First Lady

It must have sounded like a cute idea--a cabal of Washington wives turns out to be the real power brokers who decide the Presidential nominee. But in practice it is very tame and dull. One keeps waiting for the zingers but in fact the wisecracks are mild and, for the most part, not very funny. Louise Fazenda, as the leader of 5 million obviously Republican clubwomen, is less a caricature of a dim, prissy, provincial battleaxe than simply a depressing reproduction of the real thing. And though the film ridicules her to the audience, she is never embarrassed, much less humiliated, to the other characters.

This tameness pervades the movie, which never even mentions the two main parties, and which reduces the horse-trading and viciousness of arriving at a candidate to one stuffy after-dinner chat, as unbelievable as it is boring. Walter Connolly, whom no one would take seriously, is miscast as the awful candidate--the part needed someone with a resonant voice and an authoritative, if pompous, manner. It's nice to see Verree Teasdale (Mrs. Adolphe Menjou) in a part of some size, but she is called upon only to be exasperated or icily condescending, and is not very funny in either mood.

Kay Francis, the movie's greatest clothes horse and a sparkling comic actress, is the only reason to see this, but she, too, has to fight the sluggish dialogue to keep her character merry and afloat.

Kay Francis is an aspiring "First Lady" in this 1937 comedy, based on the play of the same name which had a healthy Broadway run in 1935-36 and starred Jane Cowl. The film also features Preston Foster, Walter Connelly, Verree Tisdale, and Anita Louise.

Francis is Lucy Chase Wayne, granddaughter of a former President, and she'd like her Secretary of State husband (Foster) to make a run for President since the existing President isn't running again.

When she realizes her nemesis Irene (Verree Tisdale) is dumping her fuddy-duddy Supreme Court justice husband (Connelly) and taking up with the dashing Senator Keane (Victor Jory) and will probably be pushing him to run, Lucy gets to work convincing the powerful head of a women's organization (Louise Fazenda) that Irene's current husband is great presidential timbre, thus forcing Irene to stay by her husband's side.

Hubby is the world's dullest man, about as presidential as a piece of wood, and spends his evening listening to a family radio show.

This is obviously a play and as talky as all get-out, plus it's very dated, based on the premise that while politics is a man's world, the men are merely puppets for the women behind them.

Kay Francis looks great and is very charming, but for me her comedy is a little bit pushed. As far as I'm concerned, Verree Tisdale as Irene walks away with the movie as the bored, bitchy Irene. Her scene with Connelly where she complains about their evenings at home is a riot. Connelly is great as the plodding Supreme Court Justice.

Kaufman wrote some wonderful dialogue, so the script is witty if low on action. Watch it for the performances.

Didn't realize "First Lady" was an adaptation of a play by the famed George S Kaufman; otherwise, I wouldn't have been surprised at how sharp, witty, and sophisticated the dialogue was. Kay Francis, Verree Teasdale, and Walter Connolly were born to play their roles in this highly enjoyable but largely unknown comic delight.

Kaufman without Hart and Kay without Lubitsch results in a film with mid level ladies magazine dialogue and the cinematic quality of a Liberty Mutual commercial.

Added Bonus: My Personal Top 5 and Bottom 5 First Ladies of the 20th/21st centuries

Top 5 5) Jackie Kennedy 4) Rosalyn Carter 3) Michelle Obama 2) Betty Ford 1) Eleanor Roosevelt

Bottom 5 5) Jill Biden 4) Florence Harding 3) Melania Trump 2) Nancy Reagan 1) Edith Wilson.

A very dated but still amusing political comedy, "First Lady" showcases Kay Francis's great comedic talent as the wife of a secretary of state destined, in her view, for the White House once presided over by her grandpa. The screen text as the film begins to roll alerts viewers to the "fact" that men control politics but behind the scenes the ladies are not without influence. Dated! But funny!

A comedy of machinations and quick-witted dialogue, "First Lady" is a period piece and it's fun to see how the filmmakers of the late 30s fantasized a Washington that never was. This must have been a nice distraction as America inched out of the Depression and moved closer to global war. It's good entertainment today.