They Just Had to Get Married
Encyclopedia
They Just Had to Get Married (1933
) is a comedy film
directed by Edward Ludwig
and starring Slim Summerville
, Zasu Pitts
, Roland Young
, and Verree Teasdale
.
The screenplay was written by Gladys Lehman, H.M. Walker, and an uncredited Preston Sturges
, based on the Broadway
play A Pair of Silk Stockings (1914) by Cyril Harcourt. This was the play's third film adaptation.
Sam and Molly lose everything, break up, and are finally tricked into reconciling.
Cast notes:
They Just Had to Get Married was the third film version of Cyril Harcourt's 1914 play A Pair of Silk Stockings. The first two were both silent film
s: a 1918 Lewis J. Selznick
presentation also called A Pair of Silk Stockings, and a 1927 Universal
film called Silk Stockings. These films are not related to the 1957 film Silk Stockings
, which was a musical remake of Ninotchka
(1939).
The film premiered in San Diego, California
on 22 December 1932, and went into general American release on 5 January 1933.
1933 in film
-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
) is a comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Edward Ludwig
Edward Ludwig
Edward Irving Ludwig was a Russian-born American film director and writer. He directed nearly 100 films between 1921 and 1963....
and starring Slim Summerville
Slim Summerville
Slim Summerville was an American film actor, best known as a comedy performer.-Life and career:Born George Joseph Summerville in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Summerville began his career as a "Keystone Kop" in 1912...
, Zasu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning to comedy sound films.-Early life:ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas to Rulandus and Nellie Pitts; she was the third of four children...
, Roland Young
Roland Young
Roland Young was an English actor.-Early life and career:Born in London, England, Young was educated at Sherborne School, Dorset and the University of London before being accepted into Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
, and Verree Teasdale
Verree Teasdale
Verree Teasdale was an American actress born in Spokane, Washington.A second cousin of Edith Wharton, Teasdale attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and trained as a stage actress at the New York School of Expression...
.
The screenplay was written by Gladys Lehman, H.M. Walker, and an uncredited Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
, based on the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play A Pair of Silk Stockings (1914) by Cyril Harcourt. This was the play's third film adaptation.
Plot
When wealthy Henry Davidson dies, he leaves all his money to his faithful butler, Sam Sutton (Summerville), and maid, Molly Hull (Pitts), who are finally able to get married. Their new lives as millionaires gets them involved with flirtatious Lola Montrose (Teasdale) and Davidson's relative Hillary Hume (Young), and complications ensue.Sam and Molly lose everything, break up, and are finally tricked into reconciling.
Cast
- Slim SummervilleSlim SummervilleSlim Summerville was an American film actor, best known as a comedy performer.-Life and career:Born George Joseph Summerville in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Summerville began his career as a "Keystone Kop" in 1912...
as Sam Sutton - Zasu PittsZaSu PittsZaSu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning to comedy sound films.-Early life:ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas to Rulandus and Nellie Pitts; she was the third of four children...
as Molly Hull - Roland YoungRoland YoungRoland Young was an English actor.-Early life and career:Born in London, England, Young was educated at Sherborne School, Dorset and the University of London before being accepted into Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
as Hillary Hume - Verree TeasdaleVerree TeasdaleVerree Teasdale was an American actress born in Spokane, Washington.A second cousin of Edith Wharton, Teasdale attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and trained as a stage actress at the New York School of Expression...
as Lola Montrose - C. Aubrey Smith as Hampton
- Robert Greig as Radcliff
- David LandauDavid Landau (actor)David Landau was an American film actor who appeared in 33 films between 1931 and 1935.He appeared on Broadway in 12 plays from 1919 to 1929....
as Montrose - Elizabeth PattersonElizabeth Patterson (actress)Elizabeth Patterson was an American film and television character actress remembered for her portrayal of elderly neighbor Matilda Trumbull on I Love Lucy.-Career:...
as Lizzie - Wallis ClarkWallis ClarkWallis H. Clark was a stage and film actor, born in Essex, England. He died in North Hollywood, California.Clark was formerly an engineer. He began his stage career in Margate in 1908...
as Fairchilds - David Leo Tillotson as Wilmont
- Vivien OaklandVivien OaklandVivien Oakland , was an American actress best known for her work in comedies in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, most notably with the Hal Roach Studios...
as Mrs. Fairchilds - William Burress as Bradford
- Louise Mackintosh as Mrs. Bradford
- Bertram Marburgh as Langley
- Virginia Howell as Mrs. Langley
- James DonlanJames DonlanJames Donlan was an American actor.Born in San Francisco, California, Donlan appeared in 107 films between 1929 and 1939.He died in Hollywood, California, aged 49, from a heart attack...
as Clerk - Henry ArmettaHenry ArmettaHenry Armetta was an Italian movie character actor who appeared in at least 150 films, starting in silents as early as 1915 to a movie released in 1946, after his death.-Biography:...
as Tony - Fifi D'OrsayFifi D'Orsay-Biography:Born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Quebec, as a young typist, filled with the desire to become an actress, she went to New York City. There, she found work in The Greenwich Village Follies after an audition in which she sang the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas' in French...
as Marie - Cora Sue Collins as Rosalie
Cast notes:
- Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
' prolific characterCharacter actorA character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
man Guy KibbeeGuy KibbeeGuy Bridges Kibbee was an American stage and film actor.Born in El Paso, Texas, Kibbee began his entertainment career on Mississippi riverboats and eventually became a successful Broadway actor...
is listed as having an uncredited appearance in this film.
Production
The original title of this film was They Had to Get Married. However, the Hays Office disapproved of this title, and requested the addition of the world "just".They Just Had to Get Married was the third film version of Cyril Harcourt's 1914 play A Pair of Silk Stockings. The first two were both silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s: a 1918 Lewis J. Selznick
Lewis J. Selznick
Lewis J. Selznick was a Jewish-Ukrainian-American producer in the early years of the film industry.-Personal life and early career:...
presentation also called A Pair of Silk Stockings, and a 1927 Universal
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
film called Silk Stockings. These films are not related to the 1957 film Silk Stockings
Silk Stockings
Silk Stockings is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.Hildegarde Knef gives a vivid backstage account of the casting, rehearsals, tryouts and Broadway opening of "Silk Stockings" in her autobiography "The Gift Horse:...
, which was a musical remake of Ninotchka
Ninotchka
Ninotchka is a 1939 American film made for Metro Goldwyn Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch which stars Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett and Walter Reisch, based on a screen story by Melchior Lengyel. Ninotchka is Greta Garbo's first full...
(1939).
The film premiered in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
on 22 December 1932, and went into general American release on 5 January 1933.