''Her Primitive Man'' is a 1944 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Charles Lamont Charles Lamont (May 5, 1895 – September 11, 1993) was a prolific filmmaker, directing over 200 titles and producing and writing many others. He directed several Abbott and Costello comedies and many Ma and Pa Kettle films. Biography A Calif ...

and written by

Michael Fessier Michael Fessier (1905–1988) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He worked for Hollywood studios such as MGM and Universal Pictures. Later in his career he worked in television. He also wrote short stories and novels, two of which wer ...

and

Ernest Pagano Ernest S. Pagano (January 16, 1901 – April 29, 1953) was an American screenwriter. He began in showbusiness as a "gag-man" in silent films. He wrote for 66 films between 1927 and 1947. He was born in Florence, Colorado, and died in Los An ...

. The film stars

Louise Allbritton Louise Allbritton (July 3, 1920 – February 16, 1979) was an American film and stage actress born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Her name was sometimes seen as Louise Albritton. She played in such films as ''Pittsburgh'' (1942), '' Who Done It?'' ...

Robert Paige Robert Paige (born John Arthur Paige, December 2, 1911 – December 21, 1987) was an actor and a TV newscaster and political correspondent and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime: he was the only actor ever allowed t ...

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, thro ...

Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born in Kings County ...

Helen Broderick Helen Broderick (August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was an American actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick. Career Broderick began on Broadway as a chorus girl in the ''Follies of 1907'', the first ...

Stephanie Bachelor Stephanie Bachelor (May 23, 1912 – November 22, 1996) was an American film actress. During the 1940s, Bachelor briefly achieved leading status in supporting features such as Republic Pictures' ''Secrets of Scotland Yard ''Secrets of Scotland ...

Walter Catlett Walter Leland Catlett (February 4, 1889 – November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian. He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards. Career Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in S ...

and

Ernest Truex Ernest Truex (September 19, 1889 – June 26, 1973) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Career Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Truex learned acting at an early age after his father, a doctor, treated actor Edwin Melvin, who ...

. The film was released on March 30, 1944, by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

Plot

A new book being written by "adventurer" Pete Matthews, entitled Life and Death Among the Lupari Savages , is making thousands of dollars in advanced sales due to the publicity efforts of its publisher, Martin Osborne. Unknown to the publisher and the treatise's prospective readers, however, is the fact that Peter is writing his book from the barstool of a Havana casino, where he is getting his information about the headhunters of Lupari Island from Orrin Tracy, a worldly bartender. Wealthy anthropologist Sheila Winthrop learns of Peter's deception and tells Martin that she plans to expose the hoax if the book is published. Unaware that his book has been canceled, Peter takes a $10,000 loan from his socialite girl friend, Marcia Stafford, with an offer of marriage as his collateral. Later, Peter meets Sheila, and learns that she plans to go to Lupari Island and bring one of the natives back to New York City. With the help of Orrin, Peter then impersonates a Luparian headhunter named Pangi and becomes Sheila's anthropological subject. Returning to New York, Peter and Orrin make a deal with Martin to write a book about the "headhunter's" life with the Winthrop family. Matters are complicated, however, when Marcia nearly recognizes Peter at a nightclub. Peter is then forced to become a house guest of the Winthrops, and must change back and forth from "Pangi" to himself in order to continue his ruse. Sheila soon begins to fall in love with Peter, despite her engagement to stuffed-shirt Gerald Van Horn, and she confesses these feelings to "Pangi." In a fit of passion, Sheila kisses "Pangi," which brings great disgrace upon the Winthrop family. Peter, in turn, destroys the only copy of his expose of the Winthrops, having fallen in love with Sheila. Meanwhile, Gerald and Marcia combine forces and attempt to bribe Orrin into exposing "Pangi" as a fraud during Sheila's lecture before an anthropological society. Their plot fails, however, when Peter and Orrin bring a real Luparian headhunter to the lecture in "Pangi's" place. Afterward, Peter confesses all, then uses the bribery money to pay back Marcia. Now free of their previous romantic entanglements, Peter and Sheila are united, while Martin, Gerald and Caleb, the Winthrop's gardener, flee for their lives as the real headhunter sets his sites on their craniums.

Cast

as Sheila Winthrop *

as Peter Mathews *

as Martin Osborne *

as Orrin Tracy *

as Mrs. Winthrop *

as Marcia Stafford *

as Hotel Clerk *

as Uncle Hubert *

Louis Jean Heydt Louis Jean Heydt (April 17, 1903 – January 29, 1960) was an American character actor in film, television and theatre, most frequently seen in hapless, ineffectual, or fall guy roles. Early life Heydt was born in 1903 (not 1905, as many sour ...

as Gerald Van Horn *

Nydia Westman Nydia Eileen Westman (February 19, 1902 – May 23, 1970) was an American actress and singer of stage, screen, and television. Early years Westman's parents, Theodore and Lily (Wren) Westman were active in vaudeville in her native New Yo ...

as Aunt Penelope *

Oscar O'Shea Oscar O'Shea (8 October 1881 – 6 April 1960) was a Canadian-American character actor with over 100 film appearances from 1937 to 1953. Early years O'Shea was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Acting O'Shea was a comic actor who earne ...

as Jonathan *

Sylvia Field Sylvia Field (born Harriet Louisa Johnson; February 14, 1901 – July 31, 1998) was an American actress whose career encompassed performances on stage, screen, and TV. She was best known for playing the understanding Mrs. Martha Wilson (Mr. Wilso ...

as Aunt Martha *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as ...

as Caleb *

Irving Bacon Irving Bacon (born Irving Von Peters; September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar Bacon and Myrtle Vane. He was born in St. Jose ...

as Mr. Smith

References

External links

* {{Charles Lamont 1944 films American comedy films 1944 comedy films Universal Pictures films Films directed by Charles Lamont American black-and-white films Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1940s English-language films 1940s American films