''Men Are Such Fools'' is a 1938 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

directed by

Busby Berkeley Berkeley William Enos, (November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) known professionally as Busby Berkeley, was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geo ...

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, Pennsylva ...

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 Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr. February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including '' Paths of Glory'' (1957), ' ...

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' family of singers and actresses. She is best remembered for her roles in the films '' The Roaring ...

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

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 John Gustave Davis (April 11, 1910 – October 28, 1983) was an American actor, singer and trumpeter. Biography Born in Brazil, Indiana, into a family of musicians, Davis developed an interest in music during his childhood. He learned to play th ...

, and

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

. It was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

on July 16, 1938. ''Men Are Such Fools'' is adapted from the novel with the same name by

Faith Baldwin Faith Baldwin (October 1, 1893 – March 18, 1978) was an American writer of romance novels and other forms of fiction,

Plot

Linda Lawrence skyrockets from a stenographer's desk to a job as account executive in an advertising agency. Although more interested in a career than in marriage, she falls in love with ex-football hero Jimmy Hall after his forceful courtship. They marry after Jimmy promises that he will not ask Linda to resign her position. Linda is pursued by her boss, Harvey Bates, and by Harry Galleon, a big radio contact man who can further her career if she will be "nice" to him. Jimmy becomes jealous, and Linda steps down to become a suburban housewife just as her name is becoming famous in the advertising and radio worlds. Deciding that Jimmy is unambitious and content in a futureless job, Linda secretly promotes a junior partnership for him in an expanding firm. He refuses the job and she walks out on him, returning to her career. Jimmy accepts the partnership and becomes successful, crashing the newspaper chatter columns as a Broadway playboy. After waiting a year for Jimmy to get in touch with her, Linda announces a trip to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, ostensibly to get a divorce and marry Harry, who has converted his proposition to a proposal. That brings Jimmy on the run to stop her, which of course is what she wanted all along. Their reconciliation throws Harry into the arms of Beatrice Harris, a sardonic vamp whom he had cast aside years before.

Cast

* Wayne Morris as Jimmie Hall * Priscilla Lane as Linda Lawrence * Humphrey Bogart as Harry Galleon * Hugh Herbert as Harvey Bates * Johnnie Davis as Tad Turkel * Penny Singleton as Nancy *

Mona Barrie Mona Barrie (born Mona Barlee Smith; 18 December 1905 – 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 Beatrice Harris *

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

as Wanda Townsend *

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 stage and screen actress and musician, having started her career in theatre in her native United Kingdom, she emigrated to the United States ...

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, Californi ...

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 Da ...

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 (credited as Reine Riano) * James Nolan as Bill Collyer (uncredited) *

Carole Landis Carole Landis (born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste; January 1, 1919 – July 5, 1948) was an American actress and singer. She worked as a contract player for Twentieth Century-Fox in the 1940s. Her breakout role was as the female lead in the 1940 ...

as June Cooper (uncredited) *

Vivienne Osborne Vivienne Osborne (born Vera Vivienne Spragg; December 10, 1896 – June 10, 1961) was an American stage and film actress known for her work in Broadway theatre and in silent and sound films. Career Osborne began her career on stage when s ...

as Lili Arno (uncredited)

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