When Ladies Meet (1933)

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Movie
Original title When Ladies Meet
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1933
length 86 minutes
Rod
Director Harry Beaumont
script Leon Gordon ,
John Meehan
production Lawrence Weingarten for Metro Goldwyn Mayer
music William ax
camera Ray June
occupation

When Ladies Meet is a 1933 American comedy film starring Ann Harding and Robert Montgomery and directed by Harry Beaumont .

action

Journalist Jimmy Lee has long been in love with well-known author Mary Howard. At a reception given by the wealthy, slightly over-the-top society lady Bridget Drake, he spontaneously proposes to her. To his surprise, Mary calmly refuses to become his wife. She fell in love with her publisher Rogers Woodruff, who also made advances for her. Meanwhile, his friendly and well-behaved wife Claire has no idea of ​​the affair. Jimmy, who desperately wants to win Mary over, threads an intrigue by secretly putting Claire on Bridget Drake's guest list as well as himself when she is holding a glamorous weekend get-together in the country.

While Jimmy is flirting with Claire, Claire still has no idea what secret connects her husband to the cultivated and courteous Mary. Jimmy and Claire finally agree to start a pretend relationship in order to make Mary jealous. Not knowing that Claire is Rogers' wife, Mary confesses to her one evening that she is in love with a married man. When Rogers also arrives at the scene, Claire finally learns of her husband's affair. A dramatic argument ensues, whereupon Claire decides to leave Rogers. After she drives off in a taxi, Rogers follows her ruefully. Deeply moved and embarrassed, Mary realizes how hopeless her love for Rogers is. She gives it up and accepts Jimmy's proposal.

background

Ann Harding had come to Hollywood in 1929, where she signed a well-paid contract with the film company Pathé Exchange, Inc. Within a few months she had already risen to one of the top stars of the talkies and in 1930 she was even nominated for an Oscar for best actress for her appearance in Holiday . With the takeover of Pathé by the newly founded company RKO Pictures at the end of 1930, however, her career quickly began to wane. Constant quarrels about suitable scripts, wrong decisions and increasing internal competition from new stars like Katharine Hepburn and Irene Dunne led to a persistent crisis. None of her films had made a profit since 1931. At the end of 1932, Harding signed a contract for three films with MGM , hoping to find better scripts and more professional working conditions there. The first project to be tackled was the adaptation of When Ladies Meet . The film is based on the play of the same name by Rachel Crothers , which it brought in the winter season 1932/33 on Broadway to 173 performances, in which Spring Byington played the role of Bridget Drake as in the film. MGM filmed the material again in 1941 under the title When Ladies Meet , this time with the star cast of Joan Crawford , Greer Garson , Robert Taylor and Herbert Marshall . The cast initially saw Kay Francis in the role of Claire and Harding as Mary, before Francis was replaced by Myrna Loy and Harding decided on the role of the long-suffering wife. Loy and Harding had worked together on The Animal Kingdom a year earlier . Myrna Loy later characterized her co-star as very well behaved, but also reserved and reserved. There were never any personal conversations with Harding. This view was shared by many of Harding's colleagues.

During filming, there was an incident when the playwright George Bernhard Shaw visited the set on March 28, 1933 and made Ann Harding cry so much with some unfriendly remarks that she had to flee into her dressing room. A few days later, when asked about what happened and whether she would avoid roles in Shaw plays in the future, said Harding, who was known for her open manner:

"The [Shaw] misfortune of surviving himself does not in the least detract from the value of his earlier and brilliant work."

In 1937 Harding celebrated one of her greatest stage successes with her appearance in Shaw's Candida .

Awards

When Ladies Meet received a nomination in the category at the 1934 Academy Awards

criticism

Most of the reviews were benevolent and particularly praised the nuanced playing by Ann Harding. Photoplay , one of the most famous film journals of the time, was downright enthusiastic:

"Ann Harding's serene and heartbreaking rebuke of her husband is masterful, and Myrna Loy has never done such an excellent job of bringing a character to screen."

Sources and further reading

Scott O'Brien: Ann Harding: Cinema's Gallant Lady , BearManor Media, New York 2010, ISBN 1-59393-535-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The misfortune of his having outlived his usefulness in no way Affects the value of his Earlier and brilliant work.
  2. ↑ Ann Harding's quiet, heartbroken denunciation of her husband is a masterpiece, while Myrna Loy never has drawn a character to better advantage.