Such Men Are Dangerous

1930's "Such Men Are Dangerous" is a typical early talkie, suffering most from a glacial pace and dialogue slowly drawn out by every actor involved. Warner Baxter, very popular heartthrob at the time, does well as wealthy and powerful Ludwig Kranz, whose wedding to Elinor (Catherine Dale Owen) offers little happiness to either bride or groom; believing he does not love her, she flees his home before the marriage can be consummated. The bitter Kranz, who has offered her money and jewels but precious little in the way of affection, assumes that his ugliness is to blame, creating a new identity, Pierre Villard, to continue his affairs after faking a suicide for Ludwig Kranz. He travels to Germany to see world famous plastic surgeon Dr. Gutman (pronounced 'Goot-man,' and played by Bela Lugosi), presenting him with $10,000 for his services. The now handsome 'Pierre' is delighted that women now smile at his appearance, but has formulated a plan to get revenge against the wife who spurned him. Catherine Dale Owen was revered in her day as one of the world's most beautiful women, but her acting talent proved nonexistent. Previously seen opposite Boris Karloff in "Behind That Curtain," Warner Baxter would work again with Bela Lugosi later that year in "Renegades," a far more lively adventure. As for Lugosi, this was only his second talkie, his sound debut in MGM's "The Thirteenth Chair" preceding this return to Fox, very much his home studio during the pre-Dracula period. He speaks just as slowly and deliberately as everyone else, but his acting usually benefited from his unusual accent and speech patterns, alternating dialogue in both German and English. Even with the familiar mannerisms, he displays great compassion as the sympathetic surgeon who recognizes his benefactor from years ago. Director Kenneth Hawks was the younger brother of Howard Hawks, only two previous credits, who tragically died in a plane crash during production.

... at least at first, the man in question being Ludwig Kranz (Warner Baxter). The film opens on the wedding day of Ludwig and Elinor (Catherine Dale Owen). If Elinor's sister Muriel (Hedda Hopper) were any happier, she'd fly out the window, because Ludwig is one of the wealthiest men in the world, and she figures she and her milquetoast husband will benefit financially from the new union almost as much as Elinor.

The two people with the flattest emotions on this day seem to be bride and groom. The bride is as such because she does not love Ludwig - she is marrying him only to satisfy her sister's wishes. Ludwig is very happy if you listen to the words coming out of his mouth, but he is stuffy beyond description, even delivering gifts to his new bride via servants. That night, after the guests have left and before Ludwig enters their bridal suite, Elinor realizes she cannot go through with it and runs out the door, leaving behind the jewelry Ludwig gave her, as well as her wedding ring. Ludwig looks in the mirror, realizes his ugliness has repelled her, and plans that night to leave London.

Let me say one thing here - I was quite confused by this talk of ugliness, because Ludwig is not horribly deformed or truly ugly at all. At worst he is nondescript looking, and I've seen much worse looking men with quite a flock of pining women about them. Now, back to the story. Ludwig fakes his own suicide, even going as far as leaving a suicide note on his private plane out of which he parachutes to a boat waiting below. Having transferred his money into the name of Pierre Villard, he assumes that identity and goes to a famous surgeon, played by Bela Lugosi, and asks him to make him unrecognizable and therefore handsome. A year later and numerous surgeries later, Ludwig has his wish - on the outside he is handsome, but on the inside he still wants revenge on the wife that humiliated him. He tracks her down to Paris where she seems to be living a life of luxury and respectability as the widow Kranz, presumably on the one million pound wedding gift he gave her. What kind of revenge does Ludwig have in mind? Is all as it seems with his "widow"? Watch and find out.

The main attraction here is Baxter's acting, which is excellent as always as he really does seem to be two people - the stuffy Kranz as well as the suave and confident Villard. Catherine Dale Owen's fate is typical of leading ladies of this early talkie period. She was in demand for a couple of years after the transition to sound just because her diction was perfect, but as studios managed to sift through new talent and find actresses that could both project personality and speak clearly, she was passed over for parts and was out of motion pictures completely by 1932. Her performance here shows the cause of her downfall as it is as flat as a pancake.

Also note the weird little Cinderella musical number at the picture's midpoint. As with many musical numbers in Fox films of the early 30's, it is irresistibly awful.

Recommended for those curious about some of the more obscure early talkies.

Warner Baxter stars in this film as both a German industrialist and a French charmer. In Such Men Are Dangerous Baxter essentially reinventing himself after his newlywed wife gives him the air.

As the industrialist Baxter sports a full beard and an uncharming manner, lacking the most basic social graces. A lot like Wallace Beery in Grand Hotel. Catherine Dale Owen marries him for the loot, but just can't go through with it. But later Baxter fakes his own death and then with plastic surgery courtesy of Bela Lugosi reemerges with some elegance and polish. And he sets to woo his widow.

Although a lot of interesting pre-Code double entendres are in the dialog which are always fun in the end plot really doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Coming off best in the cast is future gossip queen Hedda Hopper who is Owen's sister and who tries her best to save the marriage which she likens to her own. She married a title and is waiting for the loot when Claud Allister dies. And Allister is Claud Allister at his silliest best.

I'd watch this for Hedda Hopper.

On her wedding night, Elinor (Catherine Dale Owen) has second thoughts about her wedding to Ludwig (Warner Baxter). He is generous in some ways but a cold fish in most...and she realizes he did little to win her heart. Instead of staying and talking to Ludwig about this like any normal person, she disappears...jilting him on their wedding night.

Ludwig's reaction to this is odd to say the least. He arranges for credit for a couple men and then disappears...and most assume he died when he fell out of a plane. Instead, he had a parachute and now is going to see a foremost plastic surgeon (Bela Lugosi) to have himself completely remade so that no one...particularly Elinor...would recognize him. What is his plan beyond this? See the film.

This movie is interesting but also one where if BOTH people had simply talked to each other, things would have worked out fine. To accept the story, you need to accept that Ludwig and Elinor are both a bit dumb...an inherent weakness in the story. Still, it is worth seeing...mostly because the plot is so strange and unusual.

Catherine Dale Owen is wed to one of the richest men in the world. He settles five million pounds on her. And she runs away before the marriage can be consummated, because he's a bearded hunchback who, she says, thinks of nothing but money. He arranges with his secretary and friend Albert Conti for a lot of cash, gets on a plane and jumps.... with a parachute. Next he goes to renowned plastic surgeon Bela Lugosi, and has his spine straightened, his features alerted, and his beard shaved off. Now he is Warner Baxter. He starts cutting a swath in Paris under a new name, whence Miss Owen has gone. Naturally she falls in love with him.

This was Kenneth Hawks' last film. He died in an airplane crash before it was finished shooting, and the movie was released with no director credited. Although there is a good role for Hedda Hopper as Miss Owen's mercenary sister, married contemptuously to Claude Allister, whose uncle refuses to die and leave them wealthy and titled, I found the movie annoying in its idea that it's Baxter who has changed in character, and that has made all the difference.

The copy that I looked at was, like many Fox films of the era, in very poor condition.