It's absolutely shocking to see the differences between the first adaptation of One Sunday Afternoon and the subsequent two. I wasn't able to find out the plot details of the original Broadway production, but the first movie is vastly different. I adore 1941's The Strawberry Blonde and 1948's One Sunday Afternoon, but the 1933 non-musical is horrible.
I don't like Gary Cooper anyway, but it's not entirely his fault that this movie stinks. Just mostly. Screenwriters Grover Jones and William Slavens McNutt wrote the protagonist Biff Grimes to be a first-class jerk! Anyone who's seen James Cagney or Dennis Morgan endearing the audience with his big heart and foolish trust knows Biff Grimes isn't supposed to be the bad guy. But I couldn't help viewing Hugo Barnstead's character as the hero, constantly pestered by Biff. In this version, Biff was a rebellious child and smoked cigarettes in school, and as he grew into an adult, indulged his violent temper with countless fistfights. When he gets invited to a double date by his pal Hugo (Neil Hamilton), he's shockingly rude during the introduction to the two high-class ladies, then he horns in and steals Hugo's date away from him. He knows that the girl (Fay Wray) has feelings for Hugo, but he repeatedly butts in and tries to steal her away. To save face when Fay and Neil elope, he marries her girlfriend (Frances Fuller), whom he doesn't even like. He treats his wife badly, and his bad temper gets him into scrapes and out of work. How is he the good guy?
Those aren't the only differences to the story. Frances's character isn't developed at all. She's basically furniture. Fay never leads Gary on, letting him believe he's a true rival for her affections. Gary never utters the immortal, "That's the kind of a hairpin I am," line. This is a very different version, one that pits the hero as a terrible person. Stick with James Cagney or Dennis Morgan. They're just delightful.
I don't like Gary Cooper anyway, but it's not entirely his fault that this movie stinks. Just mostly. Screenwriters Grover Jones and William Slavens McNutt wrote the protagonist Biff Grimes to be a first-class jerk! Anyone who's seen James Cagney or Dennis Morgan endearing the audience with his big heart and foolish trust knows Biff Grimes isn't supposed to be the bad guy. But I couldn't help viewing Hugo Barnstead's character as the hero, constantly pestered by Biff. In this version, Biff was a rebellious child and smoked cigarettes in school, and as he grew into an adult, indulged his violent temper with countless fistfights. When he gets invited to a double date by his pal Hugo (Neil Hamilton), he's shockingly rude during the introduction to the two high-class ladies, then he horns in and steals Hugo's date away from him. He knows that the girl (Fay Wray) has feelings for Hugo, but he repeatedly butts in and tries to steal her away. To save face when Fay and Neil elope, he marries her girlfriend (Frances Fuller), whom he doesn't even like. He treats his wife badly, and his bad temper gets him into scrapes and out of work. How is he the good guy?
Those aren't the only differences to the story. Frances's character isn't developed at all. She's basically furniture. Fay never leads Gary on, letting him believe he's a true rival for her affections. Gary never utters the immortal, "That's the kind of a hairpin I am," line. This is a very different version, one that pits the hero as a terrible person. Stick with James Cagney or Dennis Morgan. They're just delightful.