Customer Reviews

Wife Vs Secretary [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are several reasons why this is one of my favorite classic movies. Clark Gable is charming as a publisher who runs into trouble when his relationship with his secretary (Jean Harlow) leads to misunderstandings with his wife (Myrna Loy). Jean Harlow gives perhaps one of her best performances in an unusual (for her) "good girl" role as Whitey, the secretary who secretly loves Gable but ends up helping to save his marriage. Myrna Loy is also her usual wonderful self as Gable's wife; the scenes between Loy and Gable are delightful. Jimmy Stewart also shines in a small role as Harlow's boyfriend. There's drama, romance, and even a bit of comedy---everything you could ask for in one of the old Hollywood classics.

A tough choice for executive Clark Gable, poor fella! He thinks he has the best of both worlds: a wonderful wife, Myrna Loy, and a really great secretary, Jean Harlow. And he's on the up and up--no funny business with the secretary, strictly business. Then folks start putting ideas in Myrna's head, and before you know it, Bang! is Clark in trouble. An enjoyable movie, which makes the audience wonder if Clark will indeed take up with the secretary, since he and Harlow had been the romantic interest in movies before. Settle yourself by the ringside and see which lady gets the Gable.

Wife Vs. Secretary is an example of a film that was written with very realistic relationships in mind. Clark Gable is top notch and Jean Harlow shows her dramatic range as a highly efficient sectretary. Myrna Loy plays the wife who trusts her husband until... Think about the times that you have had to work late or out of town for your company on a project you couldn't even tell your spouse about yet! Of course there is a mother in law and a boyfriend to add to the dramatic tension. This is one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in years. The chemistry between these top stars is a joy to observe. This film is well worth tracking down and owning.

"Wife vs. Secretary", could easily from its title be passed off as a fairly ordinary little marital drama. Despite being based on a Faith Baldwin magazine short story this film never seems to stick to the "rules", of these types of subjects which is what makes it such interesting viewing. Here in the three lead characters are no clearly defined types such as the "homewrecking secretary", "the injured wife", and the "cheating husband". As portrayed by MGM legends Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy and Clark Gable respectively these individuals all possess interesting and at times quite unexpected traits that help raise "Wife vs. Secretary", way above other films with a similiar theme. Jean Harlow in particular is a revelation in her most interesting and surprisingly non traditional role as the secretary who for once is not a calculating man trap. Written in a none sentimental manner by writers Norma Krasna and John Lee Mahin, "Wife vs. Secretary", is unique in that it will appeal to both male and female viewers containing positive elements in both the female and male characters represented.

By 1936 Clark Gable was really the King of MGM and Jean Harlow was starting to move away from the sassy, loud talking "dames" she had specialised in earlier in the decade. Here she plays "Whitey" Wilson, the super efficient, totally dedicated secretary to publishing heavy weight Van "V.S." Stanhope (Clark Gable). For Whitey the job always comes first which often causes ruffles in her relationship with boyfriend Dave (James Stewart). Van has been very happily married for 3 years to the lovely Linda (Myrna Loy) and Van's total trust and reliance on Whitey as his "right handed man", has never been a problem for Linda. It's only when Van's well meaning mother Mimi (May Robson), who happens to adore Linda like a real daughter, starts to plant seeds of doubt in Linda's mind about Whitey's attractive qualities that tensions begin to mount. Van meanwhile enters into secret plans for a quick takeover of another rival publishing company. It involves lots of extra hours of work which Whitey is always available for but which starts to make Linda feel like she is being left out of things. Hardly seeing her husband Linda invites some guests to the house but when Whitey arrives at the party with some important documents for Van to sign but then finds herself swept into the dancing Linda really begins seeing her as being after her husband. When a trip to Havana that Linda has planned is also called off because of the takeover bid she finds that Van has gone on ahead and then called Whitey to come down to assist with all the paperwork involved. Linda by mistake calls Van's room at the hotel which Whitey innocently answers causing Linda to think the two are involved in an affair. Linda immediately makes the moves to file for divorce and after some initial efforts to prove his innocenece of any wrong doing with Whitey Van grows tired of Linda's lack of trust in his marital fidelity. Linda plans a boat trip to Europe to getaway from Van and at dock side it is surprisingly Whitey who shows up in her cabin and warns Linda that if she goes on the trip she will loose Van and that she will definately then go after her boss romantically. Linda suddenly sees that all along Whitey has been all business despite some very deep seated feelings for Van and that she has unnecessarily been the suspicious wife looking for problems where there aren't any. The conclusion sees a reconciliation is in the wings for Linda and Van and Whitey returns to the arms of her affectionate and always waiting boyfriend Dave.

