Wives Under Suspicion

"District Attorney Stowell" (Warren William) is a man who prides himself on the number of cases he has prosecuted that has resulted in the death penalty. But this notoriety comes with a price because, in order to attain these convictions, he has had to spend a great amount of time at the office--which puts a definite strain on his marriage. Needless to say, when he cancels a vacation at the last minute for a very important case, his wife "Lucy Stowell" (Gail Patrick) doesn't take it too well. Knowing this, he tries to make amends but in doing so he begins to suspect that she has found someone else, and this infuriates him beyond anything he has ever experienced. Even more ironic is that the case he is working on parallels his current situation. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an interesting film which had a decent plot but suffered from a mediocre script and a lack of suspense or passion. That's not to say it was a bad film by any means, but it certainly could have been better and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This is a truly original story. Granted, it was done in 1938, but I haven't seen anything quite like it since. That's unusual for Hollywood.

Warren Williams is an obsessed District Attorney who is incapable of any human feeling toward the people he prosecutes. And then a case comes along. A refined, educated, teacher kills his wife in a moment of mad jealousy. Warren has no mercy for him. Coaxes him into a confession with the ultimate goal of executing him.

The gimmick in this story is that, during the trial, he realizes that he is living a parallel life. He has neglected his own wife and come to believe that she is having an affair. After following her to a friends house, he finds himself with a pistol in his hand - a perfect parallel to the case he is trying. It changes his life.

Warren Williams has a tendency to overact, but to hear him bellow in the courtroom, and cackle with glee when he pulls one over on his adversaries, is not to be missed. There is one caution. Is it possible to be too sophisticated? All the other actors are unremarkable, with the exception of Lillian Yarbo who plays the maid. Her lines and expressions are priceless.

If, like me, you long for the days when Hollywood took the time to actually write a coherent script. A time when dialogue really meant something. A time when you second guessed the story and paid attention to the actors - instead of the special effects, take time out for this one. If you can find it.

District Attorney Jim Stowell (Warren William) fears that he is neglecting his wife Lucy Stowell (Gail Patrick) in favor of his work. A case comes in. A man murdered his cheating wife. Jim starts to conflate the case with his own life.

This is a remake of The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933) based on a play. I'm not sure why they remade this so soon after the first movie. I haven't seen the other version. This should feel more cinematic or bigger. Something is falling a bit flat. I would like Lucy to play more into his fears. I still like the concept and Warren Williams. I probably need to see the original.

Wives Under Suspicion from 1938 is a remake of a film called The Kiss Before the Mirror. Directed by James Whale, it's not his best.

This version stars Warren William, Gail Patrick, Ralph Morgan, William Lundigan, and Constance Moore.

William plays a hanging prosecutor, Jim Stowell - he has an abacus with skulls he moves over when he sends someone to the chair. He is not a pleasant guy. His wife Lucy (Patrick) feels alone, as he is dedicated to his work. He does love her and promises her a big vacation.

It doesn't happen because of a big case - a man (Morgan) who found his wife with another man and kills her. He tells the most pathetic story imaginable, and it's recorded. The minute he's taken away, Stowell laughs, dismisses his story as garbage, and plans on getting him the chair.

Lucy is extremely moved by the man's story and feels she doesn't know her husband any longer. Stowell becomes jealous of her platonic friendship with a young man (Lundigan). One night, he sees them talking and rage builds up inside him. He suddenly sees what he has become.

William is a favorite of mine; he always turned in a good performance. Beautiful Gale Patrick is lovely as Lucy - she of course became Gail Patrick Jackson, the producer of the Perry Mason series. Ralph Morgan was a very sympathetic defendant.

The performances helped to hold interest.

Walter Huston famously said that he wasn't paid to sell good lines, but to put across bad ones. He often did. So did Warren William. For both of them, putting across bad lines frequently involved overacting. It's a bit difficult to believe WW being overcome by passion of any sort, and especially any aroused by his boring (though gracious) clothes-horse of a wife (Gail Patrick) in "Wives Under Suspicion," the tame and uninspired 1939 remake by James Whale of his more visually striking "Kiss Before the Mirror" made only five years earlier, but, presumably, too risqué to be rereleased after the Motion Picture Production Code began to be enforced.

Frank Morgan switched roles from defense attorney in the first to defendant in this one, and, unfortunately, Gloria Stuart and Walter Pidgeon did not return. The story is mechanical and has coincidences that strain credulity, but Warren William gave it his all. The only interesting touch was the courtroom set with the judge raised to an exaggerated height.