The Impatient Maiden (1932) User Reviews

Extremely odd.

[David-240 · 7/10 · 2 February 2002]

What an odd film for James Whale to follow up "Frankenstein" with!

This is a strange little romantic drama, about a woman in love with a young doctor. Because he can't support her financially he leaves her,and she becomes a "kept" woman when she takes up with her wealthy lawyer boss.

At once cynical and romantic, it's hard to work out what the point of the whole thing is. Una Merkel is lots of fun though, and Ethel Griffies nearly steals the picture. And the young and beautiful Lew Ayres is lovingly filmed by Whale. The film also demonstrates what a fine actress Mae Clarke was, and how she deserved better material as she grew older.

In all an unusual and entertaining film from a great director, but also a baffling one.

Odd but interesting

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 31 May 2021]

This film starts out with legal secretary Ruth Robbins (Mae Clarke) on her way to the subway to work. Along the way she hears one woman viciously henpecking her husband. Another man says that four years of marriage is enough for any man and walks out on his pleading pregnant wife. Then she gets to work and she is taking dictation in a divorce case where the woman has had enough of her milquetoast husband and is demanding a divorce. This is just another workday though, as her attorney boss is a divorce lawyer. This has, not surprisingly, left Ruth cynical concerning matrimony.

Then, when the pregnant woman who was dumped by her husband attempts suicide, Ruth meets Dr. Myron Brown (Lew Ayres) when he shows up in an ambulance. They are immediately attracted. They don't have your standard dates as Myron invites her to the hospital for an X-Ray and to a medical lecture. Maybe his lack of a blatant come on gets her guard down and she grows to care for him. But he does pop the question. Ruth tells him about all that she has seen and about how all couples start out with high hopes and good intentions and then how their love dies with the death of a thousand cuts. She suggests living together. He angrily refuses and they break up. Meanwhile, Ruth's boss , played by the dapper John Halliday, is waiting in the wings with an offer of being a kept woman. At first I thought this film was going to waste Halliday, but he does show up in this important role towards the end.

Una Merkel does here what she always did so well - provide humorous contrast and a loyal friend to the leading lady as Ruth's roommate. Andy Devine is the male nurse and friend of Ayres' character who takes a shine to Merkel. They have a disastrous pseudo first date that involves Devine's new invention - a zipperless straight jacket. Oh - and he's also very judgmental and moralizing. How does this all turn out ? Watch and find out.

The film has Whales's usual interesting visual style, even for a bunch of mundane settings. Oddly enough, this was the first time Ayres played a doctor, and he said he had the feeling that director James Whale thought him wrong for the part, although one of his early claims to fame was playing the title lead in the Dr. Kildare series over at MGM.

THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN (James Whale, 1932) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 17 February 2011]

Coming between the horror classics FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932), this is all the more disappointing for a Whale movie; in fact, I would say it is even drearier than his worst-regarded effort i.e. THEY DARE NOT LOVE (1941)! The film seems undecided whether it wants to be a comedy or a drama: second leads Una Merkel and Andy Devine are positively irritating but, then, protagonists Mae Clarke and Lew Ayres – both off acclaimed dramatic showcases, she in Whale's own WATERLOO BRIDGE (1931) and he in the Oscar-wining WWI masterpiece ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) – do not exactly set the screen on fire (incidentally, his doctor role proved prophetic since he would eventually incarnate Dr. Kildare in a long-running series of 'B' pictures!).

