''When Ladies Meet'' is a 1933

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the 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 censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

film directed by

Harry Beaumont Harry Beaumont (10 February 1888 – 22 December 1966) was an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. He worked for a variety of production companies including 20th Century Fox, Fox, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn, Metro Picture ...

and starring

Ann Harding Ann Harding (born Dorothy Walton Gatley; August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981) was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress. A regular player on Broadway and in regional theater in the 1920s, in the 1930s Harding was ...

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

, Robert Montgomery,

Alice Brady Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in ...

, and

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

. The film is the first adaptation of the 1932

Rachel Crothers Rachel Crothers (December 12, 1878 – July 5, 1958) was an American playwright and theater director known for her well-crafted plays that often dealt with feminist themes. Among theater historians, she is generally recognized as "the most succes ...

play of the same name. It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Art Direction by

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an Irish-American art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons designed the ...

. The film was remade under the same name in 1941, starring

Greer Garson Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the hom ...

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

, Robert Taylor and

Herbert Marshall Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall (23 May 1890 – 22 January 1966) was an English stage, screen and radio actor who starred in many popular and well-regarded Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. After a successful theatrical career in the Uni ...

in the lead roles played by Harding, Loy, Montgomery and Morgan.

Plot

Mary (

), a writer working on a novel about a love triangle, is attracted to her publisher (

). Her suitor Jimmie ( Robert Montgomery) is determined to break them up. He introduces Mary to the publisher's wife (

) without telling Mary who she is.

Background

Ann Harding had come to Hollywood in 1929, where she signed a well-paid contract with the film company Pathé Exchange, Inc. Within a few months, she had already become one of the top stars of talkies, eventually even being nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Holiday in 1930. However, when Pathé was taken over by the newly founded company RKO Pictures at the end of 1930, her career began to decline rapidly. Constant arguments about suitable screenplays, wrong decisions and increasing internal competition from new stars like Katharine Hepburn and Irene Dunne led to an ongoing crisis. None of their films had made a profit since 1931. In late 1932, Harding signed a three-film contract with MGM hoping to find better scripts and more professional working conditions there. The adaptation of When Ladies Meet was the first project to be tackled. The film is based on the play of the same name by Rachel Crothers, which had 173 performances on Broadway during the 1932-33 winter season, with Spring Byington playing the role of Bridget Drake, as in the film. MGM remade the story in 1941 as When Ladies Meet, this time starring Joan Crawford, Greer Garson, Robert Taylor and Herbert Marshall. The cast initially saw Kay Francis play Claire and Harding as Mary before Francis was replaced by Myrna Loy and Harding settled on the role of the long-suffering wife. Loy and Harding had worked together on The Animal Kingdom a year earlier. Myrna Loy later characterized her co-star as very well-mannered, but also reserved and reserved. There were never any personal discussions with Harding. This assessment was shared by many of Harding's colleagues.

Cast

as Claire Woodruff * Robert Montgomery as Jimmie Lee *

as Mary Howard *

as Bridget Drake *

as Rogers Woodruff * Martin Burton as Walter *

Luis Alberni Luis Alberni (October 4, 1886 – December 23, 1962) was a Spanish-born American character actor of stage and films. Early years Alberni was born in Barcelona, Spain, on October 4, 1886. He acted in stock theater for four years in Marseille ...

as Pierre * David Newell as Freddie (Uncredited) *

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 4, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor and voice actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in '' Dumbo'', A ...

as Jerome The Caddy (Uncredited)

References

External links

* * * * 1933 films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Harry Beaumont Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard 1933 romantic comedy films American films based on plays American romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-romantic-comedy-film-stub