White House Kay

Lucy Chase Wayne (Kay Francis), the wife of Secretary of State Stephen Wayne (Preston Foster) is the granddaughter of a U.S. President. She has ambitions for her husband to achieve the same position.  Lucy also wants to circumvent the efforts of Irene Hibbard (Verree Teasdale), the wife of Supreme Court Justice Carter Hibbard (Walter Connolly) to romance Senator Gordon Keane (Victor Jory). So, to tweak Irene's nose, she suggests to woman's club president Lavinia Mae Creevey (Louise Fazenda) that Carter would be an excellent presidential candidate, never dreaming it will interfere with her own desire to be the First Lady (1937).

Kay Francis doesn't often get the chance to do comedy, but she's a excellent comedienne, as we've seen in films like The Goose and the Gander, Jewel Robbery, and Cocoanuts. First Lady is in the category of the first two films - a romp, where Ms. Francis gets to figuratively wink at the goings-on in the political arena, circa 1937.

This is a fictitious Washington - no mention is made of the current political administration, and there is certainly no President Chase in U.S. history. Regardless, the film is gently poking fun at the ways in which candidates for office are selected, and it looks like not much has changed in that regard. Though Lucy knows politics (she writes and/or edits her husband's speeches), she cannot run for office - it is a man's world; women can maneuver from behind the scenes, and be the "power behind the throne."  

Most of the action focuses on the two female adversaries, Lucy and Irene. There has long been bad blood between the two, and Lucy now sees a way to embarrass Irene. The reasons for Lucy's ire are, not surprisingly petty - Irene stole Lucy's cook, and is also making a play for the man Stephen's niece Emmy Page (Anita Louise) loves. But, her plans backfire horribly, and Lucy has to concoct a new means of besting Irene. 

Where Ms. Francis plays her part tongue-in-cheek, Verree Teasdale is downright serious. Ms. Teasdale's Irene is an avaricious woman, who wants power and men (though not necessarily in that order). As a result, the interplay between the two is spot-on, with each getting good lines, but with Ms. Francis coming off as the more sympathetic character. Without such a strong actress to play against, Lucy would seem ridiculous. Opposite Ms. Teasdale, she is delicious. It is worth noting that Irene's prior divorce does not seem to be an impediment to her husband seeking higher office.

The men in the film mainly serve as support to the the two women. Preston Foster does a good job in a part that could resemble a tree in the hands of a lesser actor.  Victor Jory gets the rare opportunity to play the juvenile and romantic interest to both Emmy and Irene. Walter Connolly, however, steals every scene as the somewhat bumbling Supreme Court Justice who would rather listen to the radio than romance his bored wife. 

It's unfortunate that Anita Louise doesn't have more to do than look innocent, she's a good actress, but the part pales in comparison to the lead actresses.  Louise Fazenda, however, as the annoying Mrs. Creevey is hilarious. The script has a lot of fun with her strict abstinence. Her inability to understand that she is drinking strong alcohol when she given a glass of absinthe -  and keeps asking for more - is very funny. 

Unfortunately, the film did not do well at the box office, and helped to begin Ms. Francis' slide from the top at Warner Brothers (TCM article).  It may not be her best film, but we really enjoyed it and suggest you add it to your list.

Bette Designs

Con man Sherwood Nash (William Powell) decides to forgo financial scams in favor of fashion scams when he meets would-be designer Lynn Mason (Bette Davis). Using Lynn's talent for sketching and eye for successful dresses, Nash "borrows" dresses en route from Paris to New York design houses, and sells cheap copies ("designed" by Lynn) to low-end competitors. He then convinces the New York designers to send him to Paris to do the same for them - get the  Fashions of 1934 (1934) to them at a lower price.

Part of the AFI Silver Theatre's Library of Congress Film Preservation Showcase. Fashions of 1934 was projected with a newly restored 35mm print of this film. Like it's sister film, In Caliente, Fashions of 1934 is an excuse for elaborate musical numbers as well as stunning dresses exhibited in various fashion shows. If you've seen The Women, you are familiar with this kind of scene - lovely, period dresses, but the kind no member of the film audience would probably ever be able to afford. However, add a little Busby Berkeley magic, and you've got production numbers that you will long remember.

The biggest number involves human harps - yes, you read that right. The image below will give you just an idea of the piece. The trailer will show you another - lovely ladies with feather fans that are used to create gorgeous shapes. There's no way these routines would ever be on a stage at a fashion show, but I doubt anyone really cared.

William Powell is delightfully suave as the con man extraordinaire "Sherry" Nash. The part is reminiscent of the role he played in Jewel Robbery (1932). Even though he's unabashedly dishonest, the audience roots for him - he's just charming. He also has quite a good rapport with his two female co-stars, Bette Davis and Verree Teasdale (Grand Duchess Alix/Mabel McGuire), two very different actresses with extremely different acting styles.  With Mr. Powell there, you don't notice a change of tone.

Not surprisingly, Bette Davis was not thrilled to be in this picture. She wanted meatier parts, and this certainly was not what she was looking for. She stated that she was "all done up like a third-rate imitation of the MGM glamour queens. That isn't me. I'll never be a clothes horse or romantic symbol." (TCM article). Regardless of her discomfort with the part, she acquits herself well (though she is much better looking as a brunette). As for her desire for better parts, she would get her wish later that year, when she FINALLY was given permission to play Mildred in Of Human Bondage (1934) (The Lonely Life: An Autobiography by Bette Davis).

Verree Teasdale is amusing as Hoboken native and faux countess Alix. Ms. Teasdale started on Broadway, ultimately performing in 13 plays between 1924 and 1932; she appeared in her first film in 1929, and worked fairly steadily until 1941; thereafter, she did some radio work, often with her husband, Adolphe Menjou. Their marriage lasted from 1935 until his death in 1963 (they had one child). Ms. Teasdale died in 1987 at the age of 83.

In a part reminiscent of his character in One-Way Passage (1932),Frank McHugh plays Snap, a photographer - and con man/thief - who is Sherry's right-hand man.  Mr. McHugh makes the most of what he's got, though the part is mostly comedic.  It must be mentioned that, as intriguing as his little cane camera is, it's odd that he has to constantly hold it up to his eye to get pictures - resulting in the "secret camera" being not very secret.  There is an emphasis on this particular gimmick, and our reaction was that you'd have to be particularly stupid to not figure out what he is doing.

Several other character parts are worth mentioning - Hugh Herbert (Joe Ward) is actually not annoying in this film.  Reginald Owen (Oscar Baroque) and Henry O'Neill (Duryea) as part of the fashion industries in Paris and New York (respectively) are frankly as dishonest as Sherry and his crew.  Arthur Treacher makes a brief appearance as - what else - a butler.

Originally titled King of Fashion (AFI Catalog), this is a pleasant film with some lovely Berkeley numbers. Certainly, it is reminiscent of other films released around the same time, but with William Powell delivering the dialogue, you barely notice that it's typical.  I'll leave you with a trailer from the film (and a preview of one of the amazing dance routines.