Um Ladino Magnífico

I have no idea who the magnificent rogue of the title is, but this is a pleasantly complicated comedy about what happens when Johnny comes marching home again and wants things the way they were. Lynne Roberts has been running the advertising agency while her husband, Warren Douglas, has been Now that he's back, he wants her to retire to the house in Westchester, while she wants to continue her career. Agency right-hand woman Stephanie Bachelor comes up with a competition. If Lynn can land the account of womanizing cigarette magnate Gerald Mohr, she continues working. If Warren does, she retires to something frilly in the fifth reel. Among the complications are a breach-of-promise suit brought against Mohr by stripper Adele Mara.

It's a promising story and, like all good comedies, has something real if off-kilter to say about the human condition. However Albert Rogell directs his leads too slow to show much comic sparkle, although Mohr and Mara are good and actually the most sympathetic characters in the entire movie. Grady Sutton is also present, but as always his humor is so low-key as to serve merely to tell the audience what has gone on before the movie began. Despite the comic presence of a few supporting and bit players, this is a movie that doesn't live up to its title.

This is an interesting time capsule into the 1940s and post-war America. The film is about a wife whose husband is off fighting in the war. At the same time, she takes over his advertising business and is VERY successful...so successful that when he returns, she has no intention of quitting to become the happy housewife. And, she is bent on getting a new client--one who was a reputation as a lady's man! Will the wife knuckle under and maintain the stereotype of American womanhood popular at the time and quit her job or will she strike a blow for women's rights and equality? While this film features mostly unknown actors and Republic Pictures had a scant budget, the dialog is quite nice. As for the plot, it's enjoyable but suffers from one big plot hole--why didn't the husband just tell the lecherous new client that the lady is his wife?! This seemed logical and should have ended his worries that his wife would get too friendly with her latest client. Instead, you feel sorry for the client (Gerald Mohr) as he pursues who he thinks is a beautiful SINGLE lady.

The bottom line is that "The Magnificent Rogue" is an enjoyable film--though the plot really doesn't make much sense. Provided you don't mind this and can suspend your sense of disbelief, you'll have a nice time watching this slight comedy.

By the way, this film allows the viewer to briefly see and make fun of Grady Sutton's hairpiece. I didn't realize that he was that bald at this time--and apparently he wasn't too self-conscious about it. Good for Grady!