If You Could Only Cook (1935) Directed by William A. Seiter
Comedy / Romance
Film Review
Herbert Marshall and Jean Arthur make a surprisingly effective team in
this early screwball comedy, a genre that proved to be a popular
antidote to the Great Depression.
Although Marshall is at his best in
purely dramatic roles, this film demonstrates that he also had a flair
for comedy. His smooth English charm is the perfect complement to
Jean Arthur's rough-round-the-edges ballsy New Yorker. The plot veers
towards Keystone-style craziness, complete with comedy hoodlums that
would not have been out of place in a Mack Sennett film. Still,
the jokes are fun and the performances a joy to watch - just the kind
of thing to lift the spirits of an audience seeking distraction from economic hardship.
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Jim Buchanan, the well-heeled director of a large car manufacturing company,
is about to get married to a society woman for whom he has no real affection.
After his revolutionary design for a new motorcar has been turned down by
his board of directors Jim storms out and threatens never to return.
The unhappy businessman is sitting on a bench in the park when he meets Joan
Hawthorne, a likeable young woman who is desperately trying to find work
- not an easy task when the whole country is caught in the worst economic
depression in living memory. Joan cheers up when she comes across an
advertisement in her newspaper for a cook and butler. She convinces
Jim he should apply for the job of the butler so that she can get the cook's
position. One-time bootlegger Mike Rossini is happy to take the two
of them on at his large mansion, but Jim and Joan are not impressed when
they find that they have to share the same bedroom. This, however,
proves to be the least of their worries, as their rich employers turn out
to be notorious mobsters. It isn't long before Rossini's bodyguard
Flash takes a liking to Joan...
Script: F. Hugh Herbert (story),
Howard J. Green,
Gertrude Purcell
Cinematographer: John Stumar
Cast:Herbert Marshall (Jim Buchanan),
Jean Arthur (Joan Hawthorne),
Leo Carrillo (Mike Rossini),
Lionel Stander (Flash),
Alan Edwards (Bob Reynolds),
Frieda Inescort (Evelyn Fletcher),
Gene Morgan (Al),
Ralf Harolde (Swig),
Matt McHugh (Pete),
Richard Powell (Chesty),
Mariska Aldrich (Swedish Cook),
William Anderson (Newsboy),
John Ardell (Member of Board of Directors),
William Arnold (Second Inspector),
Wyrley Birch (Minister),
Joan Blair (Kate),
Ralph Brooks (Extra as Wedding Guest),
Michelette Burani (French Cook),
Walter Byron (Roy),
Romaine Callender (Jennings)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 72 min
The best French war films ever made
For a nation that was badly scarred by both World Wars, is it so surprising that some of the most profound and poignant war films were made in France?
In the 1910s, French cinema led the way with a new industry which actively encouraged innovation. From the serials of Louis Feuillade to the first auteur pieces of Abel Gance, this decade is rich in cinematic marvels.
Since the 1920s, Hollywood has dominated the film industry, but that doesn't mean American cinema is all bad - America has produced so many great films that you could never watch them all in one lifetime.