Strangers in Love (1932) User Reviews (10)

He's double again!

[fdraskolnikov · 7/10 · 30 January 2007]

I recently saw Strangers in Love. I believe Fredric March was particularly good at playing double-role: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde docet.

He plays Buddy and he plays Arthur two twin brothers so physically alike and so different in behaving, interests and attitudes.

Arthur is posh, snob and envious about his brother Robert who is so easy thinking, good at sports, having no money, living away from his brother . He's everything but snob. One day Buddy meets his brother again in order to ask for some money and Arthur says it all about his feelings for Buddy.

During this fight, Arthur dies because of a heart attack and Buddy takes his place, pretending to be Arthur him self.

From now on, the movie turns out to be quite nice, elegant, and also ironic. Fredric March is irresistible, witty, funny and he's the one who makes the difference in terms of talent, presence, ability and humor. Fredric March makes the movie.

He was not a matinée idol: he was an actor.

A nice product of US cinematography in the 30's.

When the prodigal son is the likable one

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 29 November 2014]

Fredric March plays a dual role here again, though much more subtle than in "Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" from the previous year. In the beginning you don't even know that Arthur Drake has an identical twin. All you can see is that he is wealthy, self-absorbed, and utterly consumed with Egyptology. Kay Francis is his assistant and holds him in obvious contempt - obvious to everyone but Arthur, who doesn't pay that much attention to her anyways.

The scene switches and at first I was confused. Here again is March, but this time he is shabbily dressed and looking in at the window of a bakery talking to fellow down-and-out friend Stan (Stuart Erwin) about what butter and bread are and what you do with it if you get some. The insinuation being that they are poor and hungry. Then you find out he is Buddy Drake, Arthur's twin, prodigal son of the Drake family. He decides right there to get his fair share of the inheritance and goes off alone to confront Arthur that very night.

Arthur seems anxious to get rid of Buddy, claiming that their father disinherited Buddy and writing him a check and making him promise to never come back. Buddy smells a rat and says he thinks he will stick around because something does not seem right to him - he knows his brother is selfish and would never pay him off if he didn't feel he had to do so. At this point Arthur erupts into a vicious rant - he has always hated Buddy because of his athletic body and his own heart condition which kept him indoors and away from the adoration and fun his brother had - at this point Arthur clutches his heart and drops dead. Now nobody has seen any of this, so Buddy swaps clothes with Arthur and decides to take his place. He calls for the servants and says that Buddy has dropped by and dropped dead. Everyone seems to swallow this given Buddy's life on the streets these past years, and now Buddy steals Arthur's identity along with all of the money he figures he had coming to him. If anyone knows Arthur is the one who died, an Egyptology society gets the entire estate, and Buddy figures half the estate was his to begin with.

Soon Buddy lets Stan in on the ruse, with Stan pointing out the obvious holes in this plan - Buddy doesn't even know how to sign Arthur's signature so he can't even sign checks and get his hands on the money, knows nothing about Egyptology so he can't fool his associates, and knows nothing of Arthur's friends and routine. Stan suggests they grab valuables and cash laying around the house and leave town. Plus, Arthur's life was not as boring as Buddy might have thought. He is getting threatening phone calls from someone named Clark demanding money, and he is subject to the unwanted attention of a blonde who demands he reciprocate that attention or else she will "rat him out to the cops". The question Buddy has is - rat him out about WHAT? Well this is all Buddy would need to leave town if it wasn't for the beauty of assistant Diana (Kay Francis), to whom he is instantly attracted. And if Buddy didn't need more trouble, Diana believes Arthur stole all of her father's money and is working there just to get the goods on him. When Arthur(Buddy) suddenly starts behaving like a human being, Diana begins to have feelings for him.

So how will all of this work out? Watch and find out.

This is not a straight drama, as so many of Kay Francis' and Fredric March's vehicles at Paramount were. There is quite a bit of comedy in this to lighten the mood and it does keep you guessing right up to its ironic end. Highly recommended

Dead Ringer/A Stolen Life before either film

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 10 June 2021]

Kay Francis and Fredric March are "Strangers in Love" in this 1932 film.

Kay is Diana Merrow, who reluctantly works for Arthur Drake (March), an expert in Egyptian artifacts. Not only does he sexually harass her, but he's mean and stingy.

Later on, we see Stan (Stuart Erwin) looking longingly at food through a restaurant window. He's with his friend Buddy (March). They are both down and out.

Buddy goes to his twin brother, whom he hasn't seen in 12 years, for a handout, since it seems their father disinherited him. Arthur hates Buddy, who led a freewheeling life and was good at sports. While they're fighting, Arthur, who has a heart condition, has an attack and dies.

Buddy decides to take his place, and "Buddy" is declared dead, with Buddy becoming Arthur. He is completely clueless about everything in Arthur's life - he doesn't even know Diana's name. He asks how she spells her name, hoping for a clue, and she says, "two r's."

