Man Wanted (1932)
** (out of 4)
Workaholic editor Lois Ames (Kay Francis) grows tired of women secretaries complaining so she hires an ambitious young man (David Manners). Soon the two are working long hours together and they start to fall for one another but the only problem is that she's married and he has a fiancé (Una Merkel). MAN WANTED is yet another "B" programmer from Warner that certainly has a few pre-code elements but in the end the product just seems rushed and nothing really comes together. I think the biggest problem is that the screenplay just doesn't have enough fre sh or original ideas to carry out even the short 62-minute running time. With such a short time you really shouldn't be looking at your clock at the half hour mark and it's even worse when the next thirty-minutes just drag along. The film has a pretty simple set-up because you know Francis' husband is going to be a no-good party animal and of course she's going to be attracted to Manners because he's hard working like she is. That's fine. What doesn't work is that we have to sit through forty-minutes worth of back and forth where neither character knows what they want yet it's obvious to the viewer. I think Francis was always good at playing these strong women and that continues here. She's certainly believable in the part and when she's going overboard trying to keep her busy schedule going it makes you feel she's being real. Manners is also pretty good in his part, although the screenplay certainly doesn't make it a very glamorous part. Merkel is quite annoying with a high-pitched voice but that's what the character called for. Andy Devine plays that type of character that only he could. Universal horror fans will be happy to see Edward Van Sloan in a quick scene and yes he gets to appear with Manners. MAN WANTED has a couple good ideas but in the end there's just not enough here worth watching so this is clearly just for fans of the actors.
** (out of 4)
Workaholic editor Lois Ames (Kay Francis) grows tired of women secretaries complaining so she hires an ambitious young man (David Manners). Soon the two are working long hours together and they start to fall for one another but the only problem is that she's married and he has a fiancé (Una Merkel). MAN WANTED is yet another "B" programmer from Warner that certainly has a few pre-code elements but in the end the product just seems rushed and nothing really comes together. I think the biggest problem is that the screenplay just doesn't have enough fre sh or original ideas to carry out even the short 62-minute running time. With such a short time you really shouldn't be looking at your clock at the half hour mark and it's even worse when the next thirty-minutes just drag along. The film has a pretty simple set-up because you know Francis' husband is going to be a no-good party animal and of course she's going to be attracted to Manners because he's hard working like she is. That's fine. What doesn't work is that we have to sit through forty-minutes worth of back and forth where neither character knows what they want yet it's obvious to the viewer. I think Francis was always good at playing these strong women and that continues here. She's certainly believable in the part and when she's going overboard trying to keep her busy schedule going it makes you feel she's being real. Manners is also pretty good in his part, although the screenplay certainly doesn't make it a very glamorous part. Merkel is quite annoying with a high-pitched voice but that's what the character called for. Andy Devine plays that type of character that only he could. Universal horror fans will be happy to see Edward Van Sloan in a quick scene and yes he gets to appear with Manners. MAN WANTED has a couple good ideas but in the end there's just not enough here worth watching so this is clearly just for fans of the actors.