Myrna Loy said in later interviews that this film offered her a splendid chance to portray something other than the usual "perfect wife", she generally specialised in and she described her character as "having one foot in the bed all the time". Certainly it is a nice variation on her hugely popular Nora Charles character. As stated previously all three leads play characters with surprising elements here. Clark Gable for once plays a devoted and quite exemplary husband who adores his wife and can't understand her jealousy of secretary Whitey. This I believe is one of his more appealing performances from this mid 1930's period. Jean Harlow is no vamp in this story and is the honest, all business respectable assistant who would never intrude on others marriages. She reveals a growing maturity as an actress in her playing of Whitey which sadly was to be cut short the following year by her early death The power of these three performers makes the material here come alive and great credit must go to director Clarence Brown for not allowing the characters to become wafer thin copies of the three stars already established personas. Being responsible for directing such diverse efforts as "Anna Karenina" with Garbo and "National Velvet", with Elizabeth Taylor, Brown was an MGM veteran even by 1936 and left his imprint on the performances in all his film. "Wife vs. Secretary", has a wonderful 1930's look to it and Cedric Gibbons' impressive art deco interior designs, contain some of his most innovative interior design work. Costuming also plays an important role in this production as for almost the first time Jean Harlow is dressed in modest non revealing clothes appropriate to a secretary and Myrna Loy dressed by her favourite designer Dolly Tree wears the more glamourous and revealing outfits as befitting her affleunt wife of the story.

MGM was always spot on in their handling of marital soap opera dramas and in "Wife vs. Secretary",they produced one of their best combining interesting and original characters in a simple story to great box office effect. It never could be seen as being your average tale of infidelity and desire and in the hands of Gable, Harlow and Loy it translates into a very entertaining snapshot of the 1930's upper class and their marital goings on. Enjoy!

"Wife Vs. Secretary", a little known film from MGM in 1936 is a true gem. The story is fairly formula stuff, nothing that MGM hadn't tried before in one format or another - - but it's the lead actors that make this diamond sparkle.
Clark Gable is Van Stanford, a devoted, loving husband who has been married to his lovely wife Linda (Myrna Loy) for three years, with nary a bump in the road. All that changes one day when Van's mother (May Robson) makes an innocent comment to Linda about how dependent Van is on his secretary, Whitey (Jean Harlow) and what a lovely girl Whitey is. Immediately, Linda begins getting suspicious and concerned about Van's "true" feelings for Whitey. The time that Van and Whitey are forced to spend together due to work, and several small situations that are taken out of context, convince Linda that Van is cheating on her with Whitey and she makes plan to divorce Van and sail off for Europe.
Will Linda leave? Will Van let her? Does Whitey really love Van?
All three leads are perfectly charming and playing against type. Gable plays a loving, sensitive husband - -and very well - - rather than his usual tough guy or bad guy role. He is very convincing as a devoted businessman - - devoted to both his wife and his job. He is also surprisingly convincing playing the scenes where he truly does not understand why his wife would think anything untoward was going on with his secretary.
Myrna Loy played, in her own words, probably the sexiest wife she had been allowed to play up to this point in her career. It's obvious that she and Van have a very passionate and sexual relationship. Additionally, Loy is dressed to the nines in beautiful creations by Dolly Tree.
Jean Harlow is perhaps cast the most against type. As Whitey, she is a serious, work-minded secretary who seems not to realize how pretty or sexual she is. She dresses in conservative business suits and not a single wisecrack slips from her lips. Rather than setting her cap on a taken man, as several of her early film characters did, she seems intent on preserving the sanctity of marriage.
Look also for James Stewart in one of his early roles, playing Whitey's adoring boyfriend, who doesn't much like sharing her with Van.
This is definitely a winner of a movie from Hollywood's Golden Age, starring four of MGM's brightest stars.
Highly recommended.

I've seen a large majority of Clark Gable's films but, somehow, "Wife vs. Secretary" slipped by until I finally got a chance to see it last night. That surprized me because this is a pretty good movie; it has comedy, drama and a nice, meaningful ending. It also had great acting, writing and directing. Relatively unknown director Clarence Brown did a nice job right from the beginnig. In the opening scenes we learn that our main character is wealthy, then we learn he has a special relationship with his wife, then we learn he is popular with his employees and a genius at his work. Before long we learn that he has a wiz of a secretary as well. Once the table's been well-set, things begin to interact; all flowing from a careless rermark by our hero's mother. The circumstancial events feed the seed of jealousy and things reach a crisis. In the end, it is new-comer Jimmy Stewart who puts everything in focus. He's part of the able acting quartet that includes Gable, Myrna Loy, and the fireball of loyalty, Jean Harlow. That cast alone should have keep this movie as a regular on the Late Late Show. Maybe it was and I just wasn't staying up late enough

