Of all the Forgotten Leading Ladies of the 1930s, Ann Harding is one who has not seemed to have made a comeback. She was certainly charming and lovely, and could play long suffering quite well. But her nobleness I would think so but was never truly believable, thanks to formula scripts of which this RKO soap opera possesses in spades. She is a writer married to doctor Herbert Marshall who falls for the peppy Margaret Lindsay, and easily grants him a divorce so he can marry Lindsay. parting even shows up on their wedding day to wish them well, and it is apparent that the feelings between them have not ended. Harding is sincere, but too good to be true, while Lindsay (who played many noble women in other films) comes off like Harding's contemporary, Kay Francis, in the much better "In Name Only".
Giving a strong performance as Marshall's father who truly loves Harding as if she were his daughter, Edward Ellis is strong and commanding, especially standing up to Lindsey whose character he despises. Walter Abel is the man who tries to distract Harding after her divorce is final, but fades into the background because of Ellis's strong presence. The script alternates between light comedy and maudlin drama, culminating in a shocking twist involving Ellis's character.
Kay Francis, a leading lady forgotten for years, has made a comeback thanks to TCM and the number of genuine classics she made, but perhaps because Harding's pictures are all quite similar, they have ended up mainly forgotten except by the most devoted of fans. The RKO gloss is prevalent but it is formulas through and through. It is thetype of film you can watch for the first time, and be sure that you have seen it before. It is a noble attempt toshow the power of true love as it really is between people who genuinely love and understand each other, but it doesn't really stand the test of time.
Giving a strong performance as Marshall's father who truly loves Harding as if she were his daughter, Edward Ellis is strong and commanding, especially standing up to Lindsey whose character he despises. Walter Abel is the man who tries to distract Harding after her divorce is final, but fades into the background because of Ellis's strong presence. The script alternates between light comedy and maudlin drama, culminating in a shocking twist involving Ellis's character.
Kay Francis, a leading lady forgotten for years, has made a comeback thanks to TCM and the number of genuine classics she made, but perhaps because Harding's pictures are all quite similar, they have ended up mainly forgotten except by the most devoted of fans. The RKO gloss is prevalent but it is formulas through and through. It is thetype of film you can watch for the first time, and be sure that you have seen it before. It is a noble attempt toshow the power of true love as it really is between people who genuinely love and understand each other, but it doesn't really stand the test of time.