As the story goes on, we see that Diana is working with the DA to try to get evidence against Arthur, who cheated her father. However, after Buddy's death, she sees a new Arthur - easygoing, friendly - he says he's turned over a new leaf.

Fredric March is again in a double role as he was in Jekyll and Hyde. He's very good as both characters.

This was billed as a comedy. It's a very light one with no big laughs. It's pleasant and enjoyable. And in the end, we find out a few secrets.

Fredric March Makes Love To Two Woman While Pretending To Be Three Men

[boblipton · 6/10 · 18 November 2021]

Soldier of fortune Fredric March returns to the home he grew up in. His father is long dead, and his identical twin brother -- also played by March -- tells him he was a lifelong disappointment to the old man, and he hated him too, blessed with good health, while he, cursed with a weak heart, had to become an expert on Linear A and inherit the kit and kaboodle. His weak heart gives out, whereupon the healthy brother decides to say that the wanderer kicked off, and he is the one who inherited everything. However, as pal Stu Erwin points out, it's more than looking alike. He can't even sign a check that will pass, not to mention some shady dealings with mistress Juliette Compton, and his secretary, Kay Francis, searching for proof that he swindled her father, George Barbier, out of a fortune.

It's a rather far-fetched story from a novel, that screenwriters Grover Jones and George Slavens McNutt -- gotta love that name -- deal with by acknowledging the absurdities. Director Lothar Mendes seems to have given March his head, who responds by acting in three different personas. With Earl Foxe, Lucien Littleifeld, and Sidney Toler, who performs without an noticeable accent.

Two brothers, two personalities, and one actor.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 4 May 2018]

When the wealthy but cold hearted Frederic March keeps over dead after a visit from his poorer but much more decent twin (also March), the decent twin takes over his life, not just to grab some of the family dough he was cheated out of, but to do something good with it as well. He's unaware that his brother's long-suffering secretary (Kay Francis) is only working for him to try to right a wrong that he had done to her father (George Barbier) and is also a victim of blackmail by the opportunistic Juliette Compton. March has his hands full trying to continue to fool everyone (only black mammy Gertrude Howard figures out the truth) and trying to get rid of the nasty Compton. Francis, confused by the difference in her "boss", tries not to lose sight of her goals, while March now faces jail time for his brother's crimes, and if his true identity is exposed, fraud.

Seen for the first few reels as the sinister twin, March sneers and schemes, all the while ogling Francis while treating her badly and denying his fraud. For comic relief, there's Stuart Erwin as the decent brother's sidekick who is fooled easily. The first three quarters of the film are both melodramatic and often humorous, gripping and somewhat believable. But twists in the last reel takes this down some absurd paths, involving a ridiculous boat chase where Francis exclaims, "I've always wanted to be chased by bullets." Howard does her best to grab at the heartstrings as the servant know as "Snowball" (presumably because of her graying hair) and manages to be sweetly loyal in her stereotypical characterization. It's an interesting pre-code melodrama that lightens up here and there to avoid becoming too maudlin.

Cute vehicle for Fredric March

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 11 July 2021]

Through the awkward pacing of an early talkie, you'll find entertainment in Strangers in Love, a comedy-drama starring Fredric March, Fredric March, and Kay Francis. Why do I list Freddie twice? Because he plays identical twins, and I always think actors who play two parts should get listed twice in the credits.

One brother is rich and rude, the object of blackmail from thugs after he swindled his secretary's (Kay) father out of his life savings. The other brother is so poor, he can't even afford to eat. He has a good heart, and his faithful pal Stuart Erwin convinces him to ask his brother for a loan. In the scene of the two brothers' reunion, director Lothar Mendes clearly uses a background screen; but in 1932 it was probably great special effects to see Fredric March talking to himself.

Of course there's bound to be one brother impersonating the other brother, and all the complications and hilarity ensue. Not knowing anything about his brother's life, Freddie stumbles around getting by on hesitations and questions that reveal nothing. "I saw Charlie the other day," Freddie's girlfriend says. Freddie hems and haws, then settles on, "Good old Charlie," before slugging back a drink for courage. Yes, the movie was clearly an early talkie, but it's still fun because Fredric March is so young and has that twinkle in his eye. Kay Francis doesn't do much, but she gets to wear some pretty outfits.

If you love old time movies, the plot is pretty familiar.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 13 November 2023]

The plot to "Strangers in Love" is clearly the sort of Hollywood plot that would never happen in real life. My advice is to watch the film...and try to look past the implausibility of the story.

When the film begins, you see that there are identical twin brothers (both played by Frederic March) who are nothing like each other in personalities or their lifestyles. Arthur is a bitter and unlikable Egyptologist who doesn't seem to care about others. Buddy is a poor guy who is more a 'normal Joe'. And, it seems that when their rich father died, he inexplicably gave his entire fortune to the bitter Egyptologist.