To be fair to it, though, the narrative is very typical of the time – with Clarke a secretary in an office dealing with divorce cases (a timely and very hot topic over here at the moment, since Malta is one of only 2 countries in the world which has still not implemented it!) who yearns for romance. She meets Ayres when he is called to pick up an attempted suicide at her tenement house, but their relationship runs far from smoothly…while her dumb pal Merkel falls head-over-heels for his gawky nurse Devine! The trouble concerns both her ageing but suave employer John Halliday's attentions (he even buys her a swank apartment and there is a suggestion that he seduces clients as well!) and Ayres' low income (he is still a student); of course, the two eventually get together in melodramatic fashion – when he has to operate on Clarke due to her suffering from acute appendicitis! Incidentally, despite the title, along the way it is Ayres who does most of the pursuing – in one scene, he phones her up twice in the middle of the night (from an uncredited Walter Brennan's bar!) after having just been with her and then presents himself at her doorstep yet again!

Unfortunately, the copy I acquired is of very poor quality – being generally hazy and missing frames, as well as featuring picture loss and extremely dark night-time sequences; that said, it ran some 7 minutes longer than the official 72-minute length given on IMDb: go figure!

Will Hayes Makes GOOD in Hollywood

[jknoppow-1 · 2 February 2010]

Clara Bow, the famous sexy flapper, was on her way down as a movie star. Universal was able to arrange with Paramount to get her on loan. Universal had bought the rights to a novel, 'The Impatient Virgin", which, back then, was very juicy, practically pornographic. (It wouldn't be now). Universal expected to make a fortune with that combination.

When she saw the script, La Bow bowed out. Too sexy. The script was made especially for her. Bow was a oner. Exeunt Bow, exeunt the story.

When the script, which followed the book closely, was submitted to the MPPDA, the self-censoring body of the major studios, the organization immediately banned the word 'virgin'. They suggested 'maiden' instead.

They advised against nearly the entire script. The film was assigned to two other directors before James Whale was forced to direct it. He didn't want to, he wasn't interested in it.

The Hays office, which is the MPPDA, advised them to take the heat out of the script. They did. It became a different story, and there was not a single scene in it which was actually hot. (There is a seduction. I won't say if it came off or not).

Whale didn't get along with the star, Lew Ayres. Ayres had made a bunch of movies in the last two years, but he still didn't know his craft. Whale never gave him any advice. He hardly spoke to Ayres.

Still the film garnered some friction. A censor board cut out the main part of the appendectomy scene. It said the seduction was all right.

The film died a quick death, did not get much business in the big city venues, was not re-released, and never made it into Europe.

The review from the New York Times, titled 'A Naive Melodrama', by A. D. S., March 4, 1932 says in part:

Everything it has to say is in the title.

On the whole there seems nothing James Whale, the talented director of "Frankenstein" and "Journey's End," could have done about this one.

Cute as a Button Una Merkel is the Best!!!

[kidboots · 7/10 · 13 June 2012]

Oddly enough this was slated to be a Clara Bow vehicle (and she would have brought some much needed vivaciousness to the role) but after her breakdown, Mae Clarke was handed the prize part (she had just worked with James Whale in "Frankenstein"). The press once again predicted instant stardom for this superlative actress who just never quite clicked. I thought Mae and Lew Ayres made a terrific team in "Night World" but in this one I thought they were a little too world weary.

Ruth Robbin (Clarke) is a secretary to a suave divorce lawyer (John Halliday) and what she sees behind office doors is slowly turning her off men for life. In her apartment block it's the same, a fight between her neighbours in the morning results in a suicide attempt that night. Ruth saves the woman and calls an ambulance - which throws her together with a young doctor Myron (Lew Ayres) who is just as cynical about married life as she is.

Clarke and Ayres make a very cute couple but cute as a button Una Merkel is the reason to see this movie. She is so vibrant she dominates every scene as Alabama Betty, Ruth's dizzy flatmate, who is an A1 cook with a yen for the "gentleman nurse" (Andy Devine). It would have been a real treat to see her work side by side with Clara Bow. There were a lot of movies bought for Bow that she didn't get to do but I think she would have been super as Ruth and I could hear her saying a lot of those lines plus adding some much needed pathos and emotion to her part. She would have really held her own with Una and not let herself be subdued by Una's snappy personality.

