Henry Henigson Movies
- 1938
James Whale directed this screen adaptation of Marcel Pagnol's French classic Fanny. Madelon (Maureen O'Hara) is a lovely young woman who lives in a seaside community, where she has fallen in love with Marius (John Beal), a sailor. Marius is called to duty and sets sail, shortly before Madelon makes the discovery that she'd pregnant with his child. Not sure what to do, Madelon confesses her predicament to Panisse (Frank Morgan), a longtime friend who is pals with Cesar (Wallace Beery), Marius's father. To spare Madelon the shame of a child born out of wedlock, Panisse offers to marry Madelon, and she agrees, though both realize this will be a union of convenience rather than love. When Marius returns after his hitch is up, he declares his love to Madelon, but time has forced her to realize that the older but loving Panisse would be a better father for her child than Marius, who she loves but rarely ever gets to see. Port of Seven Seas was written for the screen by Preston Sturges, who came aboard for the project when William Wyler was originally slated to direct. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Morgan, Maureen O'Sullivan, (more)
Margaret Sullavan graduates from a girl's orphanage to an usherette's job at a Budapest movie theatre. Bibulous millionaire Frank Morgan makes a play for Margaret, but she keeps him at arm's length by picking a name from the phone book and insists that that's the name of her husband. The man chosen at random is attorney Herbert Marshall, who can't understand why Morgan has taken a sudden interest in him. Morgan offers Marshall a huge contract in hopes that Margaret will be "exchanged", but the truth comes out to everyone's satisfaction. Adapted from a Ferenc Molnar play by Preston Sturges (who added a hilarious movie-within-a-movie in which the "stars" emote by speaking in one-syllable sentences), Good Fairy was remade as the Deanna Durbin vehicle I'll Be Yours (47). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Sullavan, Herbert Marshall, (more)
Adapted from the play by Elmer Rice, Counsellor-at-Law is the story of a successful Jewish lawyer George Simon (John Barrymore) who finds it's lonely at the top. Simon's wife (Doris Kenyon) and children look down upon him because of his humble upbringings, while his mother reprimands him for turning his back on his heritage. Simon is threatened with disbarment when a rival digs up a big wormy can of legal wrongdoing in Simon's past, but this is only the beginning of the end. When the beleaguered lawyer discovers that his wife has been unfaithful, he looks out the window of his Empire State Building office and contemplates suicide. Simon is brought to his senses by his faithful secretary (Bebe Daniels), who has loved him all along. Filled with vivid character vignettes and blessed with energetic direction by William Wyler, Counsellor-at-Law is one of the best "lawyer" films of the 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels, (more)
