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Wives Never Know

  • 19361936
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
39
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Mary Boland, Vivienne Osborne, and Charles Ruggles in Wives Never Know (1936)
  • Comedy
J. Hugh Ramsey, author of "Marriage, the Living Death" decides that the marriage of his friends The Bigelows cannot possibly be as perfect as it appears.J. Hugh Ramsey, author of "Marriage, the Living Death" decides that the marriage of his friends The Bigelows cannot possibly be as perfect as it appears.J. Hugh Ramsey, author of "Marriage, the Living Death" decides that the marriage of his friends The Bigelows cannot possibly be as perfect as it appears.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
39
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Elliott Nugent
  • Writers
    • Frederick Hazlitt Brennan(screenplay)
    • Edwin Justus Mayer(uncredited)
    • Keene Thompson(story)
  • Stars
    • Charles Ruggles
    • Mary Boland
    • Adolphe Menjou
Top credits
  • Director
    • Elliott Nugent
  • Writers
    • Frederick Hazlitt Brennan(screenplay)
    • Edwin Justus Mayer(uncredited)
    • Keene Thompson(story)
  • Stars
    • Charles Ruggles
    • Mary Boland
    • Adolphe Menjou
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 4User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Wives Never Know (1936)
    Mary Boland and Charles Ruggles in Wives Never Know (1936)
    Wives Never Know (1936)
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    Top cast

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    Charles Ruggles
    Charles Ruggles
    • Homer Bigelowas Homer Bigelow
    Mary Boland
    Mary Boland
    • Marcia Bigelowas Marcia Bigelow
    Adolphe Menjou
    Adolphe Menjou
    • J. Hugh Ramseyas J. Hugh Ramsey
    Vivienne Osborne
    Vivienne Osborne
    • Renée La Touras Renée La Tour
    Claude Gillingwater
    Claude Gillingwater
    • Mr. Gossameras Mr. Gossamer
    Fay Holden
    Fay Holden
    • Mrs. Gossameras Mrs. Gossamer
    Louise Beavers
    Louise Beavers
    • Florabelleas Florabelle
    Constance Bergen
    Constance Bergen
    • Miss Giddingsas Miss Giddings
    Purnell Pratt
    Purnell Pratt
    • Higginsas Higgins
    Jack Pye
    Gertrude Alter
    • Mrs. Merchantas Mrs. Merchant
    • (uncredited)
    Alyce Ardell
    Alyce Ardell
    • Sylviaas Sylvia
    • (uncredited)
    Irving Bacon
    Irving Bacon
    • Dr. Mumfordas Dr. Mumford
    • (uncredited)
    Billy Bletcher
    Billy Bletcher
    • Drunkas Drunk
    • (uncredited)
    Mildred Booth
    • Mrs. Lawyeras Mrs. Lawyer
    • (uncredited)
    Agostino Borgato
    Agostino Borgato
    • Italian Countas Italian Count
    • (uncredited)
    Harry C. Bradley
    Harry C. Bradley
    • Justice of the Peaceas Justice of the Peace
    • (uncredited)
    A.S. 'Pop' Byron
    A.S. 'Pop' Byron
    • Stage Doormanas Stage Doorman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Elliott Nugent
    • Writers
      • Frederick Hazlitt Brennan(screenplay)
      • Edwin Justus Mayer(uncredited)
      • Keene Thompson(story)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

    User reviews4

    Review
    Top review
    3/10
    Pitiful screenplay, humorless and tedious three-fourths story sink this film
    Occasionally, one comes across a film that's virtually unknown -- all but forgotten, but that turns out to be a gem. On the other hand, many forgotten films are more often unknown for the opposite reason. They're either stinkers or just not very good. Allowing for the difference in taste among reviewers - and possibly the degrees of sobriety, consciousness and/or sanity when viewing one of these films, some may find gems in stinkers and others stinkers in gems.

    Well, "Wives Never Know" isn't exactly a stinker, but it's sure not a gem. First, it has no witty or humorous dialog. Not until near the very end does it have any funny antics, and it's a strain to get any humor out of the situations until the very end. So, it has about one quarter of each of two elements that make up comedy. That's about one-sixth of comedy, at the best.

    The leads in this film - Charles Ruggles, Adolphe Menjou and Mary Boland all played in some wonderful comedies. And the fault in this film isn't anything to do with their acting. It's just a weak, long drawn-out story sans humor, with a terrible screenplay. This film suffers from a poor story, lousy script, and weak direction. Elliott Nugent directed some good comedies in his day, but he got saddled with a screenplay and story that drags on and on in the first three-quarters without anything funny at all. What there is of comedy the last 15 minutes can't save this dud.

    Paramount was known for some smashing comedies throughout Hollywood's golden era. One suspects this is one film the studio brass didn't mind sliding into oblivion.

    Here's an example of the dialog that's supposed to pass for humor in this film. Menjou's Hugh Ramsey, "Does a vegetable ever think of itself as a vegetable? No."
    helpful•2
    1
    • SimonJack
    • May 17, 2020

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 18, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Om fruarna visste...
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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