Things take a dramatic turn when Ruth breaks things off with Myron and lets herself be talked into accepting the lease of a very nice apartment by her boss who lives in the same building. Wrong impressions are formed and Ruth goes back to living in a run down flat when an attack of appendicitis occurs - I just wonder who the doctor will be who will perform the emergency operation???

I thought this was an uneven comedy-drama, the print I saw was patchy which may have influenced my feelings. It would have been right up Clara's alley - it's a pity she wasn't able to do it.

Iron Maiden.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 5 September 2014]

Taking a look at auteur film maker James Whale's IMDb page after seeing his sadly forgotten follow-up to All Quiet on the Western Front,I was surprised to discover,that Whale's had directed a film between his well-known Horror movies Frankenstein and The Old Dark House.Looking round on Amazon Uk,I was disappointed to find that the flick had not come out on DVD/Video.Talking to a DVD seller a few weeks later,I was delighted to receive the news that he had been able to track down a copy of the title,which led to me getting ready to finally meet the impatient maiden.

The plot:

Returning to her flat after spending the entire day working in the divorce office,secretary Ruth Robbins is shocked to discover that her friend Betty Merrick has left the gas on,and has caused a fellow resident of the tower block to become seriously ill.Ringing up for a doctor, Dr. Myron Brown and Clarence Howe rush to the tower block,and treat the patient at the scene.Taken by the care that Brown and Howe show towards the patient,Robbins and Merrick begin to ask if they would both like to go out with them.Whilst Howe is delighted with Merrick's invitation,Brown finds himself having serious doubts over if he could balance his working life,with a settled down,romantic relationship with Robbins.

View on the film:

While the DVD did sadly not offer a sparkling transfer, (with the picture sometimes fading into near black,and the soundtrack having more "hiss" than a box full of snakes!)director James Whale's stylish directing was still able to shine from out of the darkness,with Whale and cinematographer expertly using long tracking shots to subtly reveal Whale's theme of the working class seeing an opportunity to go up the class system in their sights,but finding everyone around them to be determined in bringing them down.Along with the stylised shots of Robbins apartment,Whale also shows a gleefully comedic streak,thanks to Whale smartly using Brown's low- lit hospital as a place to roll out some Comedy Horror riffs.

Adapting Donald Henderson Clarke's novel The Impatient Virgin,the screenplay by Richard Schayer, Winifred Dunn and James Mulhauser is never able to fully decide on if it is a sly Pre-Code,or if it is a far too optimistic Drama.Giving strong hints that the society that Robbins and Merrick are in is one that views single women as being "easy",the writers release the film with daring,suggestive dialogue which scatters across the screen,as Robbins goes from finding a work mate getting a little too close to her,to Brown pushing aside every advance that she tries to make.

With the movie having sharp dialogue running across it,the writers take the rather strange decision of making sure that every sting in the lines snaps back to an ill- fitting,building romance,which destroys the sting in the punchlines,and leads to the ending being on a disappointingly happy note.

Tip-toeing over the sickly sweet nature of her character,the pretty Una Merkel gives a remarkable performance as Merrick,thanks to Merkel showing a growing warmth towards Robbins,and also showing a genuine delight in her great comedy scenes with a very good Andy Devine as Clarence Howe.Showing a great sense of maturity in the role,the beautiful Mae Clarke gives an excellent performance as Ruth Robbins,with Clarke showing Robbins cynical views to be wiped from her life,the moment she becomes a patient maiden to Dr Myron Brown.

Which Blair Project?

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 12 June 2008]

This is one for curio collectors. Long before he was top man at Blair General Lew Ayres, late of the Western Front, was trying out a prototype of Dr Kildaire for James Whale, late of Frankenstein. A bolt through the neck might have done everyone some good. This time around we have Redbook crossed with The Lancet as heroine manque Mae Clark falls for Ayres who feels he can't support her leaving her free to play mistress for her lawyer boss. Una Merkel and Andy Devine play the comedy relief couple and Devine in particular shows what he can do with a relatively straight role though it would be a good twenty years plus before Jack Webb allowed him to do it again in Pete Kelly's Blues. As was to be expected for the time everyone went to bed happy.

