''They Just Had to Get Married'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

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

Edward Ludwig Edward Irving Ludwig (October 7, 1899 – August 20, 1982) was a Russian-born American film director and writer. He directed nearly 100 films between 1921 and 1963 (some under the names Edward I. Luddy and Charles Fuhr). Ludwig was also one ...

and starring

Slim Summerville Slim Summerville (born George Joseph Somerville; July 10, 1892 – January 5, 1946), was an American film actor and director best known for his work in comedies. Early life Summerville was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his mother d ...

ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

Roland Young Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

, and

Verree Teasdale Verree Teasdale (March 15, 1903 – February 17, 1987) was an American actress born in Spokane, Washington. Early years A second cousin of Edith Wharton, Teasdale attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and trained as a stage actr ...

. The screenplay was written by

Gladys Lehman Gladys Lehman (born Gladys Collins) was a prolific American screenwriter who had a long career in Hollywood. Biography Lehman was born in Gates, Oregon, to James Collins and Lois Gates. She was the eldest of the couple's four children, and ...

, H.M. Walker, and an uncredited

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Best Origina ...

, based on the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play ''A Pair of Silk Stockings'' (1914) by Cyril Harcourt. This was the play's third film adaptation.TC
''They Just Had to Get Married'' notes
tcm.com; accessed August 4, 2015.

Plot

When wealthy Henry Davidson dies, he leaves all his money to his faithful butler, Sam Sutton (Summerville), and maid, Molly Hull (Pitts), who are finally able to get married. Their new lives as millionaires gets them involved with flirtatious Lola Montrose (Teasdale) and Davidson's relative Hillary Hume (Young), and complications ensue. Sam and Molly lose everything, break up, and are finally tricked into reconciling.Brennan, Sandr
Synopsis
allmovie.com; accessed September 23, 2015.

Cast

as Sam Sutton *

as Molly Hull *

as Hillary Hume *

as Lola Montrose *

C. Aubrey Smith Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (21 July 1863 – 20 December 1948) was an English Test cricketer who became a stage and film actor, acquiring a niche as the officer-and-gentleman type, as in the first sound version of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937) ...

as Hampton *

Robert Greig Robert Greig (December 27, 1879 – June 27, 1958) was an Australian-American actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1930 and 1949, usually as the dutiful butler. Born Arthur Alfred Bede Greig, he was the nephew of Australian pol ...

as Radcliff * David Landau as Montrose * Elizabeth Patterson as Lizzie *

Wallis Clark Wallis Hensman Clark (2 March 1882 – 14 February 1961) was an English stage and film actor. Biography Clark was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, the son of William Wallis Clark (1854 - 1930), an engineer. Prior to acting, Clark was an en ...

as Fairchilds *David Leo Tillotson as Wilmont *

Vivien Oakland Vivien Oakland (born Vivian Ruth Andersen; May 20, 1895 – August 1, 1958), was an American actress best known for her work in comedies in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, most notably with the Hal Roach Studios. Oakland appeared in 157 film ...

as Mrs. Fairchilds *

William Burress William Burress (19 August 1867 – 30 October 1948) was an American actor. He appeared in more than seventy films from 1915 to 1939. Filmography References External links * 1867 births 1948 deaths American male film actors ...

as Bradford *Louise Mackintosh as Mrs. Bradford * Bertram Marburgh as Langley *Virginia Howell as Mrs. Langley *

James Donlan James Donlan (July 23, 1888 – June 7, 1938) was an American actor. Born in San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cul ...

as Clerk *

Henry Armetta Henry Armetta (born Enrico Armetta; July 4, 1888 – October 21, 1945) was an American character actor who appeared in at least 150 American films, beginning in silent movies. His last film was released posthumously in 1946, the year after his d ...

as Tony *

Fifi D'Orsay Fifi D'Orsay (born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier; April 16, 1904 – December 2, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress and singer. Early life Fifi D'Orsay was born Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a father who was a postal cl ...

as Marie *

Cora Sue Collins Cora Susan Collins (born April 19, 1927) is an American former child actress who appeared in numerous films during the Golden Years of Hollywood. Early life and career Cora Susan Collins was born on April 19, 1927, in Beckley, West Virginia. ...

as Rosalie

Production

The original title of this film was ''They Had to Get Married''. However, the

Hays Office The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

disapproved of this title, and requested the addition of the world "just". ''They Just Had to Get Married'' was the third film version of Cyril Harcourt's 1914 play, ''A Pair of Silk Stockings''. The first two were both

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s: a 1918

Lewis J. Selznick Lewis J. Selznick (May 2, 1870 or 1869 – January 25, 1933) was an American producer in the early years of the film industry. After initial involvement with World Film at Fort Lee, New Jersey, he established Selznick Pictures in California. B ...

presentation also called ''A Pair of Silk Stockings'', and a 1927

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

film, ''Silk Stockings''. These films are unrelated to the 1957 film, '' Silk Stockings'', a musical remake of ''

Ninotchka ''Ninotchka'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, based o ...

'' (1939). The film premiered in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

on December 22, 1932, and went into general American release on January 5, 1933.IMD
''They Just Had to Get Married'' release date
imdb.com; accessed August 4, 2015.

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:They Just Had To Get Married 1932 comedy films 1932 films American black-and-white films American comedy films American films based on plays Films directed by Edward Ludwig Universal Pictures films 1930s American films