Servizio di lusso

Most romantic movies have a very basic formula...boy meets girl...couple start to fall in love...there is a misunderstanding that threatens to break them up...this is resolved and they live happily ever after. In essence, this is what you get in "Service de Luxe"...a typical formula though HOW you do through each of these steps is what makes this film a bit unique.

Helen Murphy (Constance Bennett) and her friend, Pearl (Helen Broderick) own a business called 'Dorothy Madison Service'. It's a company that solves problems and hires folks, as needed, for helpless rich folks who can't seem to do these things for themselves. The clients love her. However, when Robert (Vincent Price) is contracted with Dorothy Madison, he HATES this. He's a very self-reliant guy and wants to take care of details himself! What he doesn't realize is that his new girlfriend is Helen...of Dorothy Madison fame! She doesn't tell him, either, as she likes him...perhaps loves him and his independent ways. After all, she spends her life taking care of people and the idea of a man she does NOT need to take care of is very exciting.

In the meantime, Audrey Robinson, the daughter of a rich man who uses Dorothy Madison Service, has fallen for Robert...though he has no interest in her at all. One day, he's working and is completely distracted with his project...as Audrey blathers and essentially proposes to him. Without his realizing it, suddenly he's engaged to Audrey even though he loves Helen.

So, how will Robert get rid of Audrey? And, how will Helen get him to marry her even after he finds out who she is?

Overall, this is a very nice romance...enjoyable, clever and with likable character. The only thing working against it is that over time Vincent Price became typecast and seeing him in his first Hollywood film playing an inventor that has made an improved tractor seems odd given Price's screen persona. He just doesn't seem like the farm and tractor sort!

Romantic comedy from Universal Pictures and director Rowland V. Lee. Constance Bennett stars as Helen Murphy, who runs the title company which specializes in overseeing the mundane details of her wealthy clients' daily lives. Her exhausting work pace forces her to take a short vacation where she meets engineer Robert Wade (Vincent Price in his debut). He's on his way to the city to see about building his new tractor design, and he and Helen fall for each other without knowing the identities of each other. Wade finds a financial backer in Scott Robinson (Charlies Ruggles), but a complication in Robinson's daughter Audrey (Joy Hodges) who sets her sights on marrying Wade. Also featuring Helen Broderick, Mischa Auer, Frances Robinson, Halliwell Hobbes, Raymond Parker, Frank Coghlan Jr., Lawrence Grant, and Chester Clute.

This is an agreeable, fairly routine rom-com of the era, made noteworthy thanks to Price's debut. He was 27 at the time, and he looks traditionally handsome. He sounds as if he deepened his voice a bit to try and sound more macho, and his height is imposing. He has a scene late in the film where he angrily shouts about having insanity in his family bloodline, and I thought, "There's the Vincent I know!" Mischa Auer is amusing as a pompous Russian chef.

Since Thriller seems to be played every five minutes on the radio following the death of Michael Jackson, I've found myself lecturing the kids about the wonderful, 55-year career of the legendary Vincent Price.

Well here's where that wonderful career began - the male lead in his debut feature! His role here couldn't be any further removed from the genre he's famous for. This romantic screwball comedy sees Price play the heart-throb hero(?!) opposite comedy actress Constance Bennett (who, incidentally, my mother was named after).

Helen Murphy (Bennett) runs the titular service which caters for the every need of its customers, from meals to shopping, finances to social arrangements. Constance is sick of running around after men (her main customers) and seeks an independent, self-sufficient partner.

She meets one in the form of Robert Wade (Price) who, after a case of mistaken identity (have you ever seen a 30s comedy in which this didn't happen?), treats her like a real woman. Unfortunately, Murphy's business-like lifestyle clashes with Wade's vision of the ideal woman - a homely child-bearer who lets the man pay for everything.

So Murphy lies and hides the truth of her real occupation - with hilarious consequences. Naturally Wade hates Murphy's service (remember, he doesn't know she's behind it!) which he finds unnecessary intrusive. This of course causes Murphy to perpetuate the deceit.

