Lonely Wives

The strange connection between a passionate lawyer and a vaudeville impersonator leads to romantic complications for their LONELY WIVES.

Edward Everett Horton, that nervous fuss-budget who enlivened so many films as a top character actor during Hollywood's Golden Age, here gets a rare starring role and a chance to really flex his comedic muscles. Although it's a little difficult to think of Horton as a romantic idol--even a funny one--he certainly has the lovely ladies adoring him in this lively Pre-Code farce.

Providing double trouble, Horton plays the dual roles of a stern lawyer who ‘blooms' into a Don Juan every evening at 8 PM and the talented mimic who wishes to impersonate the lawyer on the stage. Add the lonely wives--Esther Ralston & Laura La Plante--and you're likely to get a merry marital mix-up.

Patsy Ruth Miller plays the lawyer's too flirtatious new secretary. Spencer Charters staggers through the role of the household's increasingly inebriated butler. Best of all is elderly Maude Eburne, an underappreciated actress with considerable comic skills, who tackles the role of Ms. Ralston's boisterous mother. Chubby Ms. Eburne easily holds her own with either Hortons and gets to utter the film's final, funniest line.

Mildly interesting comedy with Edward Everett Horton given an rare leading role. He even refers to a "bedroom farce" with one of the other women during the film.

This movie has been well reviewed by others. Only two other comments. Exactly how is it that Mr. Zero can not only can make himself up to be an exact physical double of Mr. Smith, but he can also imitate the same effete, nervous-Nellie personality of someone he has never before met? The film would have been more interesting, as in other films where someone is impersonating another, if he had a less exaggerated persona. Also, of note is the fact that the three main female leads, all more famous in the silent era than after-wards, all lived into their 90's.

I chuckled more than once at the convoluted goings on in this farce filled with sexual innuendos. Edward Everett Horton is good in his double role as both a famous womanizing lawyer called Richard and a vaudeville impersonator called Felix. Felix wants to add Richard to his list of people he impersonates and would get permission only if he can fool Richard's mother-in-law, Maude Eburne, for a night. Meanwhile, Richard goes to meet Laura La Plante about getting a divorce from her husband, who happens to be Felix, although Richard doesn't know it. And Richard's wife, Esther Ralston, comes home from a vacation early and spends the night with Felix, disguised as Richard.

I was impressed with the smooth special effects when both Richard and Felix appear onscreen at the same time. It was done, of course, by a double exposure, but the timing of their conversations was perfect. As the befuddled butler, Spencer Charters overplays his role when he gets conflicting commands by both Felix and Richard and it was a bit tedious and predictable. The rest of the cast was fine. This is a good example of a pre-code sex farce.

The origins of the story was a 1912 German vaudeville act called "Tanzanwaltz" by Pordes Milo, Walter Schütt and Dr. Eric Urban. Although A.H. Woods is credited onscreen as the writer of the 1922 play on which this movie is based, contemporary reviews list him only as producer, with Walter De Leon and Mark Swan as the English language adaptors.

Fantasizing he is an after hours womanizer, stuff-shirted lawyer Edward Everett Horton (as Richard "Dickie" Smith) flirts with new secretary Patsy Ruth Miller (as Kitty "Minty" Minter). Tipped off by boozing butler Spencer Charters (as Andrews), Ms. Miller sets Horton up on a date with film actress friend Laura La Plante (as Diane O'Dare). The women hope to Horton will provide Ms. La Plante with a cheap divorce from vaudeville husband "Felix, the Great Zero" (also played by Horton), for non-performance of duties. Lawyer Horton agrees to let "Felix" impersonate him at home, so he can keep dates with the women.

But, wife Esther Ralston (as Madeline) comes home predictably… er, unexpectedly…

Leading man Horton acts his two roles successfully, in and out of "split screen" effect. Interestingly, he gets three leading ladies who were bigger stars during the "silent" years. Miller is charming and too briefly on-screen. Ms. Ralston appears modern and sexy. La Plante has the meatier part. And, matronly mother-in-law Maude Eburne (as Mrs. Mantel) steals scenes from everyone. The old film is sprinkled with amusing sexual innuendos. The twin Hortons are neatly directed by Russell Mack, but someone needed give the viewer some more differentiation between the two, especially during the masquerade at the house.

****** Lonely Wives (2/15/31) Russell Mack ~ Edward Everett Horton, Laura La Plante, Esther Ralston, Patsy Ruth Miller

The title and advertising for this film are salacious in that laughable pre-Code way; "All hot and bothered...wild husbands on the loose," read one. The plot that sets up this early sex farce is awfully contrived; it has a guy showing up to a lawyer's office who looks identical to him (both men are played by Edward Everett Horton), allowing the lawyer to slip out and have some fun with a couple of women at the "Whoopee Club" 'til dawn, and then his wife to unexpectedly return from a vacation all rarin' to go with the stranger she assumes is her husband. "I bought a new lace nightie yesterday that's positively indecent - wait 'til you see it!" she says. Meanwhile, one of the women the lawyer has gone out with just happens to be the other guy's wife.

It's pretty damn silly and if you're looking for something sophisticated, skip this film (which I guess you could have guessed from the title). In addition, the quality of the print which survives is pretty poor, the cast (aside from Horton) lacks star power, and the aspects of the plot in the middle of the film that focus on the butler's confusion and the mother-in-law's delight over possibly getting a grandchild are overdone and quickly become tiring.

However, it does have its moments, starting with the sassy secretary (Patsy Ruth Miller) who likes strutting across the room to show her boss her "wiggle." There is an air of subversive desire in the film; the new client (Laura La Plante) who comes to the lawyer to ask about a divorce doesn't mind if her husband stays out at night, as long as she could always depend on him doing so, so that she could have some fun herself. When the lawyer plans to meet both her and his secretary later that night, she says "But wouldn't you be embarrassed with two girls?" and he replies "Two? And me feeling positively Oriental?" There are several more lines like this, and it's kind of fun seeing two Edward Everett Horton's on the screen at the same time. In the screwball mayhem towards the end, one of the film's better sequences, watch for the moment when he hurdles over his mother-in-law, who's fallen down during a chase up the staircase. The film could certainly have been better, but it was mildly amusing.