Hired Wife

Stephen Dexter (Brian Aherne) owns a big company and has never paid his very competent personal secretary, Kendal (Rosalind Russell), a moment's notice. Instead, he is suddenly interested in a blonde, Phyllis (Virginia Bruce) and Kendal is not happy. But instead of saying anything, she tries to sabotage the relationship. This SHOULD have convinced Stephen that Kendal had the hots for him when he discovers this, but despite being good in business, he is an idiot when it comes to women.

A bit later, the idiot Stephen learns that his company is vulnerable to a possible hostile takeover. So, to save his butt, he realizes he could hide many of his assets if he gets married and proposed a very business-like arrangement with Kendal--marry him but it will be in name only. Not exactly Mr. Romance, huh? Well, Kendal agrees...but also has plans of her own and they DON'T involve just getting married for his convenience...and he realizes this when she suddenly refuses to grant him a divorce! And, in those days, that meant he was in serious trouble!

While I liked this film, I did not love it and have seen similar sorts of movies from the era that worked better. What is the big problem? Well, the ending (which is a foregone conclusion) comes way too abruptly. It seemed almost like the director realized the film was running on long enough and just decided to wrap it up and call it a day! Enjoyable...but nothing more.

This is comedy in the classic style, starring the incomparable Rosalind Russell in the kind of role she did best: the savvy professional woman. Here she is a wily, sassy secretary, devoted to her cement mogul boss because, she claims, "every good secretary is in love with her boss." But although she manages to snare him in a marriage of convenience, she still has to use her cunning to separate him from the equally determined blonde model he's pursuing. Add a spurious foreign millionaire and a disgruntled chaperone (Robert Benchley, in a hilarious supporting performance) and you have a perfect romantic comedy. Sharp dialogue, an ever-twisting plot, and Russell's deft, headlong performance make this a delight from start to finish.

This film is your average Roz Russell farce from this era, yet it's something completely different at the same time. Obviously ANY follow-up to His Girl Friday would be significantly weaker, but that isn't a fair comparison, Hired Wife to HGF, because HIS GIRL FRIDAY. COME ON.

Roz does her usual (I mean that in a good way), Brian Aherne is take him or leave him, Virginia Bruce is okay as the other (eventual, of course) woman, and the rest of the cast is okay too. For a comedy, this film doesn't have many laughs, despite starring one of the silver screen's finest deadpan comediennes, our girl Rosalind.

The plot of this one is that business executive Stephen Dexter (Aherne) asks his secretary, whose name is Kendal Browning (with just one L) to marry him, in name only, because he doesn't want to be taken over and lose his finances by a rival company...who want to take over his business and aren't afraid to be hostile about it, either. However, Kendal eventually falls for Stephen, despite the fact that he doesn't love her and is perfectly happy to carry on with another woman named Phyllis (Virginia Bruce). But Kendal, being as Rosalind Russell character, refuses to give up her man and engages in all sorts of schemes to keep him married to her. He decides that she isn't so bad after all.

Brian Aherne is sort of like a poor man's Leslie Howard meets Melvyn Douglas, and he's not making a //huge// effort to break out of that mold here. In fact, even Leslie Howard would have been better in Aherne's role. Virgina Bruce's role isn't as well-developed as I'd have liked it to be, but you can tell that this comedy was sort of thrown together in a rush.

Rosalind Russell makes almost everything better (she couldn't save She Wouldn't Say Yes, Mourning Becomes Electra, or Picnic, but that was just bad writing mostly), and she brings a sort of level-headedness to her role, even if she's given her stock part of "Right hand (wo)man to the big boss who gets enlisted to do some sort of task, and is also fiercely in love with the big boss, but we don't know that until later".

A slight recommendation, but be aware that the pacing stinks and all of the cast have done better- even together. If you liked My Sister Eileen, watch this one, but be aware that it's not as good as MSE.

Rosalind Russell (Kendal) stars as the secretary who has to marry her boss, Brian Ahearne (Stephen), in order to prevent a takeover of his company. The problem is that Ahearne is completely besotted with model Virginia Bruce (Phyllis) and has no time for Russell. He sees the marriage purely as a business proposal and it will be ended just as soon as his rivals back off. John Carroll (Jose) joins in the fun as an ally of Russell's and between them they make it difficult for Ahearne and Bruce to spend time together.

The film is funny, aided by a good cast, especially Russell in the lead role. John Carroll's Spanish playboy is totally unconvincing but he does get a lot of mileage out of the role. As regards the story, you can tell what is going to happen but just go with it on its journey.

It's a strange fact that this film immediately proceeds Rosalind Russel's perhaps most noteworthy film, "His Girl Friday," yet this one doesn't even have a Wikipedia link, and so far only has one review on this website. After all, she gave an impressive performance in that notorious film, and I am completely vexed as to how that role didn't grant her massive attention from the masses, though it seems this film was made by Universal, which wasn't exactly a top-drawer as far as I understand.

Nevertheless, if you happen to have come across this film or have divulged any interest in watching it, I would encourage your desire and eagerly anticipate your enjoyment. After all, this film really is quite swell, even if it isn't particularly a classic in any way. Its plot is screwball, to be sure, with aspects of the Comedy of Remarriage thrown in for good measure, such is the widespread appeal of that genre at this time. While I cannot attest to the picture quality being excellent-- naturally this film lacked the MGM sheen, or even the crispness of some Paramount or Columbia features-- that doesn't detract from any pleasure you might find herein. Naturally I assume that given Rosalind Russel's starring in this film it would most appeal to her fans, and if you are caught in her own particular spell you will no doubt appreciate her character here, which is embodied by the typical qualities which this actress is so renown at invoking, such as her being a strong, coordinated, wise-cracking woman of competence yet who retains an essential romantic, traditionalized passion underneath it all; to be sure, this is a typical Roz role.

Even further surprising is the fact that at least two of the other actors herein are recognizable as appearing in several other films, by which I understand Virginia Bruce and Robert Benchley to be those. All in all, this film is typical of its time, certainly being the type of story that only could have ever been produced before the horrors of the war about to be fought, and if you enjoy such a circumstance; such a setting; such a plot; such characters-- then I cannot understand why you should not watch this film, or join me in wondering why it wasn't successful, or given more attention.