"Wife Versus Secretary" poses the simple question. If Clark Gable was married to Myrna Loy, would he be tempted by his secretary if she was Jean Harlow? This would not be a hard choice for me because I cannot name a blonde in the 1930s who for my money was sexier than Myrna Loy, but I acknowledge this to be a minority opinion. Besides, Harlow gets higher billing than Loy in this film. Gable plays Van Sanford, a young publisher who has been married to Linda for three years. Whitey Wilson (Harlow) is Van's attractive secretary, who is sort of engaged to young Tom (Billy Newell). Linda tries very hard not to be jealous, but other people are talking about, in an interesting semi-feminist angle, she wonders why Dan did not promote Whitey when he had an opportunity. Then we have one of those "innocent" circumstances that really sets things in motion when Dan flies off to Havana for a secret meeting with another publisher. Whitey has to fly off to join him and help close the deal, but, of course, Linda calls, Whitey answers the phone, and suddenly Dan is on his way to a divorce.

This 1936 film from director Clarence Brown is like a lot of films from this period: a cliche-riddled plot with a pretty good cast. Most surprisingly, Gable has relatively little to do is this film. He spends more time playing the businessman than the husband, which gives the film squarely to Harlow and Loy. Harlow does a nice job of playing the secretary, totally competent and not at all interested in her boss. But Loy has to carry the film as Linda tries to remain dignified as her doubts assail her. The big scene in "Wife Versus Secretary" actually ends up being between Loy and Harlow, which is actually as it should be. May Robson has a nice supporting role as Van's mother as does Jimmy Stewart as Dave. The star power is at the "A" level while the script by Norman Krasna, Alice Duer Miller and John Lee Mahin, based on the novel by Faith Baldwin, grades out as at a "C," which is why the above ranking splits the difference.

"Are you happy?" -- Van teasing Linda

"Happy? I don't know! You've never shown me anything else." -- Linda


A Cosmopolitan Magazine story by Faith Baldwin was purchased by MGM and fashioned for a great trio of big stars by Norman Krasna, John Lee Mahin, and Alice Duer Miller. Director Clarence Brown was given all the gloss and star power that could be finagled. The results were warm and romantic, a film with fun and a message urging viewers to just believe in someone and enjoy love, adding depth to what could have been just enjoyable fluff.

V.S. (Clark Gable) and Linda (Myrna Loy) are a couple happily and playfully in love, enjoying to the full all the wonderful pleasures of being married and truly in love. Loy is magnificent here, and so adorable that you get a real sense of how special she was as a star and actress. This is also one of Gable's most likable characters, and performances. He's fun to watch, and so is she, their playful joy as a couple making the film bright, as if someone threw a big dose of sunshine at the screen. They imbue the film with energy and love so warm and fun it must have nearly spilled into moviegoers' laps with the popcorn when it was released.

Equally warm and fun is Van's relationship with his wonderful secretary, Whitey Wilson (Jean Harlow). She's smart and spectacular, and his right arm. It is this close relationship Linda's mother-in-law (May Robson) worries about, planting seeds of doubt in a garden hitherto barren of weeds, only bearing sweet fruits. When V.S. must keep secret a sweet deal to take over a magazine, and spend even more time with Whitey, finally ending up in exotic Havana with her rather than his wife, those weeds begin to choke out the roots of Linda's love, breaking her heart. Whitey has her own problems, however, her beau Dave (James Stewart) wanting her to quit her job and something important to her self-worth before they marry.

Harlow gets to be Harlow here, a nice girl who just happens to be a knockout; a character much closer to her own personality than others she played onscreen. Humor and warmth blend with romance in this enjoyable film, the absence of a "bad girl" within the triangle refreshing. Whitey is indeed anything but a problem, but might not have the will to resist the boss she adores and take him on the rebound if the hurt Linda doesn't realize she's made a big mistake of trust. It is Whitey who will make the most loving gesture in fact, sacrificing what might be for herself, for a happiness much greater between two people who truly can't be happy without the other. Jean Harlow is a good girl here, and it fits like a glove.

A rare and wonderful tone and a gorgeous cast all make this story a pleasure to watch. A must see classic for fans of any or all of these stars. Great fun.

No vamping here, just good clean adult comedy. Van (Clark Gable) is happily married & in love with his wife, Linda played by Myrna Loy. But he can't survive in business without his loyal & indispensible secretary, Whitey played by Jean Harlow. A secret business plan means they spend most of their waking hours together. She is at Van's beck & call 24 hours a day much to the chagrin of Whitey's boyfriend, Dave, a small part played by a very young Jimmy Steward, & Linda. Whitey is so beautiful, fun to be with & smart, how could Van not be having an affair with her?
But he's not. He's faithful not even considering it until the complications pile on the misunderstandings as they do in 1930's romantic comedies. Linda is about to leave him & Whitey confronts her. Whitey loves Van but nothing has happen between them & she saves Van's & Linda's marriage. Presumably Whitey then returns to spend more time with poor Dave. Highly entertaining from the classic era.