When Ladies Meet (1933)

"When Ladies Meet" is one of those films that show how much the Production Code set the film industry back. In this particular case, it's not the risqué lines that are notable (although there are a few, like "Doesn't anybody here know what beds are for? Or DO you? Or is that the wrong thing to say?"), or the revealing clothes the ladies wear (just a backless dress for Myrna Loy at the start); it's the themes of fidelity, (self-)deception, love and marriage which the film examines in an open and frank way that the Code would soon render beyond reach. And it examines them from the point of view of each character. It's hard to decide who gives the best performance in the excellent cast - Ann Harding is enticing, but I might have to go with Alice Brady, who often steals the show as the "intelligent fool". Yes, there may be "too much talk" in this film, but nearly all of it is intelligent and insightful. The long conversation between Loy and Harding, in the middle of the night, is unlike anything I personally have seen so far in old Hollywood - not a dialogue scene meant to advance the plot or lead to a dramatic confrontation, just a calm, honest talk between two women who reveal their thoughts and feelings. A great - and too-little-known - movie. ***1/2 out of 4.

I saw and reviewed the 1941 remake of "When Ladies Meet" almost three years ago. I was a bit cold on the film--and thought it should have been much better considering the star-filled cast. However, when I saw the 1933 version today, I really appreciated it. This leads me to wonder--is the original version that much better or has my taste just changed over the last few years? I am not sure which--but I can highly recommend this earlier film.The film is about adultery--a common topic during the Pre-Code era (up until mid 1934 when the new Production Code tightened the moral code within Hollywood's films). At first, it appears to actually endorse it or take a judgment neutral view--as Myrna Loy and Frank Morgan prepare to run off together even though Morgan is married. However, Loy's friend (Robert Montgomery) inexplicably loves her and wants to split the pair up because he feels this relationship is wrong. So, he connives to have Loy meet the wife (Ann Harding). What happens here is what makes the film so good--the women don't know who the other one actually is and they become friends. Only later do they discover the truth. I loved this final portion and I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin it. Suffice to say, it handles this moral quandary in a responsible and satisfying manner.Aside from a few quibbles (such as why Montgomery wants Loy is she shows such selfish behaviors), I really enjoyed the film. Fine acting and a nice script make for an adult film that really is as good and hard-hitting today as it was back in 1933. Well worth seeing.

.....that you can't help but like. Whether it's her unusual beauty, her sensuous speaking voice, her obvious intelligence - all together she has enormous appeal. She was extremely popular in the early thirties before fans tired of her "stiff upper lip" portrayals and they found favourites with more down to earth appeal. Her best known film is probably "The Animal Kingdom" and the cinema rivalry in that film between Harding and Myrna Loy was such a hit that they were paired again in "When Ladies Meet", a scintillating comedy adapted from Rachel Crothers play.Mary Howard (Myrna Loy) is a best selling author who is seeing a lot of her publisher, Rogers Woodruf - for business purposes!!! Her dizzy friend Bridgit (Alice Brady) tells her she should "go for it" after all his wife is an "awful dub"!! "He's a married man" - "I know, the best ones always are"!! Unbeknownst to everyone they are having a very secret affair. Her new book is very close to her heart - it is about a woman, having an affair with a married man, who wants to confront his wife and have a heart to heart talk - her lover is against it, much the same as her real life situation.Meanwhile, Jimmie Lee (an annoying Robert Montgomery), who spends a lot of his free time proposing to Mary, who rejects him just as frequently, starts spending time with Claire (Ann Harding), Roger Woodruf's wife, who is more darling than dub!!! Knowing that Mary is staying at Bridgit's for the weekend, he "accidentally on purpose" brings Claire for a visit. Even though their friendship is platonic, for a gag, Jimmie suggests they give the impression that they are... .... to make Mary jealous -"I'm dust under her feet - not the cream in her coffee"!!! Claire throws herself into her role with great gusto - "Jimmy-Jimmy, did I leave my handkerchief with you, when we were waiting to be alone!!!"The film only picks up when Ann Harding appears - even though she didn't appear until almost half an hour into the film. MGM was just starting to realise what they had in Myrna Loy. Even though she is the second billed actress - she is the main character. But Ann Harding was a real delight, I agree with some of the other reviewers, she steals the movie with her elegance and sophistication, the scenes between her and Myrna Loy are riveting to watch. The first half hour was pretty "talkie" without much being said. Robert Montgomery, who has never been a favourite of mine, played his usual type, shallow playboy who never seems to have employment (he is supposed to be a reporter and he occasionally mentions deadlines, but never meets them)!!!! Frank Morgan plays Rogers Woodruf, the publisher both women seem to be crazy about. But apart from Alice Brady as balmy Bridgit, together Ann Harding and Myrna Loy wipe everyone else off the screen. The conversations they have "When Ladies Meet" make for essential viewing.Highly Recommended.

1933 comedy isn't too creaky, despite its age. Droll adaptation (the first of two) of Rachel Crothers' play about a female writer who has penned a fictional account of an affair she had with a married man, later unknowingly befriending the jilted wife at a dinner party. Some very tart lines and smart performances by Ann Harding, Myrna Loy and Frank Morgan, but the direction (reportedly troubled) is somewhat sluggish. Robert Montgomery is an acting casualty, and the 85-minute film takes a good 45 minutes to warm up. Later remade in 1941 with Joan Crawford, and perhaps was the starting point for Allan Burns and Mary Tyler Moore's "Just Between Friends". ** from ****