The wife of a publishing executive mistakenly believes that her husband's relationship with his attractive secretary is more than professional.The wife of a publishing executive mistakenly believes that her husband's relationship with his attractive secretary is more than professional.The wife of a publishing executive mistakenly believes that her husband's relationship with his attractive secretary is more than professional.
Hooper Atchley
- Postal Clerk
- (uncredited)
Eugene Borden
- Ship's Officer
- (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey
- Butler at Club
- (uncredited)
Frederick Burton
- Ned Trent
- (uncredited)
Leonard Carey
- Taggart
- (uncredited)
Maurice Cass
- Mr. Bakewell
- (uncredited)
André Cheron
- Frenchman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe name of one of the screenwriters, Alice Duer Miller, is seen as the author of an article in a magazine, and Clark Gable remarks, "Hey, Alice has written a very nice article here."
- GoofsThe story supposedly takes place in New York City. All the telephones are Automatic Electric models. Telephones of that era, in NYC, would have been exclusively made by Western Electric, for the Bell System's New York Telephone Company.
- Quotes
Helen 'Whitey' Wilson: You're a fool, for which I am grateful.
- ConnectionsEdited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)
- SoundtracksThank You for a Lovely Evening
(1934) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Jimmy McHugh
Sung a cappella by Clark Gable and by Myrna Loy
Played at the party and danced to by the guests
Played as background music often
Featured review
This is a perfect little film, absolutely well-rounded and exquisite. Beautifully scripted, intelligently directed, ebulliently acted.
Clark Gable is the successful publisher, newly married to society lady Myrna Loy who, although very modern and not jealously disposed, begins to suspect that he is carrying on an affair with his bleach-blonde secretary, Jean Harlow. As Gable's mother states, laconically of her son, "You wouldn't blame a boy for stealing a piece of candy".
All fluff, right? Light as air, unsubstantial? Of course it is, it takes masters of their craft to make this plot stick, to make the movie plain unforgettable. Gable was never better, he seems to relish every second he is on screen, and there is none of the masculine stiffness about him that his worst performances have. He is a joy to watch with the always delightful Loy, their scenes together bristle and self-combust, and they are a really sweet, engaging couple. Loy has to be the most sophisticated creature ever to be filmed, she is SO cool and contemporary ("I'm the best, aren't I?", she says with just the slightest sardonic hint.) Harlow isn't given as much to work with, and she has to downplay her sassy sexiness in order not to tip the scales. But she is still almost all Harlow, and they go as far as they possibly could under the Production Code. The scene with Harlow and Gable in the Havana hotel room is all about sex, as we are left in no doubt.
So, watch it and love it. It is as perfect a piece of 30's film-making as you are likely to see.
Clark Gable is the successful publisher, newly married to society lady Myrna Loy who, although very modern and not jealously disposed, begins to suspect that he is carrying on an affair with his bleach-blonde secretary, Jean Harlow. As Gable's mother states, laconically of her son, "You wouldn't blame a boy for stealing a piece of candy".
All fluff, right? Light as air, unsubstantial? Of course it is, it takes masters of their craft to make this plot stick, to make the movie plain unforgettable. Gable was never better, he seems to relish every second he is on screen, and there is none of the masculine stiffness about him that his worst performances have. He is a joy to watch with the always delightful Loy, their scenes together bristle and self-combust, and they are a really sweet, engaging couple. Loy has to be the most sophisticated creature ever to be filmed, she is SO cool and contemporary ("I'm the best, aren't I?", she says with just the slightest sardonic hint.) Harlow isn't given as much to work with, and she has to downplay her sassy sexiness in order not to tip the scales. But she is still almost all Harlow, and they go as far as they possibly could under the Production Code. The scene with Harlow and Gable in the Havana hotel room is all about sex, as we are left in no doubt.
So, watch it and love it. It is as perfect a piece of 30's film-making as you are likely to see.
- How long is Wife vs. Secretary?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Wife Versus Secretary
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $519,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content