"Wise Girl" is a riotously funny screwball comedy with many characteristic traits - and, with some nice little barbs of satire thrown in. Miriam Hopkins is the dominating female, Susan Fletcher. Ray Milland's John O'Halloran is the battling male. Any semblance of romance between them is smothered in the antics and hilarious goings-on until the very end. And the rapid-fire pace with quick, snide and witty dialog runs throughout. Along with these two protagonists, a slew of supporting characters adds to the bedlam and humor in this zany movie. The satire comes in some pointed and caustic lines. This is one of those rare screenplays that produces nearly a laugh a minute. With its fast pace, a second and third viewing bring out more of the humor one is sure to miss the first time around.
Under any other situation, this film's plot would have a serious undertone. Two orphaned girls are living with their uncle, in a bohemian lifestyle in Greenwich Village, New York. Joan and Katie are under the care of Uncle John by the will of their deceased father, John's brother. Their mother had died some time before. And the girls are enamored with Uncle John and appear, hilariously, to be almost brainwashed in the bohemian way of life and beliefs. But their super rich grandfather wants to get custody of the girls to raise them properly. The inimitable movie senior, Henry Stephenson, plays the role of Mr. Simon Fletcher.
A battery of attorneys tell Fletcher there is nothing he can do, so long as John has a job and can support the girls. The detectives Fletcher hired report that John often has more than one job at a time, and that he frequently loses jobs; but just as quickly finds other employment. Socialite daughter, Susan, is the girls' aunt on their mother's side. She decides to see how they might get the girls away from O'Halloran, and goes incognito as an out-of-work girl needing a place to stay. Susan weasels her way into the inner courtyard of Dermont O'Neil's lodgings, which closely resembles a circus freak show with all kinds of odd and weird characters.
From there, this movie takes off with confrontations, slapstick, wacky character interludes and zany dialog and scenes. Most of the acting is excellent, and "Wise Girl" rates 10 stars even with one glitch in Miriam Hopkins' role. She has one fault in the sequences of rapid-fire dialog. See seems just a hair too quick, as though she is poised to pounce on the next line. So, her responses in these exchanges seem to be blurted out. It happens several times and is distracting enough to be a little irritating. It's surprising that the director or others didn't catch this in the daily rushes so Hopkins could be coached to lower the bluntness for smoother and more natural witty exchanges. A number of other actresses come to mind as being superb in such comedy - Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne, Myrna Loy, Carole Lombard.
Hopkins otherwise is quite good and this is a very funny, wacky and enjoyable movie. The almost constant stream of funny and clever dialog takes place in one scenario after another with hilarious goings on. There's a brilliant rapid-fire exchange in O'Neil's pawn shop. A huge bunch of people ascend on Susan's room as she's taking a bath. A bohemian night in Mama Guido's café turns hilarious when Prince Michael shows up with a group of high class partiers and he recognizes Susan. John gets Susan an acting job in the Walker's store window where he works. The funniest scene ever in a boxing ring occurs when John and Susan work Mike's corner in a prize fight. A parade of people taunts John walking by his jail cell as he is denied food and they are eating and drinking all kinds of goodies. And a hilarious multi-party telephone conversation takes place. The latter has to be the zaniest such scenario in all of filmdom.
Here are some favorite lines. See the Quotes section on this IMDb Web page of the film for more zany dialog.
Mr. Simon Fletcher, "But you can't handle this man. Why, he's an artist. He's lived abroad - in Paris, on the left bank. You know the kind of thing that goes on, on the left bank. You haven't had enough experience." Susan Fletcher, "You forget - I was a senior at Vassar."
Susan, "He oughta be in a lunatic asylum." Dermont O'Neil, "I tried to put him in there several times but they won't have him. He's too crazy."
Susan, getting up to dance with Prince Michael, "You don't mind if we manipulate some spine for a coupla rounds, do ya?" John O'Halloran, "Huh?" Susan, "Thanks. I'll be back before you can close your mouth." Mike Malloy, "Say, does she always give with the Jekyll and Hyde?" John, "I dunno."
Susan. dancing with Prince Michael, "That guy's nutty about me. Why, he's pulled a knife twice tonight. If he thought you was tryin' to take me away from him, you'd wake up tomorrow in an alley. Only you wouldn't wake up." Prince Michael, " Well, maybe I should better leave now."
Mike Malloy, coming to his corner after the bell rings, "Where's John? Didn't he come back yet?" Susan, "No, he hasn't." Mike, "Well, somebody's gotta fan me, Susie. Come on, you fan me." Susan, fanning Mike, "What's that on your face, Mike?" Mike, "Blood." Susan, "Blood?" She faints on the side of the ring.
