Le Célibataire marié

Remember in Alex & Emma when Luke Wilson gets indebted to scary gangsters and then tries to write and sell a novel to get quick cash? Remember thinking, in the audience, that his plan was a really stupid idea? If you rent Married Bachelor, you'll be thinking the same thing. Robert Young gets indebted to scary gangsters, and his master plan is to sell a book and use the advance money to pay them off. He borrows a manuscript from Felix Bressart, smooth-talks his way into a publishing house, and actually signs a deal. It's very bizarre for a host of reasons, one of which is why Felix never gets upset that his work gets published under someone else's name.

The book itself is advice about marriage, and the publishing house discovers that the book tours and sales are more successful if the women buying the book think the author is on the market. So, a very happily married Robert Young has to pretend he's not married to his wife, Ruth Hussey. Hence the title. There's lots of humor in this movie, but it's not exactly a classic. Just like the first few times you watch Alex & Emma you laugh at all the jokes, you'll like this movie but you probably won't want to own a copy.

The movie, once it gets going, is chic and amusing. Robert Young is good and Ruth Hussey, as always, is appealing. Lee Bowman is a good foil for Young, though it's difficulty to believe that anyone would choose Young over him.

The central premise is funny: A married man (Young) has to pretend he is a bachelor to pay off debts by playing a Hip Mr. Lonelyhearts. Wife Hussey gets lost in the shuffle and Bowman innocently tries to move in.

Sam Levene is amusing as Young's sidekick, who speaks with Yiddish inflections. But another broadly written part almost sinks this: the supposedly humorous gangster who wants his money or else. By this time criminals had been amply portrayed to the public so that this was not a laughing matter.

On absolutely the other hand is Felix Bressart. Young uses his book on marriage to become a celebrity, claiming himself as author. Bressart, third-billed here, gives a nuanced and utterly charming performance. It seems as if his character belongs in another, much better, movie.

"Married Bachelor" from 1941 is a light comedy, nothing special, and typical of the era. It sports an attractive, charming cast: Robert Young, Ruth Hussey, Felix Bressart, and Lee Bowman.

Young is Randolph Haven, who won't take a decent job and as a result drives his wife Norma (Hussey) nuts. They're crazy about one another, but Norma is tired of his schemes and wants him to get a 9 to 5 job.

Randolph, always looking for easy money, starts working with a bookie. But a dark horse comes in and they owe $17,000 to someone who, if he doesn't get the money, will have them measured for cement suits.

While going to people who owe the bookie money, Randolph meets a professor (Bressart) who has written, but never published, dozens of books. Randolph takes one, "The Psychology of Marriage," supposedly written by the bachelor professor. It's published, a big hit, and Randolph has to pretend he's not married.

Well, the whole thing gets mixed up. Norma feels as if she's fallen through the cracks, and when the publisher (Lee Bowman) acts interested, for spite, she flirts with him. All very platonic, of course. He doesn't know she's married to Randolph.

Ruth Hussey and Robert Young worked together several times, the last time on an episode of Marcus Welby in 1971. They made a wonderful couple. They were not first tier MGM stars, but they did good work there. The rest of the cast- Bowman, Sheldon Leonard, and especially Felix Bressart, provide solid support.

I'll take issue with one thing posted here. One of the comments was that the poster didn't know how anyone could choose Robert Young over Lee Bowman. Uh, this wasn't a reality show called Wives Who Cheat. When a woman is in love with and committed to her husband, there is no choosing; she doesn't drop her husband because someone else might be better looking. I grew up in the '50s and have a soft spot for Robert Young anyway.

Randy Haven, a married con artist, gets in trouble when he goes into hock for $17,000 to a local hood. He runs into a somewhat eccentric professor who has written a book on marriage but can't get it published. Haven gets it published by posing as the professor, a "bachelor taking a look at marriage". The book becomes an unexpected hit and Haven becomes a celebrity, much to the annoyance of his wife. This is a breezy comedy--no uproarious laughs, but carried off well by a charming cast. Robert Young and Ruth Hussey have undeniable chemistry and work fine together, Lee Bowman is cast somewhat against type as a wealthy publisher who is shy and awkward around women, but pulls it off well, and Felix Bressart is letter-perfect as the professor. The film has the expected MGM gloss, even though it's a "B" picture, and director Edward Buzzell keeps things rolling along smoothly. A pleasant little film, worth a watch.

The main problem I had with this film was casting Robert Young for such a role. While I do enjoy seeing him play against type in some films (such as in "They Won't Believe Me" where he played a womanizer who plans on murdering his wife), here I just had a hard time believing him. Young plays Randy Haven--a guy who goes to work as a bookie! When a horse unexpectedly wins, he and his partner are in trouble because they don't have enough to pay off. This is compounded because the client (Sheldon Leonard) is a tough guy who certainly will make them pay if they don't pay...get it?! So, the pair go in search of money. One client who owes them is a professor (Felix Bressart) who cannot pay but instead gives them a book he's written--with a bachelor's view on marriage. Well, with no other prospects for money, Randy markets the book and gets a ridiculously lucrative offer to publish it (my wife, who has published quite a few books had a good laugh at this!). However, the publisher thinks that the guy pretending to be the author (Randy) is a bachelor himself--and offer him not only money but a radio show that's contingent on him being single. So, his wife (Ruth Hussey) has to pretend to be his secretary...which is a problem when she finds another man falling in love with her!

If this all sounds quite contrived, it is. However, it's also a breezy little film that you can still enjoy provided you don't think too much about the silly plot! Worth seeing? Perhaps. But not one you should hate yourself for missing! But, if you do see it, watch for the wonderful scene where Randy translates between the gangster (Leonard) and the author (Bressart)--it's awfully cute.