''Men are Such Fools'' 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 typic ...

directed by

Busby Berkeley Busby Berkeley (born Berkeley William Enos; November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berke ...

and written by

Norman Reilly Raine Norman Reilly Raine (23 June 1894 – 19 July 1971) was an American screenwriter, creator of "Tugboat Annie" and winner of an Oscar for the screenplay of ''The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937). Early years Raine was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvan ...

and

Horace Jackson Horace Jackson (March 29, 1898 – January 26, 1952) was an American Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of the silent and sound film eras. Jackson also worked as a set designer early in his career. Life and career Born Horace Atherton Jackso ...

. The film stars Wayne Morris,

Priscilla Lane Priscilla Lane (born Priscilla Mullican, June 12, 1915 – April 4, 1995) was an American actress, and the youngest sibling in the Lane Sisters of singers and actresses. She is best remembered for her roles in the films ''The Roaring Twenties'' ...

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

Hugh Herbert Hugh Herbert (August 10, 1885 – March 12, 1952) was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches. Career Born in Binghamton, New York, Herbert attended Cornell Univers ...

, Johnnie Davis, and

Penny Singleton Penny Singleton (born Mariana Dorothy McNulty, September 15, 1908 – November 12, 2003) was an American actress, singer, dancer and labor leader. During her 60-year career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the ...

. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 16, 1938. The movie is adapted from the novel by the same name, ''Men Are Such Fools'', by Faith Baldwin.

Plot

Linda Lawrence is an assistant to an executive Mr. Bates at a New York advertising agency called Americo. She badly wants to reach new levels in her career and strives to do her best work at Americo as to not be the traditional woman. She has a few ideas she would like to pitch to Mr. Bates in order to advance in her career, but is repeatedly interrupted by Jimmy Hall, an ex-football star now turned co-worker. Hall claims he loves her, and Lawrence entertains him and eventually does fall in love with him, however she wants her primary focus to be her career. As she tries to advance her career through hard work, Hall tries to advance on her as a love interest, and Lawrence has others after her romantically as well, such as Harry Galleon, an executive of the company who could help further her career. This romantic comedy conveys messages of female independence and wits while also showing how Lawrence balances the two, her love life and career.

Cast

* Wayne Morris as Jimmie Hall *

as Linda Lawrence *

as Harry Galleon *

as Harvey Bates * Johnnie Davis as Tad Turkel *

as Nancy *

Mona Barrie Mona Barrie (born Mona Barlee Smith; 18 December 1909 – 27 June 1964) was an English-born actress, active on stage in Australia before establishing a career in the US, and in Hollywood films. Career Born Mona Barlee Smith in London to comedi ...

as Bea Harris * Vivienne Osborne as Lili Arno *

Marcia Ralston Marcia Mascotte Ralston (19 September 1906 – 23 November 1988) was an Australian-born actress who appeared in Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. In Australia Ralston's father was well known Australian singer and actor John Ralston. She a ...

as Wanda *

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

as Bill Dalton *

Kathleen Lockhart Kathleen Lockhart (née Arthur; 9 August 1894 – 18 February 1978) was a prolific English-American actress during the early-mid 20th century. Early life Kathleen Arthur was born on August 9, 1894 in Southsea, Hampshire, England. Caree ...

as Mrs. Dalton *

Donald Briggs Donald Briggs (January 28, 1911 – February 3, 1986) was an American actor, who appeared in over 75 films and television shows between the 1930s and 1970s. Early life Briggs was born in Chicago, Illinois and died in Woodland Hills, California ...

as George Onslow *

Nedda Harrigan Nedda Harrigan Logan (August 24, 1899 – April 1, 1989) was an American actress. Early life Harrigan was the youngest of 10 children of entertainer Edward Harrigan and his wife, Annie (Braham) Harrigan. Her grandfather was conductor Dav ...

as Mrs. Nelson * Eric Stanley as Mr. Nelson *

Claud Allister Claud Allister (born William Claud Michael Palmer, 3 October 1888 – 26 July 1970) was an English actor with an extensive film career in both Britain and Hollywood, where he appeared in more than 70 films between 1929 and 1955. Life and ...

as Rudolf *

Renie Riano Renie Isabel Riano (August 7, 1899 – July 3, 1971) was an English-born American actress who, with the exception of the Jiggs and Maggie comedies, had minor roles in 1940s and 1950s films. She was sometimes credited as Reine Riano, Renee R ...

as Mrs. Pinkel Priscilla_Lane_and_Penny_Singleton

References

External links

* * * * 1938 films 1938 romantic comedy films Films directed by Busby Berkeley Films scored by Heinz Roemheld Warner Bros. films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films 1930s American films {{1930s-romantic-comedy-film-stub