart and likable….but co-star Wayne Morris isn't her match here, and the standard plot just doesn't really work.

If you want to see a truly bizarre '30s flick, catch this one. Wayne Morris and Priscilla Lane star as a couple who work in the city and then move to the suburbs. He keeps working, she stays home. She has a maid. She picks him up from the 5:15 train each day. She hates it and leaves him and goes back to work in New York. Then she informs her husband and the world she's leaving for Paris with a friend. Morris chases after her. The friend, by the way, is Bogar before he became a star. This film was a programmer, slotted in as a second or even third feature on a single bill. Morris is a horrible actor and thoroughly unconvincing as a businessman. Lane channels Ginger Rogers throughout, which is unsettling. Bogart merely treads water. And the film is poorly written. While it was billed as a comedy, it is more of a drama -- with cartoon music constantly playing in the background. Filmed almost entirely on the lot, it gets a little jarring during a brief car chase, the footage of which doesn't match the rest of the photography. If you watch it, take it for the curio that it is. Better yet, watch a BLONDIE flick instead. Better plots, better acting, more believable. Blondie was played by an actress named Penny Singleton, who just so happens o appear in this flick.

Linda Lawrence (Priscilla Lane) is a secretary in an advertising agency. She doesn't have time for lovelorn salesman Jimmy Hall (Wayne Morris). She is more interested in climbing the corporate ladder. Her boss Harvey Bates (Hugh Herbert) takes an interest and asks her to have dinner with him. Jimmy barges in on their 'date' and she falls for him. They meet Harry Galleon (Humphrey Bogart) at a pool party.

Busby Berkeley is directing but there are no big dance numbers. I didn't know that he made such non-dance movies. I am surprised by the modernity of the main theme. Linda is a modern girl trying to balance between romantic life and work life. I was hoping for more Bogie. He's the subordinate third wheel villain to the lightweight Jimmy. In addition, I'm annoyed by Harvey's voice work. It's not funny and he's trying too hard. This modern-ish rom-com is borderline ok.

Being an unabashed 'Lane, Priscilla' (qv) fan, Men Are Such Fools would be a delight to watch if only for the wonderful Miss Lane alone. But as a neat little bonus you get 'Bogart, Humphrey' (qv) in a rare, at that time, non-gangster role.This combination makes for an enjoyable movie about a young woman determined to succeed in the advertising business.

However, the one problem I have with this movie is Wayne Morris, or at least the character he plays.

As in another movie Mr. Morris was in with Miss Lane, _Love, Honor and Behave (1938)_ (qv), there is this undercurrent that seems to imply that you can show a woman how much you love her by physically pushing her around.

I understand that things were different back then, but it is still a bit difficult to watch any guy resort to physical contact with a woman in order to win her over. This is by no means a big part of this movie, but it is noticeable after seeing it happen over a series of films from that era.

That being said, the positives far outweigh any of the negatives. With Priscilla Lane starring and Humphrey Bogart in support, you can't go wrong spending your time with Men Are Such Fools.