One day the poor brother goes to see his brother. The Egyptologist is cold and nasty and tells his poor brother that when he dies, he's leaving his money for Egyptological research and giving him nothing! But, after telling him this, the nasty brother suffers a fatal heart attack. So, the nice brother, Buddy, pretends to be his brother and tells authorities that Buddy had died...and he assumes the nasty brother's life. Can he maintain this ruse? After all, the nasty brother's friends, research, associates and girlfriend are all unknown to Buddy. And, will there be any complications? And, could the brother's life actually be worse than poor Buddy's?

If this plot seems familiar, well...it is. Later Bette Davis films like "A Stolen Life" and "Dead Ringer" cover the same sort of material. However, unlike the Davis films, "Strangers in Love" has a more comedic bent.

Overall, I think I prefer this movie to the Davis films. I think the main reason is the writing, as "Strangers in Love" is more lighthearted and doesn't take itself so seriously. Plus, while Davis is a fantastic actress, Frederic March wasn't exactly a slouch when it came to acting!

By the way, don't let your head explode when Buddy calls his maid 'Snowball'. Yes, it is VERY demeaning and wrong, but was a sign of the times in which the movie was made.

Double The March

[januszlvii · 7/10 · 22 October 2023]

Strangers In Love which I saw on Ok. RU is an interesting movie. Here Frederick March plays two very different identical twin brothers. One the bad rich one ( Arthur) is a snob who not only sexually harasses Kay Francis ( Diana) but stole from her father, and she tolerates it so she can find evidence against him. The other one ( Buddy) is the good guy, however he is poor. The one advantage Buddy has is he has a good heart ( literal not just in behavior), while Arthur is jealous of Buddy's good health. Buddy goes to Arthur ( after being estranged for years), and all he wants is $50 but Arthur offers $1,000 just to get rid of him. Buddy knows Arthur is up to something ( he does not know Arthur stole his inheritance) when he refuses. Arthur gets angry and has a heart attack and dies. Buddy pretends to be Arthur and takes his place saying Buddy died. Of course he has issues including Arthur's partner in crime Mr. Clark and of course Diana. Of course he cannot act like Arthur and falls for Diana. At the same time Diana falls for Buddy thinking Arthur changed. There are two major problems with this movie. 1: I do not like Kay Francis ( although she is better then usual here). 2: How come she is not the least bit suspicious about Buddy ( especially when he does not know her name)? He finally told her. Spoilers ahead: Buddy does end up with Diana, and Mr. Clark was arrested and since the inheritance that Arthur got was stolen from Buddy he got in no trouble with the law. 7/10 stars ( mostly for March).

Not Jeckyll and Hyde, but lots of Laughs and Gags in thie Double Role by Fredric March

[jayraskin · 9/10 · 21 October 2023]

This was released four months after Fredric March's brilliant "Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde" While there are no overt references to that film, one can see that March is enjoying playing the socially good and rich brother, "Arthur" as a selfish jerk, while the poor and sweet brother, is clever and likeable.

Kay Francis plays a secretary trying to avenge her father who was swindled by Arthur. She is relaxed and confident and seems to be enjoying the role, milking every good laugh she can get.

Stuart Erwin is also very good as the dedicated friend of the good brother. In 1950 Erwin played in the the first American sit-com, still playing a very good friendly and likeable person.

The material could be sharper at points, but its pretty good and in the hands of great acting pros like March and Francis, it is totally enjoyable.

The movie ends with a kiss. Which should be the required happy ending for all movies like this.

The Heart Knows Goodness When it Sees it

[view_and_review · 3/10 · 13 February 2024]

It's Kay Francis and she's not cheating on someone or cheating with someone, but she is still pretty cheap. That may sound mean, but allow me to explain.

Diana Merrow (Kay Francis) worked for Arthur J. Drake (Fredric March), a stern, proper, and handsy Egyptologist. He was well off as he'd inherited money from his father. Diana had reason to believe that he cheated her father (George Barbier) out of his life savings, so working for him gave her the opportunity to do a little sleuthing.

Arthur had a twin brother, Rober 'Buddy' Drake (also played by Francis March), who was recently released from prison. He and his partner, Stan Kenney (Stuart Erwin), were flat broke so Buddy decided to go ask his brother for a little dough. While talking with his brother Arthur dropped dead of a heart attack. The right thing to do would've been to call the paramedics or the police and report the incident, but the right thing doesn't make for a good plot. Instead, Buddy pretended to be Arthur and notified the authorities that it was Buddy who'd died. Now Buddy had to go through the ridiculous sitcom of pretending to be his twin brother.

What he hadn't mastered was Arthur's coldness, and he certainly couldn't bring himself to be cold towards Diana. He showed her a little bit of kindness and like that she was lost in his eyes. Within the span of a few hours of storytelling she now was in love with who she thought was Arthur, hence I said she was cheap. Her love and affection was paid for with a few niceties.

Now I know that the point being made was that she fell in love with the fake Arthur because he was in fact Buddy. In other words: Diana wouldn't have fallen in love with Arthur even if he was suddenly nice because her heart knows that she was in love with a different person. You can fool the mind but you can't fool the heart.

It's a dumb premise that belongs in children's books, not a movie being watched by adults.

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