In a very pre-'Me too' premise, pretty secretary Marge Winton (Marion Davies) resorts to disguising herself as dowdy Sadie Day to avoid the unwanted advances of pawing, lascivious bosses. Needless to say (this being a 'screwball comedy'), she immediately falls in love with her new boss, author Freddie Matthews (Robert Montgomery), leading to a romantic 'triangle' involving Freddie, Marge and 'Sadie', which is further complicated by Freddie's supercilious girlfriend Camille Lansing (Marcia Ralston) and his publisher Abigail Belldon (Louise Fazenda) who is constantly hounding him about an imminent deadline. Additional (and unnecessary) comedy is provided by Patsy Kelly as the real Sadie (Marge's roommate) and Allen Jenkins as her dopy boyfriend Jake (Kelly is OK but Jenkins' antics quickly get tiresome). One of most intriguing secondary characters is Freddie's butler Alonzo played by London born black actor Fredrick R. Clark (in the first of his few film roles). Instead of the usual eye-rolling or wise-cracking stereotypes played black actors in comedies at the time, Alonzo is subtle, dignified and delivers his lines with smooth, impeccable British elocution (a counterpoint to the rapid fire patter or yammering of the rest of the cast). The premise is a bit flimsy to support an entire film but the film is fun in a 'situation comedy' sort of way. Marion Davis is fine in the dual roles but, while pretty, didn't really have the stunning good looks needed to hang a plot of this type on (although admittedly tastes in looks have changed since the 1930s). Interestingly, when made up as 'Sadie' Marge finds it harder to get a hotel room, suggesting that while there are some downsides to being pretty, looks still open a lot of doors (at least in California). All in all, a light-weight, somewhat superficial but still enjoyable depression-era comedy.
Review of Ever Since Eve
