''The Toy Wife'' is a 1938 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Biography Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, Richard Thorpe began his ...

and starring

Luise Rainer Luise Rainer ( , ; 12 January 1910 – 30 December 2014) was a German-American-British film actress. She was the first thespian to win multiple Academy Awards and the first to win back-to-back; at the time of her death, thirteen days shy of her ...

and

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchk ...

. The period film was produced by Merian C. Cooper and written by Zoë Akins.

Plot

Set before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, ''The Toy Wife'' tells the story of Frou-Frou, a 16-year-old

coquette A coquette is a flirtatious woman. It may refer to: * ''The Coquette'' (film), a 1917 German silent comedy film * ''Coquette'' (film), an Academy Award-winning 1929 film starring Mary Pickford * ''Coqueta '' (1949 film), a Mexican musical film * ...

. She has been in France to attend a prestigious school, but is now returning to her family

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

. Craving to go to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, she fakes a toothache to visit a dentist there. She is chaperoned by Madame Vallaire, but soon ditches her to attend a ball. There, she meets Vaillare's son Andre, a wastral whom she is immediately attracted to. After returning home, Frou-Frou and her older sister Louise befriend Georges Sartoris, a family friend who received a knife wound after prosecuting a white man for killing a black slave. Louise is in love with him, but encourages her sister to marry him after finding out Georges is more interested in Frou-Frou. As suggested, Frou-Frou and Georges marry. Five years later, their four-year-old son celebrates his birthday. Georges is worried his wife is after all those years still youthful and flirtatious. Fearing she would be unable to give up her life style to become attached to the household, Georges asks Louise to teach her sister how to be a wife. Things don't work out as planned and eventually it is Louise who is doing all the chores. Meanwhile, Frou-Frou becomes reacquainted with Andre while rehearsing a new play she will star in. At home, she realises her sister is taking over her life, winning over the heart of both Georges and her son. Outraged, she confronts Louise and soon elopes with Andre. Six months later, Frou-Frou's father Victor is informed by Madame Vallaire that his daughter and Andre are currently living in New York City. Distraught, Victor collapses and dies the same day. Meanwhile, Frou-Frou and Andre are living in poverty due to Andre's gambling debts. Her father's will leaves her with half of his plantation, but she forfeits her share to her son Georgie. When she and Andre return to New Orleans, jealous ex-husband Georges challenges Andre to a duel. Everybody suspects Andre will win, but he is shot and killed. It is hinted that Andre had purposely chosen to be the loser in the duel, because he chose pistols as the weapons, rather than his actual preference of swords. Time goes by and Frou-Frou is now a poor woman, dying of pneumonia. One evening, while praying in church, she is noticed by Louise. She makes Georges realize that Frou-Frou become the woman she was for him, explaining that was what he really wanted. Touched, he visits Frou-Frou and finally allows her to see her son again. He takes her back home and is told there by Frou-Frou he should marry Louise. Soon after, Frou-Frou dies.

Cast

as Gilberte 'Frou Frou' Brigard *

as George Sartoris * Robert Young as Andre Vallaire * Barbara O'Neil as Louise Brigard * H.B. Warner as Victor Brigard *

Alma Kruger Alma Kruger (September 13, 1871 – April 5, 1960) was an American actress. Career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1871 (or 1868 according to other sources), Kruger had a long career on stage before appearing in films. From 1907 to 193 ...

as Madame Vallaire * Libby Taylor as Suzanne *

Theresa Harris Theresa Harris (December 31, 1906 – October 8, 1985) was an American television and film actress, singer and dancer. Early life Harris was born on New Year's Eve 1906 (some sources indicate 1909) in Houston, Texas, to Isaiah and Mable Harris ...

as Pickaninny 'Pick' *

Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford (born Walter Pearce; 20 September 1882 – 7 February 1958) was an English stage, film and television actor. Early years Kingsford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Career Kingsford began his acting career on the Lo ...

as Judge Rondell * Clinton Rosemond as Pompey *

Clarence Muse Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a film, 1929's ''Hearts in Dixie''. He acted for ...

as Brutus *

Leonard Penn Leonard Penn (13 November 1907 – 20 May 1975) was an American film, television and theatre actor. Early life and education Penn was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to parents Marcus Penn and Eva Monson. He majored in drama at Columbia U ...

as Gaston Vincent

Production

The film is based upon the French play ''Froufrou'' by Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac, premiering in 1869. The film is often referred to as a

costume drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

. 1938 in the film industry was the year of the revival of interest in the

. '' Gone with the Wind'' was a huge success and a movie adaption was already in the works. With Warner Bros. distributing ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' as well,

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

knew they couldn't be left behind. A Civil War-themed film was rushed into production, eventually released as ''The Toy Wife''.''A Rose for Mrs. Miniver'' by Michael Troyan p. 78 The film starred

, an actress who was labeled as difficult to work with. She had become famous in a short period by winning two

Oscars 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 her portrayal of Anna Held in ''

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Luise Rainer as Anna Held, and ...

'' (1936) and O-Lan in '' The Good Earth'' (1937). Suddenly, the public didn't care about her anymore and she angered studio head Louis B. Mayer by constantly demanding a higher salary.The Toy Wife: Overview Article
TCM.com His reaction was casting her in

B-film A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

s only, including ''The Toy Wife''. There was a schedule conflict during the production, which forced director

to withdraw from the direction of ''

The Shopworn Angel ''The Shopworn Angel'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, and Walter Pidgeon. The MGM release featured the second screen pairing of Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart followi ...

'' (1938), a drama film starring

Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players. In 1933, she caught the attention of film director John M. Stahl and had ...

and

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

. There was a lack of a big budget. By casting Rainer, the studio couldn't afford a famous male lead and assigned

instead.

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 ...

was at one point considered for the role of Louise, but Rainer and Thorpe objected to the idea.

Reception

Although the studio thought the film would be a hit, it became a flop. According to MGM records the film earned $557,000 in the US and Canada and $298,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $29,000. ''The Toy Wife'' was dismissed as a tearjerker and the plot was heavily criticized. Rainer received a lot of negative criticism, with ''

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 ...

'' calling her portrayal "wound too tightly for anybody's comfort". The critic also noted she was being "too feminine". Neither she nor the studio was happy with the results. Rainer said her casting in this movie was a failed punishment, because she insisted she loved working with Douglas. Rainer was known for hating Hollywood and all the insiders, but described Douglas as a loving person, who was one of the few caring about more than acting.''"Movies were always magical"'' by Leo Verswijver p. 144 Nevertheless, Rainer ended her contract with the studio the same year and retired from the film industry.

References

External links