If Warren William or Roy del Ruth are looking down from Heaven wondering what we're up to, they would be utterly bemused that we're actually watching this drivel now. Nobody at WB would expect anyone to ever see this after 1932. Nobody would even expect anyone to watch this more than once back in '32 either. This is obvious from the sloppy production and direction. For example in one scene, Mary Doran is standing in her underwear and then in a flash she's inexplicably trussed up in a robe - nobody cares. It's also got the very worst painted cardboard backdrop of Paris ever seen on film.
This movie looks like is was written and made during a drunken lunchtime whilst the bosses were out of the building. Thrown together just so the Warner cinemas didn't have any 'dark time' so at least something could be flickering on the screen as the audience shuffled in for the main feature.
Women had only had the vote for about ten years when this was made so times were of course very different. In that context, a little sexism and voyeurism is ok but this one really stretches our limits of acceptability. The story is about how a rich and powerful employer is frustrated by his secretaries being too attractive making it impossible for him not to need to sleep with them - poor man. He therefore employs an ugly girl who of course falls in love with him, buys a sexy dress and therefore becomes beautiful... how terrible for the poor chap.
Although not worthy of any intelligent observation, if one were made it could be noted that although Warren William comments that his new plain Jane secretary is not a woman but just a machine one could ask: who is really the machine? All she has to do is show a bit of cleavage, grin like a demented QVC presenter, push a few knobs and he performs exactly to form. That's of course what she wants, she gives up her job and merrily becomes his lover. So the moral of the story is: if want to get ahead in life, don't work hard, just look pretty.
Despite of all this - maybe because of Warren William being even more Warren Williamish than usual, I have to confess that I found this terrible movie almost entertaining and fun to watch.
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