Havana Widows

Last updated

Havana Widows
Havana Widows.jpg
Movie poster
Directed by Ray Enright
Written by Earl Baldwin
Starring Joan Blondell
Glenda Farrell
Cinematography George Barnes
Edited by Clarence Kolster
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • November 18, 1933 (1933-11-18)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Havana Widows is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Ray Enright, starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. [1] [2] [3] It was released by Warner Bros. on November 18, 1933. Two chorus girls travel to Havana in search of rich husbands. Their target is Deacon Jones, a self-appointed moralist who cannot drink without getting drunk.

Contents

The film is the first of a series of five movies by Warner Bros. where Blondell and Farrell were paired as blonde bombshell comedy team, throughout the early 1930s. The other films in the series include Kansas City Princess (1934), Traveling Saleslady (1935), We're in the Money (1935) and Miss Pacific Fleet (1935). Four of the five films were directed by Ray Enright. Farrell and Blondell also co-starred in other Warner Bros. movies: Three on a Match (1932), I've Got Your Number (1934) and Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936).

Plot

Mae Knight (Joan Blondell) and Sadie Appleby (Glenda Farrell), chorus line dancers in a New York City burlesque show, are visited by a former showgirl acquaintance (an uncredited Noel Francis) who received a rich settlement for breach of promise from a married man she met in Havana. Sadie decides they will follow her example. Pretending that Mae's mother in Kansas is sick, they get Herman Brody (Allen Jenkins) to promise to lend them $1500. Herman does not have the money himself, but convinces his boss, Butch O'Neill, to loan it to him. Unfortunately, Herman loses the money gambling (in Butch's own casino). Insurance salesman Otis needs one more sale to get a $5000 bonus, so he offers Herman $1500 to buy a policy. Herman insures Mae's life, with him as the beneficiary.

In Havana, Sadie and Mae pretend to be rich widows. They think they have it made when they find Deacon R. Jones (Guy Kibbee), a wealthy horse breeder who cannot afford a scandal, in their bed by mistake. However, Mae is smitten with Deacon's handsome son Bob (Lyle Talbot), but finds out that Bob has no money of his own. When Mae and Sadie encounter Deacon's wife, they realize that a marriage proposal from him is out of the question. Their alcoholic lawyer, Duffy (Frank McHugh), advises them to trap Deacon in a scandalous situation and blackmail him instead.

Meanwhile, the bank calls to verify the forged check. Panicking, Herman goes to see Otis, only to discover that he has lost his job and left town. When he tries to track Sadie and Mae down, he learns that they are not in Kansas. Herman follows them to Havana. He meets Duffy in a local bar. Duffy talks him into playing Mae's outraged husband. Duffy has Deacon kidnapped, but he resists the attempt to frame him. Butch finds Herman, but he only wants him to return to work because his luck has been bad ever since Herman left. Bob decides to get a job in New York and marry Mae, and Sadie marries Herman.

Cast

Glenda Farrell and Joan Blondell in Havana Widows (1933) Havana Widows (1933).jpg
Glenda Farrell and Joan Blondell in Havana Widows (1933)

Reception

The New York Times movie review said: "It is still possible to enjoy the old reliables in a mild way. Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell, as the flip and caustic sisters of the chorus; Guy Kibbee, as the thick-skulled business man with a confused ambition to see life; Allen Jenkins, as the dead-pan gangster; Frank McHugh, as the perennial drunk who can slant in several directions at once; Ruth Donnelly, as the prim wife out of tank-town burlesque—they are staple commodities. They are amusing and likable players; they deserve a better fate than comedies like "Havana Widows". The new film is an aimless attempt to wring some new humors out of the breach-of-promise racket. Mr. Kibbee is the subject of the extortion scheme in which almost the whole cast is involved. The Misses Blondell and Farrell, down on their luck and badly in need of a grub-stake, arrange with Mr. McHugh for the amiable Mr. Kibbee to be found en déshabillé in a hotel room. Unfortunately, Miss Blondell loses her heart to the victim's handsome son. That confuses matters. Let "Havana Widows" rest there." [4]

Home media

Warner Archive released a double feature DVD collection of Havana Widows (1933) and I've Got Your Number (1934) on December 13, 2011.

Related Research Articles

<i>Footlight Parade</i> 1933 film by Lloyd Bacon

Footlight Parade is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell and featuring Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert and Ruth Donnelly. The film was written by Manuel Seff and James Seymour based on a story by Robert Lord and Peter Milne, and was directed by Lloyd Bacon, with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley. The film's songs were written by Harry Warren (music), Al Dubin (lyrics), Sammy Fain (music) and Irving Kahal (lyrics), and include "By a Waterfall", "Honeymoon Hotel" and "Shanghai Lil".

Joan Blondell American actress (1906–1979)

Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in film and television for half a century.

Glenda Farrell American actress (1904-1971)

Glenda Farrell was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classical Hollywood films. Farrell's career spanned more than 50 years, appearing in numerous Broadway plays, films and television series. She won an Emmy Award in 1963 for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her performance as Martha Morrison in the medical drama television series Ben Casey.

