Despite the story not being anything extraordinary, the cast for 'Wife vs Secretary was something of a dream one. Clark Gable, Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow were of immense talent and already knew that both Gable and Loy and Gable and Harlow pairings were of classic status. Seeing all three in the same film and also featuring James Stewart in a very early role was enough to make me squeal in delight. Clarence Brown was one of those directors that when he was on good form his films were very good and more, when not so his films were rather eh.
Luckily, 'Wife vs Secretary' is a good example of the former. It sees all three leads on sparkling form, one can see what people saw in all three when judging them individually as actors, it was a good representation of Gable and Loy having such good chemistry together and an even better representation of Gable and Harlow's chemistry. 'Wife vs Secretary' had all the makings of a gem, and while its potential was still even bigger than it turned out not an awful lot disappoints here.
'Wife vs Secretary's' story is admittedly very slight and is also very predictable.
Have seen much better performances from Stewart, who does the best he can but has little to do and is not as into the material as the rest of the cast.
Gable is full of charisma and charm, while Loy is classy and poignant (especially in the film's latter stages) and Harlow is sass personified. All in roles tailor made for them, with equally pitch perfect support from May Robson also perfectly cast and beautifully complemented by Brown's direction. It looks beautiful too, sumptuously designed and costumed and the photography not only doesn't cheapen those qualities but it also makes all three leads look great on screen. The score doesn't intrude and matches the tone of the writing and story.
The script is snappy and intelligent as one hopes from this type of film, with some witty banter and with the more serious moments not trivalised and actually not feeling that out of date. While the story is slight and with few surprises, it still manages to not be dull and is both light-hearted and thoughtful.
In summation, not a classic but very nicely done that does not waste its stars in any way. 8/10
