Man Wanted

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Trailer—Man Wanted

Man Wanted

Lois Ames (Kay Francis) is the busy editor of the 400 Magazine. Her husband Fred does little except go to speak-easies and play polo. Tom Sherman (David Manners) is a rowing machine salesman. After his roommate friend fails to sell one at the magazine office, he decides to try himself. Lois' secretary leaves her in need for help and she hires him on the spot. It's the beginning of an illicit affair. If this movie wants to be a rom-com, it needs a much better meet-cute. The situation with Andy should have been done with Tom. He could assume that Lois is the secretary and he starts bad-mouthing her boss. That would lead to be a much better first meeting. I can certainly see the potential for comedy but I don't find any of this funny. As it stands, this works more as a drama. As this is before the Code, there is a few rule breaking going on here. This movie needs some rethinking on its comedic sensibility but it still almost works.

Kay Francis rose to sudden stardom playing a vamp opposite Walter Huston in a very early Paramount talkie called "Gentlemen of the Press"(Par, 1929). By 1930 she was one of that studio's top stars. In late 1931 her three-year contract was expiring and to much surprise she jumped ship to Warner Brothers that had promised her great scripts and a huge salary. The salary was forthcoming but the scripts varied wildly from the classic "One Way Passage"(1932) to the unbelievably bland "The White Angel"(1936) a disastrous William Dieterle directed biography on Florence Nightingale. Gorgeous and charismatic Kay's first vehicle for Warners and her first with Dieterle is this marvelous adult comedy about an emancipated woman who is the boss who needs a new "male" secretary. Running only about 70 minutes this film is a witty, wonderfully directed gem. Kay and Manners are so sexy and charming in their only film together. A must for Francis fans and forgotten classic movie lovers.

This was the first of five outings together for director William Dieterle and Kay Francis. It's highly entertaining and contemporary in feel. Managing editor Kay hires David Manners as her male secretary. Her man-about-town husband, Kenneth Thomson, could care less as he has his eye on playgirl Claire Dodd. When Kay discovers that the emotional charge between her and hubby is lacking and for what reason, she's dissapointed, but holds no grudge. The way this is all written is quite human and provocative. Lovely photography by Gregg Toland(who later did CITIZEN KANE) is impressive. Supporting cast includes Una Merkle and Andy Devine. Kay gives a breezy, yet sensitive portrayal and the film is watchable many times over.

Though the story told in Man Wanted isn't terribly original--or of particular interest--the film is worth seeing for several reasons. Kay Francis is excellent as a business woman who has everything but love (naturally), and David Manners is an affable and pleasant leading man. But the real stars of the film are William Dieterle's expressionistic direction and Gregg Toland's stunning cinematography. Toland's work is exemplary, with shot after shot displaying depth and intelligent composition. And who knows if Dieterle or Toland was ultimately responsible for a fabulous shot of Francis looking through a lace curtain? This is a wonderful looking film only partly let down by a somewhat pedestrian screenplay.

The film shows up periodically, and without fanfare, on Turner Classic Movies every now and then when they run early a.m. fests of Kay Francis movies. Yes, it is old, and yes, some of it is outdated, but it also contains some very nice moments. Despite its antiquity, it does succeed in capturing the pain of a man who is deeply in love with a woman he knows he can never have nor even approach. That may sound silly to some readers today, since we now live in an age where men routinely proposition married women (both on and off screen), but frankly, it works. The film is clearly pre-Code---once the Code was installed, any man glancing at a married woman was depicted as a slimy villain. But real life isn't lived in such black and white absolutes, and that is why this undeservedly obscure little film holds up yet today.