Too Wise For Their Own Good

[boblipton · 6/10 · 13 April 2018]

Mae Clarke works as a secretary to divorce lawyer John Halliday. When her apartment mate Una Merkel smells gas, Miss Clarke finds that the pregnant woman in the next apartment, who has been abandoned by her husband has tried to kill herself. Miss Clarke smashes the window and summons an ambulance. Doctor Lew Ayres shows up and they soon fall in love, but he's years from being able to marry, and she's seen too much of failed marriage, so they part.

It's a depressing soap opera for the Depression, and everyone hits the right notes. Director James Whale seems to have been trying for a British stiff-upper-lip attitude among the characters, but it offers an air of anomie and helplessness, as does the decision to have DP Arthur Edeson run a lot of traveling shots right through walls in a god-like and uncaring fashion. Perhaps it's that dispassionate attitude that made this movie less than compelling; if the characters viewed their own lives as machines to be run for optimal living, regardless of how they felt, how can the audience invest anything more than a vague pity in these poor fools?

You could find better....

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 12 December 2016]

Although I have always thought Lew Ayres was a fine actor, here he's one of his worst films...mostly because the script is rather second- rate. I also found Una Merkel (again, someone I usually like in films) played a rather annoying character. As a result, I think it's a movie you could easily just skip.

When the film begins, Ruth (Mae Clark) and her dopey friend (Merkel) meet a dopey ambulance driver (Andy Devine) and a young doctor working on his internship at the hospital (Ayres). The Doc and Ruth fall for each other...but their relationship later sours. Towards the end of the film, Ruth is dying and apparently there's no one else in the entire hospital who can operate on her other than her ex-boyfriend, the Doc (it was JUST an inflamed appendix)!! Will she pull through...and will we care?

Una is clearly there as comic relief and her character just comes on way too strong with the stupid act. Fortunately, she's mostly in the first half of the film. As for Devine, he's actually pretty restrained and much better in the same sort of role. But the plot is so soapy and silly that I never found myself caring much about what happened to Ruth or any of them. A misfire.

Before he was Kildare, he was Dr. Brown....

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 4 April 2014]

The problems of a Los Angeles medical intern and his girlfriend are documented in this pre-code drama which pre-dated Lew Ayres' debut as Dr. Kildare by six years. She won't marry him until he's established in private practice and goes to work for the lecherous John Halliday, one of those businessmen whose requests for late night dictation includes more than the secretary's notebook. After catching James Cagney's grapefruit in the puss in "The Public Enemy", Mae Clarke had a short- lived attempt at leading lady, but was soon back to supporting roles over lack of success. Ayres, a heartthrob after "All Quiet on the Western Front", was at the right age for this part, but would be better served when MGM cast him in a series of medical dramas where he created film history as one of the oldest interns in film history. Comparisons to the Kildare series can be made here thanks to the presence of Oscar Apfel as the older doctor who mentors him and Ethel Griffies as the tough nurse.

This dull soaper has uninteresting leading characters in an unbelievable plot. Even with the artistic guiding hand of the legendary James Whale, this fails to be a memorable film. Fortunately, there are some great character performers, which includes an unbilled Hattie McDaniel and the always scene-stealing Cecil Cunningham. Una Merkel and Andy Devine offer attempted comic relief in several of their screen appearances together. An interesting shot of the downtown Los Angeles tram ("Angel's Flight") between Hill Street and Olive Street opens the film.

Definitely Whales, cynical and elusive.

[arthursward · 10/10 · 29 October 2002]

A fascinating curio, Impatient Maiden reveals director James Whales' cinema style as well as his personal evasiveness.

