THE SECRET BRIDE

 

THE SECRET BRIDE (1934) is not a romantic melodrama--it is a mystery story involving political corruption at the state level. It was produced by Warner Bros., and it stars Barbara Stanwyck and Warren William. 

Robert Sheldon (Warren William), the attorney general of his state, marries Ruth Vincent (Barbara Stanwyck), the daughter of the state's governor. Before the two can publicly announce the event, Sheldon finds out that his office must investigate evidence that the governor has taken a bribe. Sheldon believes the governor is being framed, but Ruth begs him to keep their marriage secret for the time being--if the public finds out about their relationship, critics will say that the attorney general is biased toward his father-in-law. Complications ensue when one of Sheldon's investigators (Douglass Dumbrille) is murdered, and Sheldon's secretary (Glenda Farrell) is charged with the crime. The main witness to the shooting is Ruth, and she's afraid to go forward, because that will reveal her marriage to Bob.....it all gets settled out in the end. 

THE SECRET BRIDE is another of those 1930s Warner movies that are only about an hour long, but have enough plot to last twice that time. The story goes so fast that at times it goes right past the main characters. Warren William and Barbara Stanwyck take it upon themselves to investigate matters, but things get so far ahead of them they wind up reacting to the situation rather than solving it. 

This film was released in late 1934, post-Code, and due to that it doesn't have the Pre-Code Warners sass. There's almost no humor, except for Glenda Farrell having a few wisecracks. Stanwyck and Warren William got up to all sorts of things in the Pre-Code days, but here they're positively tame. As always, Stanwyck does the best she can in the situation, but the role doesn't enable her to show off her acting talents. (She is fitted out with a impressive wardrobe here.)

Barbara Stanwyck and Warren William

Glenda Farrell doesn't get all that much to do either (her role could have been played by just about any actress of the time). There's plenty of distinguished looking actors in the story, such as Douglass Dumbrille, Henry O'Neill, and Arthur Byron as the Governor. (If you know your supporting players, you can easily figure out who the bad guys are.) Grant Mitchell winds up getting the best role in the film as the frightened little man who is the key to the whole affair. 

Former German silent screen star and now director William Dieterle does his best to put some vitality into the tale, with a roving camera, plenty of movement in the frame, and a number of montages. Ernest Haller's cinematography gives some expressionism to the proceedings. 

I had high hopes for THE SECRET BRIDE, what with the combination of Barbara Stanwyck and Warren William. It's not bad--the visual aspects of the film are impressive--but I felt much more could have been made of the story. For example--what if the attorney general and the governor didn't like each other, and Warren William was actively trying to send the man to jail, while still in love with his daughter? That would have made things much more dramatic, and given Stanwyck much more to work with. One of the habits of film geeks like me is to constantly "re-write" old movies in our minds, somehow boldly thinking we can improve them.