"Man Wanted" struck me as a curious movie to have been made in 1932. I agree with most who didn't see it as a battle of the sexes film. But it carries a couple of messages that I don't think would appeal to people of the time. Those are about the wealthy and powerful living high on the hog and caring nothing for the everyman and woman – to the point of dumping on them. Kay Francis plays Lois Ames, the managing editor of some sort of magazine. We never know what type of magazine it is, but it seems to be a style, fashion, glamour or other sort of publication. Another reviewer noted that there probably never was such a lavish editorial office as shown in this picture.
In an opening scene, Lois fires her secretary, a faithful employee who has been with the firm for some time. But, she has worked overtime four straight nights and says she can't work again this night. So, she gets the boot. After we're introduced to Tom Sherman (played by David Manners) as a sporting goods salesman, we see him getting hired by Lois as her new secretary. From here on, the film is a reversal of the Hollywood fluff so common for decades. In those, the female secretaries often pursued their bosses. But, here we have a young male secretary who soon lusts for his gorgeous female employer. This happens while he is engaged to Ruth Holman, played by Una Merkel.
So little is believable about this that it makes for a very weak plot. Besides the lavish editorial offices, the Francis character doesn't seem real as a managing editor. Her scenes of dictation all have to do with business matters, not editorial content of the magazine. In real life, business managers handle the technical side of the business, and editors handle the product. But we don't see anything of Francis dealing with articles, photos, artwork and magazine design. Yet she is presented as a workaholic in this film. For an idea of how a real managing editor might work, see the 1941 movie, "Two-Faced Woman." In that film, Melvyn Douglas plays a managing editor who can't tear himself away from his job to spend time with his new wife, played by Greta Garbo. And, we see him going over feature articles, cover designs and layouts – the real stuff of a managing editor.
This movie was made during the heart of the Great Depression. Audiences going to see it in 1932 would hardly believe a magazine of any type flourishing as portrayed here. And, Lois doesn't have to work because she's married to a rich man, Fred Ames (played by Kenneth Thomson), who also doesn't seem to have been hurt any by the depression. The couple seem to have attitudes that support free love, so long as one is discreet about it – at least on the surface. They can be amorous with each other, or with someone else. Although Lois is not portrayed as playing around on her husband, we see glints of her interest in her young male secretary. Husband Freddie, on the other hand, clearly has the reputation of a carouser.
I suspect that this picture of a rich couple living such a lifestyle of infidelity and disregard for other people wasn't appealing to those who were living through the hard times of the depression. After condoning her husband's wandering for some time, Lois decides to divorce him. Tommy, is about to leave, dejected, when she tells him she is now free. We know what that means. So, Tommy jilts his fiancé for the boss. What a happy ending for depression-era audiences, huh? Now, another working everyman – in this case, woman, gets dumped.
I think Warner Brothers goofed promoting this movie as a comedy. I see nothing humorous in the film today. The five stars I give it are for very good performances by two actors. Manners played Tommy Sherman superbly, and Thomson was excellent as Freddie Ames.
In an opening scene, Lois fires her secretary, a faithful employee who has been with the firm for some time. But, she has worked overtime four straight nights and says she can't work again this night. So, she gets the boot. After we're introduced to Tom Sherman (played by David Manners) as a sporting goods salesman, we see him getting hired by Lois as her new secretary. From here on, the film is a reversal of the Hollywood fluff so common for decades. In those, the female secretaries often pursued their bosses. But, here we have a young male secretary who soon lusts for his gorgeous female employer. This happens while he is engaged to Ruth Holman, played by Una Merkel.
So little is believable about this that it makes for a very weak plot. Besides the lavish editorial offices, the Francis character doesn't seem real as a managing editor. Her scenes of dictation all have to do with business matters, not editorial content of the magazine. In real life, business managers handle the technical side of the business, and editors handle the product. But we don't see anything of Francis dealing with articles, photos, artwork and magazine design. Yet she is presented as a workaholic in this film. For an idea of how a real managing editor might work, see the 1941 movie, "Two-Faced Woman." In that film, Melvyn Douglas plays a managing editor who can't tear himself away from his job to spend time with his new wife, played by Greta Garbo. And, we see him going over feature articles, cover designs and layouts – the real stuff of a managing editor.
This movie was made during the heart of the Great Depression. Audiences going to see it in 1932 would hardly believe a magazine of any type flourishing as portrayed here. And, Lois doesn't have to work because she's married to a rich man, Fred Ames (played by Kenneth Thomson), who also doesn't seem to have been hurt any by the depression. The couple seem to have attitudes that support free love, so long as one is discreet about it – at least on the surface. They can be amorous with each other, or with someone else. Although Lois is not portrayed as playing around on her husband, we see glints of her interest in her young male secretary. Husband Freddie, on the other hand, clearly has the reputation of a carouser.
I suspect that this picture of a rich couple living such a lifestyle of infidelity and disregard for other people wasn't appealing to those who were living through the hard times of the depression. After condoning her husband's wandering for some time, Lois decides to divorce him. Tommy, is about to leave, dejected, when she tells him she is now free. We know what that means. So, Tommy jilts his fiancé for the boss. What a happy ending for depression-era audiences, huh? Now, another working everyman – in this case, woman, gets dumped.
I think Warner Brothers goofed promoting this movie as a comedy. I see nothing humorous in the film today. The five stars I give it are for very good performances by two actors. Manners played Tommy Sherman superbly, and Thomson was excellent as Freddie Ames.