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Don't Tell The Wife

1937, Movie, NR, 63 mins

Don't Tell The Wife: Review

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During The Great Depression, people were well acquainted with the ephemeral nature of financial investments, and many films of the time reflected public suspicions of stock-and-bond deals. In this one, bucket-shop swindler Hall rejoins his ex-associates after his release from prison, trying for one last big score. He considers his deal a shoo-in, since this time he really has a promotable product: he won the title to a real mine in a card game. He prevails upon retired co-trickster Overman to join him in the swindle, over the trepidations of Overman's wife, Merkel--who, as the title suggests, is kept in the dark about the true nature of the deal. Overman advances his savings to establish the company, and simple-minded Kibbee is chosen as figurehead, largely because his surname is the same as that of a prestigious banking family (Winthrop--an obvious Rockefeller euphemism). Kibbee writes his credulous friends to promote the stock, and the Post Office investigates. Kibbee, wising up, visits the mine and discovers that it really does contain extractable high-grade gold ore. He undergoes an immediate transformation into a credible businessman and gets all the innocent folk off the hook, sending Overman and Merkel back to rustic but happy domesticity. The film is notable primarily for the appearance of Lucille Ball in a billed role, a step up from the bit parts she had previously played. Director Cabanne had been D.W. Griffiths' assistant before scoring on his own in both silents and talkies; he directed Douglas Fairbanks, the ultimate swashbuckler, in his first film, THE LAMB (1915). leave a comment
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