There's plenty of madcap behaviour as Wade's now antiquated views of women force Murphy to use underhanded tactics to win his heart. Bennett is great as always and Price is also very good, although no Cary Grant. There's also a supporting cast of zany characters including Mischa Auer (mad Russian chef who constantly consults his spirit guide), Charles Ruggles (eccentric old businessman) and Helen Broderick (dumb romantic dreamer).

The comedy is often predictable as Wade sets about selling his new innovative tractor idea and gets himself accidentally engaged to the wrong person. However, it's all very likable and sweet and makes for a perfect afternoon matinée.

Considering Price makes his feature film debut here, it is amazing to see how comfortable he is and how consistent his look and persona are with later roles. The ever-present 'tache is obviously on show, as is that slight southern twang and dignified manner. To be fair, the 27-year old Price looks exactly here as he does in 'The House on Haunted Hill' – 20 years later! And there's an interesting scene in which Price jokingly talks about madness in his family, as he slowly and menacingly advances towards his finance – an eerie forecast of things to come

From 1938, "Service de Luxe" gave Vincent Price his first leading role. He was young and quite handsome. The film also stars Constance Bennett, Helen Broderick, Mischa Auer, Charlie Ruggles, and Joy Hodges.

Bennett is Helen Murphy who runs the Dorothy Madison service, which does everything for its clients: plan their weddings, get emergency passports, find them apartments, you name it. Helen is tired of the whole thing.

She then meets Robert Wade (Price). Wade has been henpecked all his life by his aunts. If there's one thing he doesn't like, it's a meddling woman. He is in New York to sell plans for a new tractor. He and Helen fall in love, but because of his feelings about take-charge women, she can't tell him what she does for a living.

In her capacity as the head of her company, she calls a client, Mr. Robinson (Ruggles) and asks him to meet with Robert about his tractor. He hasn't had any success in selling it. Robinson loves the invention and gives Robert a place to work and has the Madison service find him an apartment nearby.

Robinson's difficult daughter Joy falls for Robert. Meanwhile, Helen is stuck - she hasn't told Robert her profession, and he really resents the Madison agency doing things for him.

This is a cute movie and a great chance to see Price as a young romantic lead. He's delightful as a hard-working, serious man seeking success. Bennett is her usual gorgeous self, tired of the rat race and believing she's found true love.

All the performances are good, particuarly from Mischa Auer and Helen Broderick. Auer is hilarious as a Russian chef who is teaching Robinson to cook, and Broderick provides the sarcastic comments.

The only one I wasn't crazy about is Joy Hodges. Part of it is because the character she plays is so annoying. She wasn't a particularly subtle actress. She was, however, a fascinating woman, who helped Ronald Reagan get his start in show business. She was an accomplished singer and Broadway stage actress.

Enjoyable film. Price had an amazing career. It's great to see him at its start.

I've been aware of this film's existence since I was a teenager and after 45 years have finally caught up with it. 'Service de Luxe' is a competent assembly-line romantic comedy with Constance Bennett her usual glamorous blonde self bolstered by a vintage supporting cast (Helen Broderick is particularly good). That it is remembered today is due to its handsome young leading man fresh from Broadway snapped up by Universal.

The title will be familiar to his many admirers as the film debut of the 27 year-old Vincent Price, starting at the top playing a romantic lead in an 'A' feature opposite an established star. Already sporting the pencil-line moustache that was to come and go for the next twenty years, the young Vincent gracefully towers over the rest of the cast (even Mischa Auer!), moves comfortably in front of the camera and of course speaks in that wonderful purring baritone.

Playing a young inventor designing a new type of tractor, Vincent basically serves as eye candy for Connie Bennett and straight man to Charlie Ruggles and Mischa Auer. With odd exceptions, as when he attempts to discourage the amorous advances of Joy Hodges by telling her that madness runs in his family, we get little sense of just how deliriously funny he could later be in more eccentric roles, or how satanic a villain he would be; he would never play such a conventional lead again. Just two films later he was cast by this film's director, Rowland V. Lee, as the Duke of Clarence in 'Tower of London', in which he was murdered by Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff and it was already clear that he was not destined to continue to play uncomplicated romantic leads. After signing up with Fox in 1940 he would kept busy for the next seven years in eye-catching supporting roles in big budget prestige productions. And the rest is history.