Ever Since Eve

Many screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's are regular fixtures on the TV movie circuit, so, that you might know movies like It Happened One Night or Bringing Up Baby almost by heart they've been on so often. I've seen Ever Since Eve a couple of times on TCM, but that is about the only place you'll run into it. Too bad! But at least it does keep the story somewhat fresh, as much of it works with an element of surprise. Still this is a well-made gem that deserves to be seen more often.

Short plot summary: Marge Winton is caught between eating 3 squares a day and preserving her virtue. She's a very good secretary who happens also to be very good-looking. Every time she lands a job the boss tries to land on her after hours and she has to quit. She happens upon a publishing company that insists that all their secretaries be unattractive and decides to disguise herself and take a job there. She ends up working for a playboy author who is not doing any work largely because of girlfriend Camille (Ralston) The publisher sets Marge to the task of making him write.

The cast is filled with veterans who provide predictable laughs and display well-honed comic chops. Patsy Kelly and Alan Jenkins are great fun as Marge's roommate and her loutish boy-friend. They keep the action moving and push the screwball accelerator down a notch when the story threatens to get too soppy. Likewise, Marcia Ralston with her jealous girlfriend sets a tempestuous tone that keeps us from thinking too hard and would explain Freddy Matthews' (Robert Montgomery) inability to get his life in gear. Anyone who's dated a psycho can relate. Montegomery, as usual, is smooth and bubbly as the boy hero. He played that role so often, he could no doubt play it in his sleep.

While most of the story can be seen coming there is a real surprise when Davies pulls off the transformation.

In contemporary movies, we've had several stars try this trick. It's almost a Hollywood stereotype. Most notably we've had Julia Robert's trying to convince us that she was the ugly duckling sister; Sandra Bulluck as an unattractive(?) cop; Gwyneth Paltrow donning a fat suit and Renee Zellweger actually gaining weight for the part. No one could possibly believe the first two examples, because gosh darn it they were just too good looking. The Bullock example is stunning, because she is in the top .001 percentile of attractive women on camera. The studios have never made her look unattractive. The last two succeeded sort of. Zellweger took on the frumpy role just as De Niro took on the weight in Raging Bull, she wasn't made-up she was. Paltrow is wearing a fat suit and carry's off the ploy, but this is a triumph of extreme make-up.

Davies pulls this off stunningly. Although it is but a wig, glasses and a change of clothes, it is thoroughly convincing. In fact, it is her acting chops that really pull this off, because she really takes on the manners and attitude of the plain girl and can just as easily switch back to the babe. When she tests it out for the first time on us and plumber Al, who is expecting the babe, we are already expecting her plain Jane disguise, but she exceeds our expectations. She could have easily slipped on to another movie set and played the frumpy secretary. Later on she even shows us the transformation from one to the other but it is still believable. She has brought the dual role to life much as Hoffman in Tootsie made us accept the dualism in his drag role. Really, the only thing that is hard to believe in this story is that Montegomery could actually write. Though, we can believe that Davies could get him to do it.

All in all this movie is unrelenting fun and a fine time waster.

Marion Davies is Marge, a secretary who has trouble with unwelcome advances from her bosses. One day she hears of a job working for a publisher who only hires plain secretaries. So Marge gets a makeover and is plain enough to get the job. The lady publisher who employs her doesn't want her male writers distracted by pretty secretaries. So Marge is sent to work for writer Freddy Matthews (Robert Montgomery) and keep his mind on his job. Naturally this leads to a lot of complications. Marion Davies is very funny as Marge, and so is Patsy Kelly as Marge's down-to-earth friend Sadie. Robert Montgomery is delightful as always. I love this film, it's so funny, a pity it's not better known.

I agree with the first comment, that I expected a poor picture and discovered a highly entertaining light comedy. Yeah, perhaps Marion Davies was typically too old to be playing what the reviewers called another "eye-batting ingenue," but she's not batting her eyes here. The entire concept of a woman succeeding based on her hard work, talent, and merit is taken quite seriously for a "silly comedy." This concept has been used time and time again, particularly with Laura La Plante in the English THE CHURCH MOUSE (35), and the earlier Warner BEAUTY AND THE BOSS, with Marian Marsh. La Plante was splendid, Marsh a bit inexperienced to carry off the entire chore, but Marion Davies plays with professional elan, and as usual, she is surrounded by folks who see to it that your time is never wasted - Patsy Kelly, Louise Fazenda, Frank McHugh, Allen Jenkins, and Barton MacLane. Bob Montgomerey was borrowed from MGM, and although he's certainly at home in such material, he doesn't seem to be enjoying the ride as much as the rest of the cast. Davies made four films at Warners, and although Jack Warner claimed they all made (highly suspect) profits, they were certainly lavish affairs. EVE was the final appearance, and although it was not PEG O' MY HEART or SHOW PEOPLE or WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER, it is by no means a poor film, in fact, I would stack it against any later 30s film starring one of her contemporaries, say, Norma, Dolores, Janet, or Joan.

Very underrated comedy stars Marion Davies (in her final film) as a woman who frumps herself up to land a secretarial job. Because the frump is efficient, the boss (Robert Montgomery) continues to chase women: a conniving shrew (Marcia Ralston) and a blonde beauty (Davies!) who he meets at a nightclub. Role-reversal comedy is fun from the start with Davies at her comic peak as the dour frump. She's not afraid to look really bad. Excellent supporting cast includes Patsy Kelly, Allen Jenkins, Frank McHugh, Louise Fazenda, and Mary Treen. Once again Davies proves she had acting talent (given the right roles) and that was was a total delight. Her best comedy performances stand up against those of Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy, Jean Arthur or Irene Dunne. Catch this one.

Very entertaining romantic comedy starring Marion Davies as Marge, a gal who keeps quitting or getting fired from her secretarial jobs because she's too attractive to keep her bosses from chasing her, asking her to stay for "night work", etc. At the employment agency she hears about a job at a publishing company that only hires "homely" secretaries, so she makes herself over to look plain - complete with thick round eyeglasses, short dark wig, over-sized suit, sensible shoes, and funny-looking hat (de rigueur for this kind of deception, it seems) - and gets herself the job. She's soon put to work as secretary for handsome ladies man Freddy Matthews (played by Robert Montgomery) who is writing a book with a firm due date at the publishers - problem is, he just can't keep his mind on the job. So - he thinks she has a "face that would stop a clock" (hmmm - he met her as herself in an earlier scene and thought she was a beauty, just a pair of glasses makes that much difference?!) so has no interest in her, she takes it upon herself to press him into completing his book and keep him away from distractions like his jealous, extremely hot-headed girlfriend.

Well, this film is a lot of fun - the story is very enjoyable and funny, with well done performances by all. Marion Davies is fun to watch switching back and forth between blonde beauty and plain jane, Robert Montgomery is his handsome, charming, usual self, Patsy Kelly adds some humor to the mix playing Davies wisecracking roommate/gal pal and Frank McHugh is amusing as a man who writes books for young girls under a female pseudonym. The plot of this film has an element that you just must except (like many other similar films with this sort of disguise) - the fact that our man is completely unable to recognize, either visually or by her voice, Davies character when she has on the glasses and wig. He actually meets Marge at one point in the film, dressed as herself, and they go out and begin to fall in love - and he doesn't have a clue that she and his secretary are one and the same person! All in all, I found this film to be a pleasant watch, well worth seeing.