The Office Wife

The Office Wife
Poster showing Hobart Bosworth and Dorothy Mackaill
Directed by	Lloyd Bacon
Written by	Charles Kenyon based on the novel by Faith Baldwin
Starring	Dorothy Mackaill Lewis Stone Natalie Moorhead Joan Blondell Hobart Bosworth
Music by	Alois Reiser
Cinematography	William Rees
Editing by	George Marks
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	August 23, 1930
Running time	59 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

The Office Wife is a 1930 American Pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Lloyd Bacon, released by Warner Bros., and based on the novel of the same name by Faith Baldwin. It was the talkie debut for Joan Blondell who would become one of the major Warner Bros. stars for the following nine years.

Plot

Publisher Larry Fellowes (Lewis Stone) believes the personal secretary/stenographer spends more time with the busy executive and makes more decisions than his wife, which creates a stronger bond between secretary and boss than that between husband and wife. He persuades author Kate Halsey (Blanche Friderici) to write a novel based on this premise with these points and promises of riches.

When Larry's secretary ( Dale Fuller) learns of his plans to marry Linda (Natalie Moorhead), the secretary has a nervous breakdown because she is in love with him herself. A new secretary, Anne Murdock (Dorothy Mackaill), is hired while Larry is on his honeymoon. She is attractive, intelligent and efficient. Larry, a workaholic, begins to neglect his wife working with his secretary, and they both fall in love. Meanwhile, his wife is seeing another man named Mr. Jameson (Brooks Benedict) with whom she falls in love.

Eventually, Larry kisses Anne while they are working together at his apartment, while Linda makes love with her young gigolo. Mr. Jameson gives her the key to his apartment and says goodnight. Linda returns to her husband (after giving them enough time to compose themselves) and tells Larry that they should go to bed as it is very late. Anne watches as Larry goes to the bedroom with his wife and closes the door behind him. She is heartbroken and decides she will give him her resignation in the morning.

Linda decides to divorce Larry. Both discuss this in a very civil fashion. Meanwhile Anne agrees to marry her long time admirer Ted O'Hara after giving her resignation. On the final day of work, Anne's sister Katherine Murdock (Joan Blondell) manages to phone Larry and explain the real state of things, bringing about a happy ending.

Cast

• Dorothy Mackaill as Anne Murdock
• Lewis Stone as Larry Fellowes
• Natalie Moorhead as Linda Fellowes
• Hobart Bosworth as J.P. McGowan
• Joan Blondell as Katherine Murdock
• Blanche Friderici as Kate Halsey
• Brooks Benedict as Jameson
• Dale Fuller as Secretary Andrews
• Walter Merrill as Ted O'Hara

Cameos

• Dickie Moore makes an appearance in the scene by the pool.

Preservation

The film survives intact and has been broadcast on television and cable.

External links

• The Office Wife at the Internet Movie Database