When Ladies Meet (1933)

Excellent dialogue and compelling interpersonal exploration mark this sophisticated pre-code comedy drama with terrific performances by all the principals in the cast including: Ann Harding Robert Montgomery Myrna Loy Alice Brady Frank Morgan even Sterling Holloway (though very briefly & uncredited as a caddy). Directed by Harry Beaumont (The Broadway Melody (1929)) with a screenplay co-written by John Meehan (The Divorcee (1930)) the film’s Art Direction earned Cedric Gibbons (The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929)) his second Academy Award nomination. When the film was remade in 1941 with Joan Crawford Robert Taylor Greer Garson Herbert Marshall and Spring Byington Gibbons earned his twelfth Art Direction Oscar nomination.

Loy plays a writer who won’t marry Montgomery but instead goes off with her married publisher Morgan. Ironically her latest unpublished work about a married man and his mistress is actually a thinly veiled account of her affair with him. In the book the married man leaves his wife for his mistress and he and the mistress live happily ever after. Montgomery reads the books and says it doesn’t ring true. Morgan’s married to Harding. Brady plays a mutual friend whose home becomes the place where most of the truths come to light. Loy and Morgan are there for a rendezvous; Montgomery hears of it and brings Harding to the “party”. Loy and Harding have some discussions during which Harding figures out what’s going on and Loy becomes fond of her “rival”. Montgomery learns that Morgan’s intentions as he suspected are not entirely honorable. All along he’d rightly suspected that Morgan was just enjoying Loy’s company and “services” with no intention of leaving his wife for her. Harding plays the long suffering wife of a man who strays yet always accepts him back after he’d had his fun. The initially confident Loy becomes disillusioned.