EVER SINCE EVE (director: Lloyd Bacon; screenwriters: Lillie Hayward/Lawrence Riley/Earl Baldwin/story by Margaret Lee; cinematographer: George Barnes; editor: William Holmes; music: Leo F. Forbstein; cast: Marion Davies (Marge Winton), Patsy Kelly (Sadie Day), Marcia Ralston (Camille Lansing), Robert Montgomery (Freddy Matthews), Frederic Clarke (Alonzo), Al McCoy (Barton MacLane), Allen Jenkins (Jake), Frank McHugh (Mabel DeCraven), Louise Fazenda (Abby Belldon), Harry Hayden (President of the Purity League ); Runtime: 80; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Earl Baldwin; Warner Bros.; 1937)
“A crude romantic comedy that has its fill of repugnant jokes about homely women.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A crude romantic comedy that has its fill of repugnant jokes about homely women. Lloyd Bacon (“42nd Street”/”The French Line”) directs this insipid story without much passion. It tells of an attractive secretary, Marge Winton (Marion Davies, the mistress of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst), from San Francisco, who is tired of losing jobs because of piggish male bosses making passes at her and schemes to make herself look unattractive for her new job at a publishing firm, where her lady boss (Louise Fazenda) wants her to work in the home of party boy writer Freddy Matthews (Robert Montgomery) to make sure he finishes the novel before the deadline. Marge falls for the writer, but must beat out his society girlfriend (Marcia Ralston) while pushing him to finish the novel before a law suit. The joke being that the beautiful blonde Freddy fell for in a night club is the same ugly secretary (donning glasses and a mop wig) he doesn’t realize is his secretary. For comedy relief character actors Patsy Kelly, Allen Jenkins and Frank McHugh take turns acting silly. Patsy plays the ugly roommate of Marion, who is engaged to the ignorant working-class plumber Jenkins. McHugh writes serials for a women’s magazine and is forced by the boss to use a lady pseudonym. The case of mistaken identities is used to expand the plot line. It’s based on a story by Margaret Lee. The writers Lillie Hayward, Lawrence Riley and Earl Baldwin come up short with a demeaning script. Songs include“Wreaths of Flowers”, “Ever Since Eve”, and “Shine on Harvest Moon”.
REVIEWED ON 8/22/2016 GRADE: C
Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”
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