''The Impatient Maiden'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

James Whale James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fra ...

, starring

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film ''All Quiet on the Western Fro ...

and

Mae Clarke Mae Clarke (born Violet Mary Klotz; August 16, 1910 – April 29, 1992) was an American actress. She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased by Boris Karloff in ''Frankenstein'', and for being o ...

, and released by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

. The screenplay was written by

Richard Schayer Richard Schayer (December 13, 1880 – March 13, 1956) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for more than 100 films between 1916 and 1956. He was born in Washington, D.C., son of Col. George Frederick Schayer and writer Julia Schayer, and ...

and Winifred Dunn, based on the novel ''The Impatient Virgin'', by

Donald Henderson Clarke Donald Henderson Clarke (August 24, 1887 – March 27, 1958) was an American writer and journalist, known for his romantic novels, mystery fiction, and screenplays. Biography Clarke was born August 24, 1887, in South Hadley, Massachusetts. He stu ...

Plot

Cast

as Dr. Myron Brown *

as Ruth Robbins *

Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular fil ...

as Betty Merrick *

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...

as Clarence Howe * John Halliday as Albert Hartman *

Oscar Apfel Oscar C. Apfel (January 17, 1878 – March 21, 1938) was an American film actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927. Biography Ap ...

as Dr. Wilcox *

Ethel Griffies Ethel Griffies (born Ethel Woods; 26 April 1878 – 9 September 1975) was a British actress. She is remembered for portraying the ornithology, ornithologist Mrs. Bundy in Alfred Hitchcock's classic ''The Birds (film), The Birds'' (1963). She app ...

as Nurse Lovett *

Helen Jerome Eddy Helen Jerome Eddy (February 25, 1897 – January 27, 1990) was a movie actress from New York City. She was noted as a character actress who played genteel heroines in films such as '' Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' (1917). Early years Eddy was bor ...

as Mrs. Gilman *

Bert Roach Egbert Roach (August 21, 1891 – February 16, 1971) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 320 films between 1914 and 1951. He was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Los Angeles, California, age 79. Selected filmography * ...

as Mr. Gilman *

Cecil Cunningham Edna Cecil Cunningham (August 2, 1888 – April 17, 1959) was an American film and stage actress, singer, and comedienne. Early years A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Cunningham was one of at least six children born to Sarah Hunter and Patric ...

as Mrs. Rosy *Lorin Raker as Mr. Rosy *

Blanche Payson Blanche Payson (born Mary Elizabeth Bush, September 20, 1881 – July 4, 1964) was an American film actress. Biography Payson was born in Santa Barbara, California, as Mary Elizabeth Bush to Thomas and Sarah Bush. She first attracted publ ...

as Mrs. Thomas *

Arthur Hoyt Arthur Hoyt (March 19, 1874 – January 4, 1953) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 275 films in his 34-year film career, about a third of them silent films. Career Born in Georgetown, Colorado, in 1874, Hoyt ma ...

as Mr. Thomas *

Monte Montague Walter Harry "Monte" MontagueKatchmer, George A. (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 264. ."United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940", ...

as ambulance driver

Critical Response

''International photographer'' was reserved in its praise: "Universal seems to have overestimated the possibilities of the novel by Donald Henderson Clarke from which the adaptation was made" but singled Whale for his "capable direction" and Divine for his "very amusing characterization."Sawdon, Clara M. "When Seen Through Feminine Eyes." ''The International Photographer'' Vol. 3 No. 12 p34-35. February, 1932. Accessed 7 May 2023.

References

External links

* 1932 films 1932 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels Films directed by James Whale Universal Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Films with screenplays by Richard Schayer {{1930s-drama-film-stub