<i>Dames</i> (film) 1934 film by Busby Berkeley, Ray Enright

Dames is a 1934 Warner Bros. musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright with dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, and Hugh Herbert. Production numbers and songs include "When You Were a Smile on Your Mother's Lips ", "The Girl at the Ironing Board", "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Dames" and "Try to See It My Way".

George Barnes (cinematographer) American cinematographer

George S. Barnes, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer active from the era of silent films to the early 1950s.

<i>Gold Diggers of 1933</i> 1933 film by Mervyn LeRoy, Busby Berkeley

Gold Diggers of 1933 is a pre-Code Warner Bros. musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics), staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell, and features Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks and Ginger Rogers.

<i>Convention City</i> 1933 film

Convention City is a 1933 American pre-Code sex comedy film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, Dick Powell, Mary Astor and Adolphe Menjou. The film was produced by Henry Blanke and First National Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros.

<i>Gold Diggers of 1937</i> 1936 film by Busby Berkeley, Lloyd Bacon

Gold Diggers of 1937 is a Warner Bros. movie musical directed by Lloyd Bacon with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Dick Powell and Joan Blondell, who were married at the time, with Glenda Farrell and Victor Moore.

<i>Blondie Johnson</i> 1933 film

Blondie Johnson is a 1933 American pre-Code gangster film directed by Ray Enright and starring Joan Blondell and Chester Morris. It was produced by Warner Bros.

<i>Ive Got Your Number</i> (film) 1934 film by Ray Enright

I've Got Your Number is a 1934 American Pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Ray Enright and starring Joan Blondell, Pat O'Brien, Allen Jenkins and Glenda Farrell. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 24, 1934. Two telephone repairmen romance a pair of blondes with many adventures. The supporting cast features Eugene Pallette.

Ray Enright was an American film director. He directed 73 films between 1927–53, many of them for Warner Bros. He oversaw comedy films like Joe E. Brown vehicles, five of the six informal pairings of Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell, and later directed a number of Westerns, many featuring Randolph Scott. Enright was born in Anderson, Indiana, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart attack.

<i>The Crowd Roars</i> (1932 film) 1932 American film

The Crowd Roars is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Howard Hawks starring James Cagney and featuring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Eric Linden, Guy Kibbee, and Frank McHugh. A film of the same name was made in 1938 with a different story, starring Robert Taylor.

<i>The Keyhole</i> (1933 film) 1933 film

The Keyhole is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Kay Francis, George Brent, Glenda Farrell and Allen Jenkins. It was released by Warner Bros. on March 25, 1933. A woman with two husbands tries to divorce one of them by heading down to Havana where things get more complicated.

<i>The Perfect Specimen</i> 1937 film by Michael Curtiz

The Perfect Specimen is a 1937 film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Joan Blondell. The picture is based on a novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams.

<i>Were in the Money</i> (film) 1935 film by Ray Enright

We're in the Money is a 1935 American romantic comedy film directed by Ray Enright. It was released by Warner Bros. on August 17, 1935. The film stars Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell and is one of five Warner Bros. films in which they were paired as blonde bombshell comedy duo. The other films include Havana Widows (1933), Kansas City Princess (1934), Traveling Saleslady (1935) and Miss Pacific Fleet (1935). Ginger and Dixie are two process servers, who serve legal papers to a playboy, a racketeer, a wrestler and a singer.

<i>Miss Pacific Fleet</i> 1935 film by Ray Enright

Miss Pacific Fleet is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Ray Enright. The film stars Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell, and Hugh Herbert. The film was based on the short story of the same name by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan in the Collier's magazine. It was released by Warner Bros. on December 14, 1935. Two stranded showgirls in California enter a beauty contest "Miss Pacific Fleet" to win the fare back home to New York City.

<i>Kansas City Princess</i> 1934 film by William Keighley

Kansas City Princess is a 1934 American comedy film starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. The film is directed by William Keighley, with a script by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff. In the film, two Kansas City manicurists go on the run after angering the fiancé of one of them.

<i>Traveling Saleslady</i> 1935 film by Ray Enright

Traveling Saleslady is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Ray Enright and starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. It was released by Warner Bros. on March 28, 1935. It is one of five films by Warner Bros. where Farrell and Blondell were paired as two blonde bombshells. The other films include: Havana Widows (1933), Kansas City Princess (1934), We're in the Money (1935) and Miss Pacific Fleet (1935). Actress Joan Blondell was married to the film's cinematographer George Barnes at the time of filming.

<i>The Silk Express</i> 1933 American film

The Silk Express is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Ray Enright and written by Houston Branch and Ben Markson. The film, starring Neil Hamilton, Sheila Terry, Arthur Byron, Guy Kibbee, Dudley Digges and Arthur Hohl, was released by Warner Bros. on June 10, 1933.

<i>Merry Wives of Reno</i> 1934 American film

Merry Wives of Reno is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Guy Kibbee, Glenda Farrell, Donald Woods, Margaret Lindsay, Hugh Herbert, Frank McHugh and Ruth Donnelly. The film was released by Warner Bros. on May 12, 1934.

References

  1. ↑ "Havana Widows (1933)". pre-code.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  2. ↑ "HAVANA WIDOWS (1933)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Havana Widows (1933)". British Film Institute. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  4. ↑ "MOVIE REVIEW: The Extortion Racket". The New York Times. November 23, 1933. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.