Monday, September 19, 2016

Distracted?



Sat., August 26, 1933 - Cleaned up the house.  Started to sort my school material but didn't finish the job.  Mother went down town, but I went to bed early this evening.
Sun., August 27, 1933 - Uncle Max came in this forenoon and Grandad, Mom, and I went home with him.  Sophia and some other kids had gone to Norfolk for watermelons.  When they came back we had all we wanted to eat.  Uncle Max and Aunt Emma brought us home.  Went to the Granada with Howard,  Saw Chas. Ruggles in "Papa Loves Mama" and Ann Harding and Wm. Powell in a picture, I didn't see the name of it.
Mon., August 28, 1933 - I slept late this a.m.  We ironed most of the clothes.  Annie and the kids were in this afternoon while Mom finished Annie's dress.  This evening when they were in the car ready to leave I kissed Annabelle goodbye but not Leeroy.  When I stepped away from the car, Leeroy called, "Kiss me!"  Quite unusual for he doesn't care much for the loving act.  Mom and I wrote to Ray tonite.

How does one go to a movie and not see the name of it?  Distracted by a dashing companion, maybe?  Here's the plot to the only movie I found with William Powell and Ann Harding in 1933, Double Harness (from wikipedia):

     When spoiled younger sister Valerie Colby (Lucile Browne) becomes engaged to be married to Dennis Moore (George Meeker), a more level-headed Joan (Ann Harding) decides to do the same, not because she is in love, but in order to make something of herself. She chooses unambitious, wealthy playboy John Fletcher (William Powell), who owns a troubled shipping line.

     She eventually spends the night in his apartment. To Joan's annoyance, over the following months, she finds herself falling in love. When John shows no interest in marrying her, Joan forces the issue. She arranges for her father, Colonel Sam Colby (Henry Stephenson), to find them in a compromising position. John graciously agrees to do the honorable thing and marry Joan. However, on their honeymoon cruise, he lets her know that he expects her to grant him a divorce after a decent interval. They settle on six months.

     Joan prods her husband into taking an interest in his family business. To his surprise, he finds that he enjoys it. As the new Postmaster General (Wallis Clark) is a good friend of her father's, Joan invites him to dinner, hoping to land a government contract.

     Meanwhile, Valerie goes into debt due to her extravagant spending habits and borrows from her big sister over and over again. Joan gives Valerie all she can afford without touching John's money. Finally, she pawns a ring for half the latest sum Valerie needs, but tells her that it is the last time.

     That same day, John finally realizes that he loves his wife. However, when he goes home, Valerie goes to John behind Joan's back and cons him into give her a check. Joan finds out and tears up the check. In her anger, Valerie blurts out how Joan trapped John into marriage.

     Disillusioned, he turns to his former paramour, Mrs. Monica Page (Lilian Bond). Joan follows them to Monica's apartment and confesses all, including the fact that she has fallen in love with him, to no avail. She then tries to salvage her dinner party. To her delight, John shows up and makes it clear that he believes and forgives her.

And this is even better.  I could not find Papa Loves Mama, so I searched for Charles Ruggles' movies and found one he made in 1933 titled "Mama Loves Papa".  Grandma was perhaps more distracted than I originally thought.  Or else she was just tired.  Or genetically prone to imperfection like the rest of us.  I like to think she was more interested in Grandpa than details such as movie titles.  Here's a short plot of "Mama Loves Papa", courtesy of wikipedia:

     While Wilbur Todd (Charles Ruggles) is content with his middle class life, his wife Jessie (Mary Boland) aspires to a higher social standing. She insists he wear fine clothes because she believes that clothes make the man. When his strange new clothes bring derision rather than admiration, and tired of his wife's constant nagging, Wilbur goes off on a drunken spree and innocently becomes involved with the village vamp, Mrs. McIntosh (Lilyan Tashman).

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