His Brother's Wife

They call this a movie, but really it is just a collaboration between Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck who would end up getting married to each other. They are a nice couple, but that doesn't make an interesting story. This poorly written does nothing to exploit the talents of Taylor and Stanwyck even though the performances are good. The dialogue lacks sparkle, and fails to provide anything to engage the audience. No wonder it hasn't stood the test of time. Good actors and performances don't necessarily make a good film. You need a good script first and foremost for a good film, even if it is poorly made. This absurd film is not the fault of the actors, but the script writer.

Folks, this one is from 1936 so we have to take it for what it is. During the early years of talkies, Hollywood came up with some very interesting tales to tell. His Brother's Wife is one of them. Robert Taylor plays the younger brother to the brother that Barbara Stanwyck marries in retaliation for Taylor's going into the depths of the Jungle to find a cure for some god-awful plague. Confusing? It is? Confusing and almost silly. Yet, there is a touch of that old classic film magic that makes it a delight to watch.

There is something about the on-screen chemistry between Taylor and Stanwyck, (most likely spurning from their real life romance), that makes you keep watching. The scenes between the two stars make the whole twisted tale worth sitting through.

Now, don't be fooled, there are many more films that have plots that are more contrived than His Brother's Wife, but there is something about the jump form New York, to the Jungle, and then back to New York, then to the Jungle again, that makes this film a little more silly than most. But, lets face it, if you choose to watch this film you are doing so all for the man with the perfect profile's smile (Robert Taylor) and The Ball of Fire's spunk (Barbara Stanwyck).

All and all this is a fun film to watch. It by no means is predictable--

most likely due to the fact that the plot is out of this world.

Enjoy. I did.

The other comments here say it all, so I'm simply adding my voice to the chorus. The single word that comes to mind is "ludicrous." One of the more hilarious elements in this ridiculous film is to see everyone talking about the 130 degree heat of the jungles of South America, but their clothes are pristine white, without the slightest smudge, and no one seems to be even breaking a drop of perspiration. It's also a plot point that Robert Taylor is broke, but he has no problem easily jumping on a boat from South America to get back to New York City...and then back to South America, with Stanwyck. If you have the choice between watching this and getting a root canal, go for the root canal -- at least they put you to sleep.

There's always one cardinal rule in the days of old Hollywood, if you succeed than imitate. Robert Taylor's breakthrough role in his career was in Magnificent Obsession as a young playboy doctor. Right after that he was cast in Small Town Girl as a young playboy doctor. So just to keep the variety of roles going in His Brother's Wife, he's once again playing a young playboy doctor.

Bob Taylor spent so much time in the medical profession on screen it was like going to medical school.

His Brother's wife takes pieces of Magnificent Obsession, Arrowsmith, with a dash of The Rains Came and mixes it together for a hand wringing melodrama. What's significant about His Brother's Wife was that Taylor met and later married Barbara Stanwyck. The love affair they had going on this movie set definitely tells in their performances.

Taylor is from old American stock where apparently the men go into medical profession. He's got a doctor father in Samuel S. Hinds and a physician brother in John Eldredge. Taylor meets Stanwyck at a gambling establishment owned by Joseph Calleia to whom he gets into debt. He also has a whirlwind romance with Stanwyck, but brother Eldredge breaks them up.

In retaliation, Stanwyck takes over Taylor's debt to Calleia and marries Eldredge in revenge. After a lot of romantic game playing she's off to to the tropics where Taylor is working with Jean Hersholt on a cure for some tropical ailment.

Maybe there's a bit of Rain in this film too, because folks down there in the tropics do some foolish things. That I won't get into, but it's highly melodramatic.

The women of 1936 just loved Robert Taylor and that made up for a lot of the claptrap in this plot. Viewed 71 years later however the film needs a lot to be desired. Still Taylor and Stanwyck found each other and were married a little over 16 years. They did another film at 20th, Century Fox a period costume drama entitled This Is My Affair which was better, but not all that much.

Good thing that Louis B. Mayer started varying Taylor's roles after this. The man was definitely getting into a rut.

Just occasionally, back in the golden age of Hollywood, studios got so desperate that they tried to squeeze a couple of totally different storylines into one movie. My favourite example is ‘They Met In Bombay' with Clark Gable and Peter Lorre. ‘His Brother's Wife' never attains those heights of lunacy but it tries pretty hard !!

Movie no.1: Stanwyck is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who falls for a wealthy playboy (Robert Taylor) with large gambling debts. The romance is broken up by his snobby brother but Stanwyck assumes the debts, going to work as ‘hostess' for a slimy club owner. Oh, yes and she also marries the brother (but that's not really important !)

Movie no.2: Stanwyck and the wealthy playboy (also a top research scientist !!) go deep into the South American jungle to cure a plague which is decimating the local villagers. The situation is hopeless, the playboy (sorry, top scientist) is losing his nerve and there's only one thing left for the self-sacrificing Stanwyck to do!

If this all sounds ridiculous, that's because it is.

Stanwyck tries a little too hard in this one, battling bravely against the lifeless script, dialogue and supporting cast. Director W S Van Dyke was happier with the light comedy of the ‘Thin Man' movies than this kind of absurd melodrama.

Luckily for Stanwyck fame and fortune beckoned only a year later with ‘Stella Dallas.'

This picture does have a certain curiosity value but really it's for fans only.