''Double Harness'' (1933) is an American

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 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 ...

and

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

. It was based on the play of the same name by Edward Poor Montgomery. A young woman maneuvers a lazy playboy into marrying her. This was one of several films, all produced by

Merian C. Cooper Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker and Academy Award winner, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Air Force and Polish Air Force. In film, he is credited a ...

at RKO, that were out of distribution for more than 50 years as a result of a legal settlement that gave Cooper complete ownership of the films.

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of At ...

eventually acquired the rights to the films.

Plot

When spoiled younger sister Valerie Colby (

Lucile Browne Lucile Ruth Browne (March 18, 1907 – May 10, 1976) was an American film actress. She starred opposite John Wayne in the 1935 films '' Texas Terror'' and '' Rainbow Valley''. Personal life The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harris L. Browne, ...

) becomes engaged to be married to Dennis Moore (

George Meeker George Meeker (March 5, 1904 – August 19, 1984) was an American character film and Broadway actor. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Meeker made several films such as ''Crime, Inc.'' (1945) and ''A Thief in the Dark'' (1 ...

), a more level-headed Joan (

) decides to do the same, not because she is in love, but in order to make something of herself. She chooses unambitious, wealthy playboy John Fletcher (

), who owns a struggling shipping line. She eventually spends the night in his apartment. To Joan's annoyance, she finds herself falling in love with him. When he shows no interest in marrying her, she forces the issue. She arranges for her father, Colonel Sam Colby (

Henry Stephenson Henry Stephenson (born Harry Stephenson Garraway; 16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956) was a British actor. He portrayed friendly and wise gentlemen in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles were Sir Joseph Banks in ''Mutiny on the Bou ...

), to find them in a compromising position. John graciously agrees to do the honorable thing and marry her. However, on their honeymoon cruise, he lets her know that he expects her to grant him a divorce after a decent interval. They settle on six months. Joan prods her husband into taking an interest in his family business. To his surprise, he finds that he enjoys it. As the new

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsib ...

(

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 ...

) is a good friend of her father's, Joan invites him to dinner, hoping to land a government contract for John's company. Meanwhile, Valerie goes into debt due to her extravagant spending habits and borrows from her big sister over and over again. Joan gives Valerie all she can afford without touching John's money. Finally, she pawns a ring for half the $500 Valerie needs, but tells her that it is the last time. That same day, John finally realizes that he loves his wife. However, when he goes home, Valerie goes to John behind Joan's back and cons him into giving her a check. Joan finds out and tears up the check. In her anger, Valerie blurts out how Joan trapped John into marriage. Disillusioned, he turns to his former paramour, Mrs. Monica Page (

Lilian Bond Lilian Bond (January 18, 1908 – January 25, 1991) was an English-American actress based in the United States. Life and career Bond was born in London and made her first professional stage appearance at the age of 14 in the pantomime ''Dic ...

). Joan goes to Monica's apartment and confesses all, including the fact that she has fallen in love with him, to no avail. She then tries to salvage her dinner party. To her delight, John shows up and makes it clear that he believes and forgives her.

Cast

as Joan Colby *

as John Fletcher *

as Valerie Colby *

as Colonel Sam Colby *

as Monica Page *

as Dennis Moore *

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

as Freeman, John's butler *

Kay Hammond Dorothy Katherine Standing, Lady Clements (18 February 1909 – 4 May 1980), known professionally as Kay Hammond, was an English stage and film actress. Family Kay Hammond was born in London, England as Dorothy Katherine Standing, the daught ...

as Eleanor Weston, Joan's friend * Leigh Allen as Leonard Weston * Hugh Huntley as Farley Drake, an acquaintance who offers to give Valerie money, but expects something in return *

as Postmaster General Oliver Lane Gene Malin was cut from a role in the film by RKO studio president B. B. Kahane; disgusted by Malin's flamboyance, said, "I do not think we ought to have this man on the lot on any picture — shorts or features".

Preservation status

This is one of the "lost RKO films" owned by

and only re-released in April 2007 when Turner Classic Movies acquired the rights and showed all six films on TCM. Cooper accused RKO of not paying him all the money contractually due for the films he produced in the 1930s. A settlement was reached in 1946, giving Cooper complete ownership of six RKO titles: * ''

Rafter Romance ''Rafter Romance'' is an American 1933 pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film, which was based on the 1932 novel of the same name by John Wells, stars Ginger Rogers, Norman Foste ...

'' (1933) with

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

* ''Double Harness'' * ''

The Right to Romance ''The Right to Romance'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film starring Ann Harding and Robert Young and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Premise Ann Harding plays a successful plastic surgeon who meets a local playboy, played by Robert Young ...

'' (1933) with Ann Harding and Robert Young * '' One Man's Journey'' (1933) with Lionel Barrymore * ''

Living on Love ''Living on Love'' (1937) is an American romantic comedy film released by RKO Radio Pictures. Directed by Lew Landers, it stars James Dunn, Whitney Bourne, and Joan Woodbury. The film is a remake of the RKO film ''Rafter Romance'' (1933). It is ...

'' (1937) * ''

A Man to Remember ''A Man to Remember'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Garson Kanin, his first film credit as a director. The picture was based on the short story ''Failure'', written by Katharine Haviland-Taylor, and the screenplay was penned by Dalt ...

'' (1938) According to an interview with a retired RKO executive, shown as a promo on TCM, Cooper withdrew the films, only allowing them to be shown on television in 1955–1956 in New York City. TCM, which had acquired the rights to the six films after extensive legal negotiations, broadcast them on TCM in April 2007, their first full public exhibition in over 70 years. TCM, in association with the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

and the Brigham Young University Motion Picture Archive, had searched many film archives throughout the world to find copies of the films in order to create new 35mm prints.Fristoe, Roger
"Rafter Romance" (TCM article)
/ref>Eder, Bruc
"Rafter Romance" (AMG review)
/ref>

Reception

According to RKO records, the film made $10,000 in profit.

References

External links

* * * * {{John Cromwell 1933 films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films American films based on plays Films directed by John Cromwell 1933 romantic drama films RKO Pictures films Films set in San Francisco Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area Films with screenplays by Jane Murfin 1930s English-language films 1930s American films