''What Every Woman Knows'' is a 1934 American

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

Gregory La Cava Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 – March 1, 1952) was an American film director of Italian descent best known for his films of the 1930s, including ''My Man Godfrey'' and ''Stage Door'', which earned him nominations for Academy Award for Best ...

and starring

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

Brian Aherne William Brian de Lacy Aherne (2 May 190210 February 1986) was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States. His first Broadway appearance in '' The Barretts of ...

and

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage and film actress.Obituary ''Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography Child model and stage actress B ...

. The film was produced and distributed by

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 ...

and is based on the play '' What Every Woman Knows'' (1908) by

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

. It was filmed by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

back in the silent era in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

and stars Lois Wilson. An even earlier British silent version was filmed in 1917. Hayes was familiar with the material as she had starred in a 1926 Broadway revival opposite

Kenneth MacKenna Kenneth MacKenna (born Leo Mielziner Jr.; August 19, 1899 – January 15, 1962) was an American actor and film director. Family MacKenna was born as Leo Mielziner Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire, to portrait artist Leo Mielziner (Decembe ...

.''What Every Woman Knows'' revival of 1926, Bijou Theatre, opened April 13 1926; 268 performances
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Plot

Alick Wylie ( David Torrence) and his sons David (

Donald Crisp Donald William Crisp (27 July 188225 May 1974) was an English film actor as well as an early producer, director and screenwriter. His career lasted from the early silent film era into the 1960s. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor ...

) and James (

Dudley Digges Sir Dudley Digges (19 May 1583 – 18 March 1639) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1629. Digges was also a "Virginia adventurer," an investor who ventured his capital in the Virginia ...

) are greatly concerned about Alick's daughter Maggie (Helen Hayes), who has been jilted by a minister. She is less than heartbroken, but they fear for her marital prospects at the age of 27. When they catch poor but ambitious 21-year-old John Shand (Brian Ahern) breaking into their house late at night to use their library, they seize the opportunity. Impressed by his initiative, they offer him £300 to finance his studies provided that he give Maggie the option of marrying him after five years. After some thought, he agrees. The Wylies insist he sign a formal contract. As the five years draw to an end, he stands for

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and wins. Two of the "quality", la Contessa la Brierre (

Lucile Watson Lucile Watson (May 27, 1879 – June 24, 1962) was a Canadian actress, long based in the United States. She was "famous for her roles of formidable dowagers." Early years Watson was born in Quebec and raised in Ottawa, the daughter of an off ...

) and her niece Lady Sybil Tenterden (Madge Evans), show up to congratulate him. Lady Sybil had lately shown an unexpected interest in politics after seeing the handsome victor. On the train to London to take his seat, John is given the opportunity by Maggie to back out of their agreement, but he avers that a bargain is a bargain and marries her. Lady Sybil helps forward John's political career, and the two fall in love. Maggie too works diligently and craftily on her husband's behalf, planting ideas that he takes for his own. John has become a financial expert, and is for the country dropping the

gold standard A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the la ...

, which is against the policy of his Labour Party. When the influential politician Charles Venables (

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 Bo ...

) comes to sound him out, Maggie sees him first and takes it upon herself to state that John would resign from the party rather than betray his principles. Venables is delighted. Matters finally come to a head on the Shands' second wedding anniversary, with John telling Maggie and her family that he and Lady Sybil are in love. He insists on writing a letter of resignation from Parliament. Maggie persuades him to postpone their public separation for a month so he can finish writing his book. She arranges for him to stay at the estate of her good friend, la Contessa; secretly, she also asks la Contessa to invite Lady Sybil as well. Things turn out the way she had hoped: John and Lady Sybil's ardor does not survive having to spend an entire month together. Meanwhile, Maggie goes to see Venables. She presents him with John's letter, telling him that her husband has resigned over the gold standard. Venables is so impressed he offers John an important post in the coalition government he is forming. When John finds out what Maggie has done, he is somewhat offended. However, she assures him that "what every woman knows" is that behind every successful man is a woman who secretly strives to help him. In the end, he sees things her way, and is cajoled into laughing for the first time in his life.

Cast

as Maggie Wylie *

as John Shand *

as Lady Sybil Tenterden *

as La Contessa la Brierre *

as James Wylie *

as David Wylie * David Torrence as Alick Wylie *

as Charles Venables *

George Cowl George Cowl (1878–1942) was a British film actor active in the United States.Solomon p.300 He also directed four films during the silent era. Selected filmography * ''Dan'' (1914) * ''The Rack'' (1916) * '' The Closed Road'' (1916) * '' The B ...

as Cabinet Member

Box office

The film grossed a total (domestic and foreign) of $502,000: $340,000 from the US and Canada and $162,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $140,000.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Irving Thalberg 1934 films 1934 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films based on works by J. M. Barrie Films directed by Gregory La Cava 1930s political comedy films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films scored by Herbert Stothart Films set in London American political comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films