Havana Widows
| Havana Widows | |
|---|---|
 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 |
|
Running time | 62 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Havana Widows is a 1933 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Ray Enright, starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. It was released by Warner Bros. in November 18, 1933.[1][2][3] Two chorus girls travel to Havana in search of rich husbands. Their target is Deacon Jones, a self-appointed moralist who can't drink without getting drunk.
The film is the first of a series of five movies by Warner Bros. where Blondell and Farrell were paired as two sassy 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-stars in other Warner Bros. movies together: Three on a Match (1932), I've Got Your Number (1934) and Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936).
Plot
When Mae Knight (Joan Blondell) and Sadie Appleby (Glenda Farrell) lost their jobs in a burlesque show, they decide to follow the advice of a former showgirl and travels to Havana to find a millionaire husband. Pretending to visit Mae's sick mother in Kansas, they borrow the money from Herman Brody (Allen Jenkins). Herman does not have the money himself, but convinces his boss, Butch O'Neill, to loan it to him the money. Unfortunately, Herman loses the money gambling and decides to forges Butch's name to an insurance policy in order to replace the missing funds.
In Havana, Sadie and Mae pretend to be rich widows. They think they have it made when they meet Deacon Jones (Guy Kibbee) a wealthy man who cannot afford a scandal. However, Mae is smitten with Deacon's handsome son Bob Jones (Lyle Talbot) but finds out that Bob has no money of his own. When Mae and Sadie is introduced to Deacon's wife, they realize that a marriage proposal from him is out of the question. Their 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. Herman tries to collect his payoff from the agent who sold him the policy, only to discover that he has left town. When he tries to track down Sadie and Mae to get his money back, he learns that they are not in Kansas.
Herman decides to follow them to Havana. He meets Duffy in a local bar, and Duffy talks Herman into playing Mae's outraged husband, which he agreed, because it was the only way to get his money. Duffy has Deacon kidnapped, but he resists Mae's seduction attempts. Nevertheless, a photographer catches him wrapped in a sheet with Mae and the photos help Deacon's wife to get a divorce. Butch finds Herman, but he only wants him to return to work, because his luck has been bad ever since Herman left. Bob gets a job in New York and married Mae, and Sadie marries Herman.
Cast
- Joan Blondell as Mae Knight
- Glenda Farrell as Sadie Appleby
- Guy Kibbee as Deacon R. Jones
- Allen Jenkins as Herman Brody
- Lyle Talbot as Bob Jones
- Frank McHugh as Mr. Duffy
- Ruth Donnelly as Mrs. Emily Jones
- Hobart Cavanaugh as Mr. Otis
DVD collection
Warner Archive released a double feature DVD collection of Havana Widows (1933) and I've Got Your Number (1934) on December 13, 2011.
References
- ^ "Havana Widows (1933)". pre-code.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ "HAVANA WIDOWS (1933)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ "Havana Widows (1933)". BFI. Retrieved September 11, 2016.