''Behold My Wife!'' is a 1934

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. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Mitchell Leisen James Mitchell Leisen (October 6, 1898 – October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. Film career He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments. He directed his f ...

. It stars Sylvia Sidney and

Gene Raymond Gene Raymond (born Raymond Guion; August 13, 1908 – May 3, 1998) was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a singer, composer, screenwriter, director, producer, and decorat ...

. Based on a novel by

Sir Gilbert Parker Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker, 1st Baronet (23 November 1862 – 6 September 1932), known as Gilbert Parker, Canadian novelist and British politician, was born at Camden East, Addington, Ontario, the son of Captain Joseph Parker, R.A. Edu ...

, ''The Translation of a Savage'',The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: ''Behold My Wife!''
AFI Catalog of Feature Films Retrieved November 19, 2022. the story had been filmed before in the silent era in 1920 as '' Behold My Wife!'' starring Mabel Julienne Scott and

Milton Sills Milton George Gustavus Sills (January 12, 1882 – September 15, 1930) was an American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century. Biography Sills was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a wealthy family. He was the son of William Henr ...

. One of the plot's themes is a white man's romance and eventual marriage to an Apache woman.

Plot

Michael Carter, a young New York socialite, returns home drunk, telling the butler that he intends to marry Mary White the next day. The butler talks to Michael's parents, and the next morning, Michael's sister Diana pays a visit to Mary's apartment and ends the relationship because Michael's family finds the girl disgraceful. Diana tells Mary that Michael has left for France, and that he often falls in love with women and promises to wed them but then leaves them "at the church." Mary can't believe it, but Diana's lies are confirmed over the phone by Michael's butler. Diana presents the sobbing Mary with a check and a ticket to California, then exits. But just as Diana is about to drive in triumph, she hears a scream and sees the lifeless body of Mary on the street below her apartment. Diana tries to make excuses to Michael, who only vows vengeance. In his despair about the loss of Mary, Michael drives out West stopping at many bars. At one bar he meets an intoxicated Apache man named Pete and invites him to share a drink from his bottle. Pete's girlfriend is the Apache Indian Tonita. Pete pulls out his pistol and in a fight he shoots Michael in the shoulder. Tonita tries to save her Indian friend, and Michael asks her to marry him as a way to get even with his prejudiced, status-seeking family. At the station the family is awaiting Michael and everyone knows about Michael and Tonita. Michael's sister Diana proposes a big reception for the newlyweds and invites important people. The evening of the reception she sneaks into Tonita's room and convinces her to wear a beautiful night dress, whereas Michael wanted to dress her in her traditional Apache clothes to embarrass his parents. Tonita is beautiful and answers cleverly to impertinent people, but Michael is furious because he feels his family has triumphed over him. He tells Tonita about his rage against his family, and she angrily leaves with Bob Prentice. Diana follows them to Prentice's apartment and tells Prentice (who is her lover) that she left her husband for him. But Prentice doesn't want her back, so Diana finds a revolver and shoots him. Tonita proposes to take the blame as she feels she hasn't any reason to live and gives herself up to the police. Michael comes to Prentice's apartment and finds the body of Prentice. Michael makes up a confession and tells the police that he killed Prentice. But at the police station, his wife Tonita said that she killed Prentice in order to save Michael. When Michael is alone with Tonita, she confesses that his sister Diana killed Prentice. The police have been secretly listening to Tonita's confession so the married couple can now pursue their own life together.

Cast

* Sylvia Sidney as Tonita Storm Cloud *

as Michael Carter * Laura Hope Crews as Mrs. Hubert Carter * H. B. Warner as Hubert Carter * Juliette Compton as Diana Carter Curson *

Monroe Owsley Monroe Righter Owsley (August 11, 1900 – June 7, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Early years The son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Owsley, he was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a manufacturing executive, and his mother was a c ...

as Bob Prentice * Ann Sheridan as Mary White *Charlotte Granville as Mrs. Sykes *

Kenneth Thomson Kenneth Roy Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet (September 1, 1923 – June 12, 2006), known in Canada as Ken Thomson, was a Canadian/British businessman and art collector. At the time of his death, he was listed by ''Forbes'' as the richest per ...

as Jim Curson *

Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 7, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film, stage, and television actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Henry King's ''Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949). Early life Dean Jeffrie ...

as Pete *

Eric Blore Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appe ...

as Benson (butler) * Charles Middleton as Juan Storm Cloud * Rina De Liguoro as Countess Slavotski Rest of cast listed alphabetically: *

Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

as Chauffeur (uncredited) *

Cosmo Kyrle Bellew Cosmo Kyrle Bellew (November 23, 1883–January 25, 1948) was a British/American vaudeville and film actor. Cosmo Bellew in 1925 Biography Bellew, the son of noted silent film actor Kyrle Bellew and Alice Racketrow, was born in London, England, ...

as Mr. Lawson (uncredited) *

Neal Burns Neal (Neil) is a given masculine name and surname of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "hon ...

as Reporter at Train (uncredited) *

Edward Gargan Edward Gargan (July 17, 1902 – February 19, 1964) was an American film and television actor. Career He was born of Irish parents in Brooklyn, New York. He was the elder brother of actor William Gargan. As soon as he had left college, he wen ...

as Det. Connolly (uncredited) * Gwenllian Gill as Ms. Copperthwaite (uncredited) *

Otto Hoffman Otto F. Hoffman (May 2, 1879 – June 23, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1915 and 1944. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California, from lung cancer. Hoffman's Broadway credit ...

as Minister (uncredited)

References

External links

*
Spanish language foreign lobby poster
{{Mitchell Leisen Films directed by Mitchell Leisen American black-and-white films 1934 drama films Films based on Canadian novels Films based on works by Gilbert Parker Films produced by B. P. Schulberg Remakes of American films Sound film remakes of silent films American drama films 1930s American films 1930s English-language films