''No More Ladies'' is a 1935 American romantic comedy film directed by Edward H. Griffith. The film stars

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. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

and Robert Montgomery, and co-stars

Charlie Ruggles Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

, and

Edna May Oliver Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ...

. The screenplay credited to Donald Ogden Stewart and

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

is based on a stage comedy of the same name by A.E. Thomas.

Plot summary

Marcia (

) is a young socialite who shares her

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

home with her grandmother, Fanny Townsend (

). Marcia is a firm believer that a couple must be faithful to one another, unlike her peers who do not feel so strongly. Marcia meets Jim (

), who agrees with her on the subject of a couple's monogamy and pursues her. Marcia, however, decides to pursue Sherry ( Robert Montgomery), whom Marcia sees as a challenge and seeks to cure him of his philandering and womanizing nature. After a night at a club where some of Sherry's past flings swirl about him, the couple discuss the institution of marriage and have clearly divergent views. Despite this, Marcia and Sherry are married, yet Sherry continues as before. Even on their

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

, Sherry flirts with the gorgeous Sally French (Jean Chatburn). Later, when the newly married couple returns home, Sherry goes home with a friend's date, Theresa German (

Gail Patrick Gail Patrick (born Margaret LaVelle Fitzpatrick, June 20, 1911 – July 6, 1980) was an American film actress and television producer. Often cast as the bad girl or the other woman, she appeared in more than 60 feature films between 1932 an ...

), and doesn't return that night. Marcia realizes her philandering husband has already ruined their marriage. Sherry admits to spending the night with Theresa and admits his infidelity in a rather abrupt and unapologetic manner. Marcia decides to teach her husband a lesson by having a party to which she invites Sherry's former flames along with their mates. Marcia announces that she intends to be unfaithful to her husband, by having a fling with Jim, who still cares for Marcia. Marcia and Jim escape from the party during a game of

charades Charades (, ). is a parlor or party word guessing game. Originally, the game was a dramatic form of literary charades: a single person would act out each syllable of a word or phrase in order, followed by the whole phrase together, while the rest ...

, and she returns the next morning. Sherry then sees how much his wife loves him and is convinced to reform his former ways. In any event, Marcia remained faithful to her beliefs and her husband and did not go through as she planned.

Cast

- Marcia * Robert Montgomery - Sherry Warren *

- Edgar Holden *

- Jim Salston *

- Fanny Townsend *

- Theresa German * Reginald Denny - Oliver * Vivienne Osborne - Lady Diana Knowleton *

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

- Caroline (as Joan Burfield) *

Arthur Treacher Arthur Veary Treacher (, 23 July 1894 – 14 December 1975) was an English film and stage actor active from the 1920s to the 1960s, and known for playing English types, especially butler and manservant roles, such as the P.G. Wodehouse valet c ...

- Lord Knowleton * David S. Horsley - James McIntyre Duffy * Jean Chatburn - Sally French

Production

Rachel Crothers created the original screen adaptation, but had her name removed from the screen credits, publicly dissatisfied with the studio's changes to her screenplay; other uncredited writers were

Edith Fitzgerald Edith Fitzgerald (1889-1968) was an American screenwriter and playwright active primarily during the 1930s. Biography Born and raised in Burnside, Kentucky, Edith Pearl Fitzgerald was one of 12 children born to John Fitzgerald and Dora Robert ...

and George Oppenheimer. Griffith's illness prevented him from finishing the film, so

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head ...

took over as director (but declined a screen credit). Crawford made the film in her tenth year as an MGM contract player; the film was

's big-screen debut.

Reception

According to

Andre Sennwald Andre David Sennwald (August 4, 1907 — Jan 12, 1936) was a motion picture critic for ''The New York Times''. Life After graduating from Columbia University School of Journalism, Sennwald was hired as a reporter for ''The New York Times'' in 193 ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', "the photoplay, despite its stage ancestry, is out of the same glamour factory as Miss Crawford's ''

Forsaking All Others ''Forsaking All Others'' is a 1934 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke, and starring Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. The screenplay was written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, which was based upon a 1933 ...

''. If it is less furiously arch than that modern classic of sledgehammer whimsey, it is also somewhat less successful as entertainment. Out of the labors of the brigade of writers who tinkered with the screen play, there remain a sprinkling of nifties which make for moments of hilarity in an expanse of tedium and fake sophistication." ''Time'' magazine called it a "pleasant, witty time-waster" depicting a "variety of white chromium modernistic interiors, a welter of cynical badinage over cocktails and cigarets, ndthe complications of rich idle adultery." Writing for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'',

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 ...

described the film as "slickly 'problem'", "second rate", and "transient", although he praised the acting of Ruggles (playing Edgar Holden). (reprinted in: )

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $1,117,000 in the US and Canada and $506,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $166,000..

References

External links

* * * * {{Irving Thalberg 1935 films American romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by George Cukor Films directed by Edward H. Griffith 1935 romantic comedy films Films produced by Irving Thalberg Films with screenplays by Donald Ogden Stewart Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1930s American films