Ex-Lady
Encyclopedia
Ex-Lady is a 1933 American
comedy film
directed by Robert Florey
. The screenplay
by David Boehm
is based on an unproduced play by Edith Fitzgerald and Robert Riskin
.
graphic artist with modern ideas about romance, is involved with Don Peterson but doesn't want to sacrifice her independence by entering into matrimony. The two agree to wed only to pacify Helen's conventional immigrant
father Adolphe, whose Old World views spur him to condemn their affair
. They form a business partnership, but financial problems at their advertising agency
put a strain on the marriage and Don begins seeing Peggy Smith, one of his married client
s. Convinced it was marriage that disrupted their relationship, Helen suggests they live apart but remain lovers. When Don discovers Helen is dating his business rival, playboy Nick Malvyn, he returns to Peggy, but in reality his heart belongs to his wife. Agreeing their love will help their marriage survive its problems, the two reconcile and settle into domestic bliss.
The plot is unusual for its time in that Helen is not denigrated for her beliefs about marriage and Don is not depicted as being a cad. In addition, although they are sleeping together and unmarried, neither is concerned about the possibility of children, and certain dialog could suggest that they are using birth control
.
film was a remake
of the Barbara Stanwyck
vehicle Illicit released two years earlier.
Following the film's release, producer Darryl F. Zanuck
resigned from Warners to form his own production company, 20th Century Pictures, which eventually merged with Fox to become 20th Century Fox
.
The prologue to the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
includes a scene from Ex-Lady as an example of former child star Jane Hudson's failure to achieve screen success as an adult due to her lack of talent.
TV Guide
calls it a "lame little melodrama notable chiefly for being the first film to have Bette Davis' name above the title".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Robert Florey
Robert Florey
Robert Florey was a French screenwriter, director of short films, and actor who moved to Hollywood in 1921. In 1950, Florey was made a knight in the French Légion d'honneur....
. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by David Boehm
David Boehm
David Boehm was an American screenwriter.He is best known for the 1944 World War II heavenly fantasy A Guy Named Joe , for which he received an Academy Award nomination...
is based on an unproduced play by Edith Fitzgerald and Robert Riskin
Robert Riskin
Robert Riskin was an American screenwriter and playwright, best known for his collaborations with director-producer Frank Capra.-Career:...
.
Plot
Helen Bauer, a glamorous, successful, headstrong, and very liberated New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
graphic artist with modern ideas about romance, is involved with Don Peterson but doesn't want to sacrifice her independence by entering into matrimony. The two agree to wed only to pacify Helen's conventional immigrant
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
father Adolphe, whose Old World views spur him to condemn their affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
. They form a business partnership, but financial problems at their advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
put a strain on the marriage and Don begins seeing Peggy Smith, one of his married client
Customer
A customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
s. Convinced it was marriage that disrupted their relationship, Helen suggests they live apart but remain lovers. When Don discovers Helen is dating his business rival, playboy Nick Malvyn, he returns to Peggy, but in reality his heart belongs to his wife. Agreeing their love will help their marriage survive its problems, the two reconcile and settle into domestic bliss.
The plot is unusual for its time in that Helen is not denigrated for her beliefs about marriage and Don is not depicted as being a cad. In addition, although they are sleeping together and unmarried, neither is concerned about the possibility of children, and certain dialog could suggest that they are using birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
.
Cast
- Bette DavisBette DavisRuth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
as Helen Bauer - Gene RaymondGene RaymondGene Raymond was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a composer, writer, director, producer, and decorated military pilot.-Stage and movie career:...
as Don Peterson - Kay Strozzi as Peggy Smith
- Monroe OwsleyMonroe OwsleyMonroe Owsley was an American actor.Born in Atlanta, Georgia to aspiring actress Gertrude Owsley, he started taking acting classes when he was a teenager and made his Broadway debut in the 1920s. His film debut occurred in 1928 with The First Kiss, following with the character of young boy Ned in...
as Nick Malvyn - Ferdinand Gottschalk as Herbert Smith
- Alphonse Ethier as Adolphe Bauer
- Frank McHughFrank McHughFrancis Curray "Frank" McHugh was an American film and television actor.Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock theatre company and as a young child he performed on stage...
as Hugo Van Hugh - Claire DoddClaire DoddClaire Dodd was an American film actress.Born as Dorothy Anne Dodd in Baxter, Iowa, Dodd was born to Walter W. Dodd, a farmer and veterinarian, and Ethel V. Cool Dodd, the daughter of Baxter Postmaster Peter J. Cool. As Dorothy Dodd, she attended school in Baxter...
as Iris Van Hugh
Production
The Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
film was a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
vehicle Illicit released two years earlier.
Following the film's release, producer Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
resigned from Warners to form his own production company, 20th Century Pictures, which eventually merged with Fox to become 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
.
The prologue to the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
includes a scene from Ex-Lady as an example of former child star Jane Hudson's failure to achieve screen success as an adult due to her lack of talent.
Critical reception
The New York Times described the film as "an honestly written and truthfully enacted picture of the domestic problems which harass two persons in love with one another".TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
calls it a "lame little melodrama notable chiefly for being the first film to have Bette Davis' name above the title".