Kept Husbands

Nearly a century old, this romantic dramedy starring Dorothy Mackaill and Joel McCrea is surprisingly fresh and heartwarming, thanks to the utter sincerity of the performances, and a terrific commitment to tried and true dramatic arcs. What a breath of fresh air compared to current facetious and downright silly trends in rom-coms.

McCrea is one of the great actors who is taken for granted, no cult for him, and not a name bandied about among Hollywood legends. I suppose his sin was being hard-working and rising to the occasion when cast in great roles -at least the '30s through '60s filmmakers knew his talent, ranging from Preston Sturges all the way to Sam Peckinpah.

The revelations here for me were the actresses: Mackaill as his wife and Mary Carr as his mother. The vivacious and rather amazing performance by Dorothy - captivating in the early reels, then downright hissible with her selfishness later on, on;y to bring a tear near the end - that's a style that would be worth bringing back -she really poured her heart into it. And in a sentimental role, I was with Carr 100% as the bedrock underneath all the film's frivolity.

This is surefire Depression Era entertainment (with a solid director of that era, Lloyd Bacon, in charge). One can't help but immediately identify with Joel's all-American boy character and live vicariously in the glamour of the upper class during the Depression, while the script carefully makes clear their shortcomings. Dorothy's bad behaviour and comeuppance are expertly delineated, and the lack of censorship only adds to the power of certain risque scenes, such as their wedding night and her dalliance with a scoundrel at Joel's lowest moment.

This is the story of Dick, he plays a football hero turned steel worker. He is of humble (poor) beginnings, but has drive an ambition. He saves some workers at the plant and does not accept the thousand dollar reward for doing so, garnering an invitation to his admiring boss's home for dinner. At dinner, he meets his boss' daughter, Dot. She is selfish and spoiled and while initially prepared to mock and make fun of this poor blue collar steel worker...happens to glance the fob on his pocket watch realizing he is a well-know man local football hero! This changes everything for her and suddenly she is throwing herself at him.

These two are completely unsuited for one another.

"There isn't a man in the world that a woman can't land if she wants to."-Dot

"She's about as useful as a little silky kitten. That's what they should have called her-kitten."-Dick

This doesn't stop Dot from aggressively pursuing Dick even to the point of proposing, at which time she agrees to live on his salary and everything. A promise she clearly never intended as immediately upon their marriage they go on a European honeymoon where she is buying fur coats and dresses that are far, far beyond Dick's means. When back home the partying lifestyle and spending doesn't end. It really hits the fan when she tries to prevent Dick from going on a business trip her father is sending him on (and he wanted her to go with...but she didn't want to miss out on the local parties!!!!)

"There is only one thing I'll keep-my self respect!"-Dick

I am glad it had the ending it did...but I was a little surprised at his mother:

"All women keep their husbands, some with money others with love."-Mrs. Brunton

It was clear this was not a live match at least on Dot's part which made this whole film a bit depressing for me. Mixed feelings if I would recommend. I would say proceed at your own risk.

This film begins with a rich guy announcing to his family that he's bringing home a worker from his factory. As his family is made up of spoiled rich folks, they assume this guy would be a bumpkin. However, Dick (Joel McCrea) turns out to be well-mannered, quite humble and an All-American football player! He doesn't tell them about the football--the boss' daughter, Dorothy (Dorothy Mackaill) recognizes him. And, although she sure seemed pretty snobby, now she suddenly is VERY interested in Dick (take that how you might) and later announces to her father that she is going to marry that working man. However, even if she does hook him, can it even work out? After all, they are as unlike as can be--he's a decent, hard-working man and she's just a seemingly vacuous rich girl.

Unfortunately, soon after the marriage, it becomes apparent that Dorothy feels that because she comes from money, she should make all the decisions in the marriage. And, for a while, Dick is emasculated (again, take that how you might). Eventually, however, he gets near the breaking point--he has a great opportunity and she wants him to give it up so he can stay home by her side. Soon, the marriage fizzles. Is there any hope for this couple?

All in all, the best way to describe Dorothy's behavior throughout the film is...well,...IMDb won't let me use language like this! She is too awful, as it makes you wonder how a guy like Dick could put up with her for ANY length of time. I wish her part have been a bit more subtle. Because of this, the film is severely impacted. Had she been likable and less one-dimensional, the film would have been significantly better. As for McCrea and his part, he was quite good and this sort of piffle didn't significantly mar his career. Overall, a decent idea for a film but it was in need of a significant re-write.

By the way, get a load of the Christmas tree (about 20 minutes into the film). It's pretty amazing. And, about three minutes later, watch the ridiculous acting of Dorothy's mother--it made me chuckle. Also, the current image on IMDb seems to imply that this is some sort of saucy Pre-Code film. Well, since it came out before mid-1934, of course it's Pre-Code--but it is NOT a sexy film nor one that would have violated the toughened Production Code. It looks like a case of false advertising.

Dorothy Mackaill, ex-Ziegfeld star-turned-actress, did some great early talkies in the 1930's, this being one of them. She's pouty and childish as 'Dot', the rich bride of blue-collar worker Joel McCrea--who hates being married to money! Very fresh, fast and funny showcase for 'Dot', a great actress who was perhaps before her time.

KEPT HUSBANDS (1931) tells the story of Dot Parker (Dorothy Mackaill), a wealthy young socialite who sets her sights on the hard working Dick Brunton (Joel McCrea), a supervisor at her father's steel plant. She bets with her father that she can get him to agree to marry her within four weeks. When she does, she uses her father's wealth to treat Dick to a life of luxury. Dick, however, begins to feel unfulfilled and trapped by luxury, longing for a simpler life, and tensions arise between the two. Directed by Lloyd Bacon.

This pre-Code film shows an assertive young woman who isn't content to wait for the man to propose to her; she takes the initiative in the relationship. While this may seem rather tame now, it was revelatory to audiences in the 1920s and 1930s. It sends a mixed message about this, though, since Dot's character is eventually shown as a spoiled girl who will resort to manipulative and dramatic behavior to get her way. The title refers to Dick and another character, who both come to feel useless and unfulfilled because they live off of the wealth of their wives and family rather than the sweat of their brow, and are helpless victims of controlling women. So what are we supposed to take away from this, exactly? It seems to extol assertive women as modern while villainizing them as controlling at the same time.

It also touches on the clash between the idle wealthy and the working class, with the rich portrayed as elegant yet superficial, and the working class as rustic yet wise and loving (via Dick's parents). The characters aren't really defined that well. The script gets really silly in the last act, settling for a pat, forced conclusion

Dorothy Mackaill and Joel McCrea both do fine work in their respective portrayals. Mackaill shows intelligence and humor in her portrayal, and McCrea is refreshingly low-key and naturalistic. The supporting players also do effective work here, although I found Dick's dad a little on the stiff side. The sets are appropriately well furnished and luxurious. The cinematography and editing are well executed, not really outstanding but quite professional. It's somewhat entertaining as a pre-Code look at gender roles, but it sends a mixed message and is rather simplistic. SCORE: 6/10