''Men are Such Fools'' is a 1938 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

directed by Busby Berkeley and written by

Norman Reilly Raine Norman Reilly Raine (23 June 1894 – 19 July 1971) was an American screenwriter, creator of "Tugboat Annie" and winner of an Oscar for the screenplay of ''The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937). Early years Raine was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvan ...

and

Horace Jackson Horace Jackson (March 29, 1898 – January 26, 1952) was an American Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of the silent film, silent and sound film eras. Jackson also worked as a set designer early in his career. Life and career Born Horace Ath ...

. The film stars Wayne Morris, Priscilla Lane,

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

, Hugh Herbert,

Johnnie Davis John Gustave Davis (April 11, 1910 – October 28, 1983) was an American actor, singer and trumpeter. Born in Brazil, Indiana, into a family of musicians, Davis developed an interest in music during his childhood. He learned to play the tr ...

, and Penny Singleton. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

on July 16, 1938. The movie is adapted from the novel by the same name, ''Men Are Such Fools'', by

Faith Baldwin Faith Baldwin (October 1, 1893 – March 18, 1978) was an American writer of Romance novel, romance novels and other forms of fiction,

Plot

Linda Lawrence is an assistant to an executive Mr. Bates at a New York advertising agency called Americo. She badly wants to reach new levels in her career and strives to do her best work at Americo as to not be the traditional woman. She has a few ideas she would like to pitch to Mr. Bates in order to advance in her career, but is repeatedly interrupted by Jimmy Hall, an ex-football star now turned co-worker. Hall claims he loves her, and Lawrence entertains him and eventually does fall in love with him, however she wants her primary focus to be her career. As she tries to advance her career through hard work, Hall tries to advance on her as a love interest, and Lawrence has others after her romantically as well, such as Harry Galleon, an executive of the company who could help further her career. This romantic comedy conveys messages of female independence and wits while also showing how Lawrence balances the two, her love life and career.

Cast

* Wayne Morris as Jimmie Hall * Priscilla Lane as Linda Lawrence *

as Harry Galleon * Hugh Herbert as Harvey Bates *

as Tad Turkel * Penny Singleton as Nancy * Mona Barrie as Bea Harris *

Vivienne Osborne Vivienne Osborne (born Vera Vivienne Spragg; December 10, 1896 – June 10, 1961) was an American stage and film actress known for her work in Broadway theatre and in silent and sound films. Career Osborne began her career on stage when s ...

as Lili Arno *

Marcia Ralston Marcia Mascotte Ralston (19 September 1906 – 23 November 1988) was an Australian-born actress who appeared in Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. In Australia Ralston's father was well known Australian singer and actor John Ralston. She a ...

as Wanda * Gene Lockhart as Bill Dalton * Kathleen Lockhart as Mrs. Dalton * Donald Briggs as George Onslow *

Nedda Harrigan Nedda Harrigan Logan (August 24, 1899 – April 1, 1989) was an American actress. Early life Harrigan was the youngest of 10 children of entertainer Edward Harrigan and his wife, Annie (Braham) Harrigan. Her grandfather was conductor Davi ...

as Mrs. Nelson * Eric Stanley as Mr. Nelson *

Claud Allister Claud Allister (born William Claud Michael Palmer, 3 October 1888 – 26 July 1970) was an English actor with an extensive film career in both Britain and Hollywood, where he appeared in more than 70 films between 1929 and 1955. Life and ...

as Rudolf * Renie Riano as Mrs. Pinkel Priscilla_Lane_and_Penny_Singleton

References

External links

* * * * 1938 films 1938 romantic comedy films Films directed by Busby Berkeley Films scored by Heinz Roemheld Warner Bros. films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films 1930s American films {{1930s-romantic-comedy-film-stub