John O'Halloran. "Why, it's outrageous - six months for speeding?" Jailer, "Oh, so you admit you were speeding?" John, "No, I wasn't." Jailer, "Well, you got six months to make up your mind." John, "Suppose I admit I was speeding?" Jailer, "You'd get another month for perjury."
Susan, to John in jail, "Remember - no painty, no eaty."
Under any other situation, this film's plot would have a serious undertone. Two orphaned girls are living with their uncle, in a bohemian lifestyle in Greenwich Village, New York. Joan and Katie are under the care of Uncle John by the will of their deceased father, John's brother. Their mother had died some time before. And the girls are enamored with Uncle John and appear, hilariously, to be almost brainwashed in the bohemian way of life and beliefs. But their super rich grandfather wants to get custody of the girls to raise them properly. The inimitable movie senior, Henry Stephenson, plays the role of Mr. Simon Fletcher.
A battery of attorneys tell Fletcher there is nothing he can do, so long as John has a job and can support the girls. The detectives Fletcher hired report that John often has more than one job at a time, and that he frequently loses jobs; but just as quickly finds other employment. Socialite daughter, Susan, is the girls' aunt on their mother's side. She decides to see how they might get the girls away from O'Halloran, and goes incognito as an out-of-work girl needing a place to stay. Susan weasels her way into the inner courtyard of Dermont O'Neil's lodgings, which closely resembles a circus freak show with all kinds of odd and weird characters.
From there, this movie takes off with confrontations, slapstick, wacky character interludes and zany dialog and scenes. Most of the acting is excellent, and "Wise Girl" rates 10 stars even with one glitch in Miriam Hopkins' role. She has one fault in the sequences of rapid-fire dialog. See seems just a hair too quick, as though she is poised to pounce on the next line. So, her responses in these exchanges seem to be blurted out. It happens several times and is distracting enough to be a little irritating. It's surprising that the director or others didn't catch this in the daily rushes so Hopkins could be coached to lower the bluntness for smoother and more natural witty exchanges. A number of other actresses come to mind as being superb in such comedy - Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne, Myrna Loy, Carole Lombard.
Hopkins otherwise is quite good and this is a very funny, wacky and enjoyable movie. The almost constant stream of funny and clever dialog takes place in one scenario after another with hilarious goings on. There's a brilliant rapid-fire exchange in O'Neil's pawn shop. A huge bunch of people ascend on Susan's room as she's taking a bath. A bohemian night in Mama Guido's café turns hilarious when Prince Michael shows up with a group of high class partiers and he recognizes Susan. John gets Susan an acting job in the Walker's store window where he works. The funniest scene ever in a boxing ring occurs when John and Susan work Mike's corner in a prize fight. A parade of people taunts John walking by his jail cell as he is denied food and they are eating and drinking all kinds of goodies. And a hilarious multi-party telephone conversation takes place. The latter has to be the zaniest such scenario in all of filmdom.
Here are some favorite lines. See the Quotes section on this IMDb Web page of the film for more zany dialog.
Mr. Simon Fletcher, "But you can't handle this man. Why, he's an artist. He's lived abroad - in Paris, on the left bank. You know the kind of thing that goes on, on the left bank. You haven't had enough experience." Susan Fletcher, "You forget - I was a senior at Vassar."
Susan, "He oughta be in a lunatic asylum." Dermont O'Neil, "I tried to put him in there several times but they won't have him. He's too crazy."
Susan, getting up to dance with Prince Michael, "You don't mind if we manipulate some spine for a coupla rounds, do ya?" John O'Halloran, "Huh?" Susan, "Thanks. I'll be back before you can close your mouth." Mike Malloy, "Say, does she always give with the Jekyll and Hyde?" John, "I dunno."
Susan. dancing with Prince Michael, "That guy's nutty about me. Why, he's pulled a knife twice tonight. If he thought you was tryin' to take me away from him, you'd wake up tomorrow in an alley. Only you wouldn't wake up." Prince Michael, " Well, maybe I should better leave now."
Mike Malloy, coming to his corner after the bell rings, "Where's John? Didn't he come back yet?" Susan, "No, he hasn't." Mike, "Well, somebody's gotta fan me, Susie. Come on, you fan me." Susan, fanning Mike, "What's that on your face, Mike?" Mike, "Blood." Susan, "Blood?" She faints on the side of the ring.
John O'Halloran. "Why, it's outrageous - six months for speeding?" Jailer, "Oh, so you admit you were speeding?" John, "No, I wasn't." Jailer, "Well, you got six months to make up your mind." John, "Suppose I admit I was speeding?" Jailer, "You'd get another month for perjury."
Susan, to John in jail, "Remember - no painty, no eaty."