AFTER OFFICE HOURS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1935), directed by Robert Z. Leonard, leaves the impression of this being a story set in an business office involving overtime between a secretary and her employer. Taken from the story by Laurence Stallings and Dale Van Every, the story does take place in an office, a newspaper office, revolving around an editor and his gal journalist. Starring Constance Bennett and Clark Gable for the first time since THE EASIEST WAY (MGM, 1931), for which Gable was not Bennett's male co-star, AFTER OFFICE HOURS is a grand mix of comedy and murder mystery combination in the manner of MGM's earlier success of THE THIN MAN (1934) starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, but minus the wit and sophistication of Powell and Loy and more of the amusing style of wits by Bennett and Gable.
Set in the Wall Street district of New York City, the story introduces Sharon Norwood (Constance Bennett), a socialite, exiting her chauffeur driven limousine entering the New York News Record Building where she's a music review critic. With Mr. Jordan (Charles Richman) as its publisher with Jim Branch (Clark Gable) as breezy editor, Branch's main goal is to get a scoop on Tommy Bannister (Harvey Stephens), a wealthy man about town, reportedly romancing Julia (Katherine Alexander), the wife of Henry King Patterson (Hale Hamilton), a notable bank president seeking divorce. Because Patterson may be running for state senator, Jordan refuses Branch permission writing further stories that might cause a libel suit. Displeased with the music review copy about to go to press, Branch fires Nancy Sheridan, better known as Sharon Norwood, for sloppy writing. While taking his date (Rita LaRoy) to the Playhouse to see "The Cat and the Fiddle" Branch spots his fired employee Sharon in attendance with Tommy Bannister, a close friend of hers. Hoping to get the real scoop involving Bannister, Branch uses Sharon to get the news he wants for the newspaper. As Bannister entertains Sharon in his houseboat, he is approached by the jealous Julia, leading to an argument. Later that night, Julia is found murdered with her drunken husband being the prime suspect. With Branch having his suspicions, he teams with newspaper photographer Hank Parr (Stuart Erwin) to gather enough evidence to prove to Sharon and Jordan his theory is not pure gossip but news that's fit to print. Co-starring Billie Burke (Mrs. Norwood); Henry Travers (Cap); William Demarest (The Detective); and Herbert Bunston (Harvey, the Butler). Look quickly for Margaret Dumont in a cameo as Mrs. Murchinson.
With wisecracks and material that resembles newspaper comedies produced by Warner Brothers, one would think of Pat O'Brien and Joan Blondell in the Gable and Bennett roles, or Ralph Bellamy and Jean Arthur in similar roles for Columbia. Yet, Gable and Bennett have a style all their own that make AFTER OFFICE HOURS watchable. Typically casting Billie Burke in a ditzy mother role, with characters slamming doors leading to broken glass, Gables shows his flare for comedy by fast talking himself in and out of any situation; riding on the handle bars of a police driven motorcycle; and purposely his poor method of fist fighting to learn more about his advisory fighting technique. Though not quite the classic many would want this to be, AFTER OFFICE HOURS makes a satisfactory 72 minute old-style journalism background mystery from its now bygone era.
Never distributed to video cassette, AFTER OFFICE HOURS is available on DVD and often makes front page news whenever upcoming broadcast turns up on Turner Classic Movies cable channel program guide, whether scheduled morning, noon, night or after office hours. (**1/2)
