''Woman Chases Man'' is a 1937

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 ...

film directed by John G. Blystone and starring

Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. Her best-known roles included a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' T ...

and

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he beca ...

Plot

B.J. Nolan tries to get his millionaire son Kenneth to invest $100,000 in a housing development called Nolan Heights. However, B.J. has a long history of backing crazy projects (which is why his wife left all her money to her son in her will), so Kenneth turns him down. Architect Virginia Travis, unaware that B.J. has no money and is besieged by process servers, tries to get him to hire her. After B.J. breaks the news to her, she faints, having not eaten in 49 hours. He takes her back to his mansion. When she learns that B.J.'s son is wealthy, she decides to use her wiles to extract the money they need from him, aided by B.J. and her married friends Judy and Hunk. The latter two masquerade as B.J.'s servants (B.J. had to let his old servants go as he could not pay them) when Kenneth returns from a cruise with his girlfriend Nina and her "uncle" Henri. Nina is in fact a golddigger after Kenneth's money, while Henri is her secret lover. Virginia first concocts a scheme to have Kenneth sign five checks for household expenses at once using a mechanical device, one of B.J.'s many failures. Kenneth signs without noticing that one check is for $100,000, but when Virginia and B.J. go to the bank, Mr. Judd informs them that Kenneth has to authorize any check over $1000. Defeated, they return home. Meanwhile, Nina plots to get Kenneth drunk, so he will propose to her. Virginia has the same general idea. After a few drinks, she and Kenneth discover they like the same things and eventually begin kissing, prompting Virginia to have second thoughts about her scheme. She then passes out from drinking too much. Kenneth carries her off to deposit her in her bed, past a fuming Nina. Shortly afterward, B.J. wakes her up and cajoles her into trying again for the money while his son is still somewhat drunk. She goes to Kenneth's room, but when Nina makes an appearance, hides in a tree outside his window. Her dressing gown gets caught in a branch. Kenneth comes out to free her. He finds the contract B.J. had drawn up and is eager to sign it. Virginia tries to stop him by dousing him with a bucket of water that B.J. had brought. Even in his now sober state and with Virginia confessing all, he still wants to finance the project. He then embraces her.

Cast

as Virginia Travis *

as Kenneth Nolan *

Charles Winninger Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals. Life and career Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger ...

as B.J. Nolan * Erik Rhodes as Henri Saffron *

Ella Logan Ella Logan (born Georgina Armour Allan; 6 March 1913 – 1 May 1969) was a Scottish-American actress and singer who appeared on Broadway, recorded and had a nightclub career in the United States and internationally. Early years Logan was bor ...

as Judy Williams *

Leona Maricle Leona Maricle (December 23, 1905 – March 25, 1988) was an American stage and film actress known for "distinctive characterizations of colorful ladies." Maricle was a graduate of the College of Industrial Arts. Her Broadway debut came in ''The ...

as Nina Tennyson *

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All t ...

as Hunk Williams *

Charles Halton Charles Halton (March 16, 1876 – April 16, 1959) was an American character actor who appeared in over 180 films. Life and career Halton trained at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his Broadway debut in 1901, after which he ...

as Mr. Judd

Reception

Writing for '' Night and Day'' in 1937,

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

gave the film a good review, describing it as "a blessed relief". Comparing the film to the screwball-comedy, '' Easy Living'', Greene claims that ''Woman Chases Man'' accomplishes what ''Easy Living'' "set[] out to be". Whereas ''Easy Living'' was full of gaiety, the suffering present in ''Woman Chases Man'' provides the moments of genuine comedy. (reprinted in: )

References

External links

* * {{Samuel Goldwyn 1937 films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films Samuel Goldwyn Productions films 1937 romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films Films directed by John G. Blystone 1930s American films