''Man-Proof'' is a 1938 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by Richard Thorpe. The film is based on the 1937 novel ''The Four Marys'' written by Fannie Heaslip Lea.

Plot

The daughter of wealthy and famous novelist Meg Swift, Mimi is a young woman who seems to have a perfect life. The opposite appears to be the case, as her deep love for playboy Alan Wythe remains unanswered. Despite her mother's newspaper artist friend Jimmy Kilmartin warnings of Alan's scandalous past revolving women, Mimi is determined to one day become Mrs. Wythe. However, another woman beats her to the title. Mimi is crushed when she finds out that Alan is marrying heiress Elizabeth Kent, but swallows her pride to serve as the bridesmaid. At the wedding, Mimi overhears snobbish women gossiping about her love life. As a result, she gets drunk and admits to Alan she is in love with him. Later that night, Jimmy attempts to console her, as does Meg. Encouraged by her mother, Mimi agrees to move out of the house and build up a career to forget Alan. After moving in an apartment, Jimmy arranges her a job as an illustrator at his newspaper. Months go by and Mimi has become a happy woman, although she has not forgot about Alan. When she receives notice of Alan and Elizabeth's return from their honeymoon, she pretends she no longer has feelings for Alan. Encouraged by those thoughts, she even agrees to meet Alan and offers him to be friends. Alan is interested in the thought of befriending a woman and they decide on going out. Meg and Jimmy spot them attending a boxing match and are immediately worried. The next day, following a joyful night with Alan, Mimi admits to Jimmy that she is still in love with Alan. Jimmy tries to prevent her from breaking up a marriage, but Mimi is determined to convince Alan to divorce Elizabeth so they can marry. She calls Elizabeth and informs her of her true feelings. Later that day, Alan, despite being discouraged by Jimmy, meets Mimi with plans of continuing their affair. He is worried, though, when he finds out he is to divorce Elizabeth. They are interrupted by a visit from Elizabeth, who blames her husband for being too selfish. Alan agrees with his wife, and accompanies Elizabeth to save their marriage, leaving Mimi behind crushed. Yet again, Jimmy consoles Mimi and they agree on ending their quarrel over their different views on morality. After arriving at Meg's, they realize they have been in love with each other the entire time and they kiss.

Cast

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

as Mimi Swift *

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

as Jimmy Kilmartin *

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...

as Elizabeth Kent *

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

as Alan Wythe * Nana Bryant as Meg Swift *

John Miljan John Miljan (November 9, 1892 – January 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1924 and 1958. Biography Born in 1892, Miljan was the tall, smooth-talking villain in Hollywood films for almost four deca ...

as Tommy Gaunt *

Gwen Lee Gwen Lee (born Gwendolyn Lepinski; November 12, 1904 – August 20, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Lee began her career as a model before being discovered and signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She was typically cast in supporting ...

as Binnie Bell *

Rita Johnson Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, ...

as Florence (scenes deleted) *

Ruth Hussey Ruth Carol Hussey (October 30, 1911 – April 19, 2005) was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in '' The Philadelphia Story''. Early life Hussey was born in Providence, Rhode I ...

as Jane (scenes deleted) * George Chandler as Newspaper Room Employee (uncredited)

Production

''Man-Proof'' went into production in 1937 under the working title ''The Four Marys''. In July 1937, it was announced that Richard Thorpe would direct the film, with

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchk ...

and

in the leading roles. Douglas was later replaced by

. By the time shooting started, leading lady

was still mourning with the death of her friend and colleague

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

. Nevertheless, she recalled that she experienced production of ''Man-Proof'' as joyful, due to her positive experience with co-stars Pidgeon and

. Loy and Russell became friends during shooting, though they had been frequent competitors for movie roles in the past."For Your Amusement" by Miriam Bell, ''

The Miami News ''The Miami News'' was an evening newspaper in Miami, Florida. It was the media market competitor to the morning edition of the '' Miami Herald'' for most of the 20th century. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called ''The Miami ...

'', October 30, 1935, p. 11

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews, with critics complaining that the film was "trifling," "thin" and "clichéd." Furthermore, ''Man-Proof'' flopped at the box office.

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $824,000 in the US and Canada and $271,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $217,000.

References

External links

* * {{Richard Thorpe 1938 films 1938 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films based on American novels Films directed by Richard Thorpe Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1930s American films