Orchids to You (1935) User Reviews (4)

Selling flowers is her business. Keeping secrets keeps the customers coming back.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 9 February 2017]

A high regarded but overlooked 1930's leading lady, Jean Muir was a smart platinum blonde with a gracious demeanor hiding the neurosis behind some memorably complicated characters. She owns and runs a flower shop in one of Manhattan's chicest hotels, and is given eviction papers from hotel attorney John Boles, all so they can put in a branch bank. Thinking that she'll get emotional "like a typical woman", he isn't prepared for her to fight him, let alone escort him to the opera. But he's married, unaware that his wife is unfaithful, something that Muir discovers quite by surprise. As their friendship grows, she must deal with her growing feelings, plus the knowledge of what's going on behind his back.

This is a very elegant drama that mixes in a variety of styles of comedy, featuring Charles Butterworth in an amusing comic role as a close pal of Muir's who happens to be the hotel's top stock holder. Future Dagwood, Arthur Lake, has an amusing part as one of the shop clerks, with such familiar faces as Spring Byington, Arthur Treacher, Warner Oland, John Qualen and Margaret Dumont in supporting roles. The screenplay is very bright and smart, with Boles performing an amusing novelty number. It's nice to see Muir's character taking charge but being an absolutely brilliant business woman, yet fair and loyal to her employees.

Don't Expect A Comedy

[boblipton · 6/10 · 7 March 2019]

Jean Muir runs a flower shop in a hotel. Charles Butterworth, the principal shareholder (unknown to her) keeps proposing to her. The hotel wants to evict her in favor of a better-paying tenant. John Boles is the lawyer hired to get her out. Unknown to him, his wife is cheating on him, with a friend who buys orchids for her at Miss Muir's flower shop.

That's the broad outline of this movie, and it is all handled very well by director William Seiter, with a cast that includes Arthur Lake, Spring Byington, Sidney Toler (as an Italian flower wholesaler) and Arthur Treacher.. It's all very well acted, but it's more a drama than a comedy. Oh, there are plenty of good bits. Toler is quite funny, Boles sings "Sylvia" and the story and handling keeps things moving right along throughout, so that I never lost interest. It's simply that the title and the Art-Deco opening led me to expect a comedy. Once I realized that, it turned into a good movie.

Thomas sure deserves better...

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 9 March 2019]

John Boles plays Thomas Bentley, a lawyer who seems like a genuinely nice guy. However, he doesn't realize that his wife is a pig...a pig rutting about with another man. Through the course of his job, Thomas meets a sweet lady, Camellia (Jean Muir). Now there is no romance involved...Thomas is a loyal husband...but the two hit it off. He also helps her to entertain some kids...in one of the strangest song and magic shows you could ever see...weird and creepy...yet the kids adore him. So where is all this heading and how will Thomas and Camellia come together in court? See the film.

This is a nice romance film. While it has some nice supporting actors which keep it all very light, the story takes a very serious turn as well. I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin the story. Just see this one...it's a very nice picture.

Top-of-the-scale Jean Muir vehicle!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 5 March 2016]

This one is a vehicle for the very charming and attractive Jean Muir, who displays a resolute, likable, independent personality on the screen. Obviously, I am not the only one smitten by her charms. She is very attractively dressed here by René Hubert and stunningly photographed by Merritt B. Gerstad. Admittedly, the movie is a somewhat lesser vehicle for the other players. John Boles tries hard to appear at ease, but is still inclined to be rather stiff – and as a children's entertainer here, he is most unconvincing. Charles Butterworth is his usual comic self, but despite all his efforts to clown around, the screenplay doesn't give him anything very funny to do or say. Sidney Toler is also not well served by the script, forcing him to overcome this problem by way overplaying the effusiveness of the character to the point where he becomes quite unconvincing – and why he becomes such a good Samaritan to our heroine is not even hinted at. Also struggling with thin material is Arthur Lake who has a lengthy Dagwood-like role. Harvey Stephens, however, is quite equal to the task of mystery man. Spring Byington has a more dramatic role than usual, and acquits herself well. Also doing well here is director William A. Seiter. Not only is he brisk and capable, but he indulges a flair for pace and movement that is quite unusual, e.g. the zooming camera in the opening sequence. As noted above, René Hubert has designed some eye-catching costumes. In fact, production values are first rate, top-of-the- scale and one wonders why this movie with so many pluses and so few minuses is not much better known.