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poster of Craig's Wife
Rating: 6.3/10 by 15 users

Craig's Wife (1936)

Harriet, Walter Craig's wife, is an upper-class woman obsessed with control, material possessions and social status whose behavior makes difficult her relationship with domestic service and family members.

Directing:
  • Dorothy Arzner
  • Arthur S. Black Jr.
Writing:
  • Mary C. McCall, Jr.
  • George Kelly
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Sep 25, 1936

Rating: 6.3/10 by 15 users

Alternative Title:
Craig’s Wife - US

Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 15 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0

Plot Keyword: husband wife relationship, materialism, remake, obsessive compulsive disorder (ocd), social status, woman director, abusive person

Rosalind Russell
Harriet Craig
John Boles
Walter Craig
Billie Burke
Mrs. Frazier
Jane Darwell
Mrs. Harold
Dorothy Wilson
Ethel Landreth
Alma Kruger
Miss Austen
Thomas Mitchell
Fergus Passmore
Raymond Walburn
Billy Birkmire
Elisabeth Risdon
Mrs. Landreth
Robert Allen
Gene Fredericks
Kathleen Burke
Adelaide Passmore
Wallis Clark
Mr. Burton (Uncredited)
Nell Craig
Nurse Rigby (Uncredited)
Stanley Andrews
Police Officer Davis (Uncredited)
George Offerman, Jr.
Tom McGuire (Uncredited)
Thomas Pogue
Billy Birkmire's Father (Uncredited)
Frankie Van
Cab Driver (Uncredited)
John Hamilton
Detective (Uncredited)
George Sorel
Headwaiter (Uncredited)
James P. Burtis
Moving Man (Uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse
Nightclub Patron (Uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Nightclub Patron (Uncredited)

CinemaSerf

This isn't one of Rosalind Russell's better outings, but she still dominates the proceedings as the over-bearing and rather shallow "Harriet". She has come from an ordinary background and married the doting "Walter" (John Boles) so she can have the perfect, sterile, home. Next door, "Mrs. Frazier" (Billie Burke) nurtures her roses and it's a after a visit from her to "Aunt Ellen" (Alma Kruger) that this outwardly idyllic scenario starts to show some cracks. It becomes clear to us, indeed to all but poor old "Walter", that she is not exactly highly thought of and after a contretemps with his aunt who decides to leave - and take their housekeeper (Jane Darwell) with her, she finds it increasingly difficult to retain the obsessive degree of control over her husband she requires. Meantime, his poker partner - the rather dipso "Fergus" (Thomas Mitchell) is on a bit of a downward spiral, and when he is found killed - alongside his cheating wife "Adelaide" (Kathleen Burke) a few phone calls start to involve the police and bring the domestic issues faced by "Walter" to his attention and ultimately, to an head that "Harriet" can do little to manipulate. Though amiable enough, Boles isn't really a very versatile or impressive actor and he doesn't really have enough here to match Russell's efficient portrayal of a woman who knows exactly what she wants - and how to go about getting it. I found the direction just a little to episodic - like a stage play changing scenes rather abruptly from time- to-time, but the domino-falling conclusion is fitting, if a little rushed, and though I doubt very much you'll recall the story for long, it's easy to see why Russell was the star she was.


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