This slice-of-life romantic drama concerns one Ruth Robbins, effectively portrayed by Mae Clark. By day, a secretary to a divorce attorney, Ruth brushes up against life one broken marriage at a time. At home, a neighbor's wife attempts suicide when her husband leaves her and it's left to Ruth to summon an ambulance. So when ambulance driver Myron Brown sparks Ruth's interest, Ruth's own cynical attitudes become her biggest obstacle. Distain for marriage and having personal obstacles were themes which may have found resonance to the personally challenged James Whale. He presents his tableau in matter-of-fact style, without undue emphases: Ruth's lonely plight is just something she does everyday.

Lew Ayers as Myron Brown displays a natural ease in his role, and with Whale blocking for him he'll never look better. Supporting roles are well cast. An early Andy Devine keeps the dramatic tone from sinking. On the distaff side, an ebullient Una Merkel is on hand to perk up Ruth. Great casting and solid performances maintain a balance that makes this film more "accessible" than others of this ilk.

The presentation is smartly handled, too. A Whale trademark was a scene transition that followed characters from room to room by tracking the camera through the wall. Though the end of the wall gets a close-up, the viewer's perception is priority. Rose walks from one end of her apartment to the other and in one shot the limits of her 3 room flat are established. Indeed, the film opens with an establishing sequence when Rose leaves for work. In a location shot, she quits her flat into a rundown neighborhood and boards Angel's Flight. She continues her conversation as Arthur Edeson's camera boards and rides down a piece of history. The viewer gets a real feel for what Ruth's life is like.

The attraction between Ruth and Myron is advanced and retracted like waves on the beach. Love can't catch a break until the last reel. Elusive love, what fun the chase is, especially in this film. Recommended.

Familiar 30's Story

[view_and_review · 2/10 · 11 February 2024]

This movie lost me in the opening scene when the main character, Ruth Robbins (Mae Clarke), declared that she wouldn't get married. I knew immediately that if anything happened she was going to get married. Whenever a man or woman declares that they're not going to fall in love or get married it is a sure thing that's exactly what's going to happen (see "Ex-Lady" (1933), "Illicit" (1931), "Loose Ankles" (1930), "Perfect Understanding" (1933), and "Virtue" (1932))

We find out very early on who her beloved will be when she called EMS for her neighbor. Catching the call were Dr. Myron Brown (Lew Ayres) and Clarence Howe (Andy Devine). The two picked up a patient and picked up two future wives as well.

Things went great for Clarence who had his eyes on Ruth's roommate, Betty Merrick (Una Merkel). While they quickly admitted their affinity for one another, Myron and Ruth were playing it coy, pretending that they weren't romantically interested in each other.

Eventually, they stopped beating around the bush and admitted their fondness for each other, but that was a problem. For Dr. Myron it was a problem because he wasn't an established doctor yet and marriage would derail his plans. He'd have to take a lesser paying job to take care of a wife instead of pursuing his goals of building his own practice. As for Ruth, she didn't want to get married because she worked for a divorce lawyer and all she saw were the results of getting married.

When Myron proposed, Ruth declined. This was the end of the two of them as Myron saw it.

Ruth moved on and began dating her boss, Albert Hartman (John Halliday). He didn't want marriage from her, he only wanted her companionship. You knew that was going to last only so long before things progressed to the next step--and they did. He got her an apartment which made her look like a mistress.

The usual path of a lady who is a kept woman out of convenience is that she will relinquish her money and lifestyle for the man she loves. Betty did just that when Myron saw her immoral setup. She relinquished it all and languished in near poverty in isolation so that her conscience could be clean. It wasn't until her appendix serendipitously burst that she was reunited with Myron. When he saw her alone in a rundown apartment he knew that her moral compass was recalibrated and that she was now worth marrying. It was a theme I've seen too many times to count from that era and I don't care to see anymore movies like this.

Free on YouTube.