Merry Wives of Reno (1934)
*** (out of 4)
Delightful gem from Warner about three couples (Guy Kibbee-Ruth Donnelly, Donald Woods-Margaret Lindsay, Glenda Farrell-Hugh Herbert) who keep running into each other, which just leads to one mistake after another and soon the three wives are in Reno trying to get divorces. At just 64-minutes this pre-code comedy flies by at a very quick pace and there are enough laughs here to make you wonder why it isn't better known. With a terrific cast of stock players from the studio, this picture really is the true definition of a gem and it's really too bad that it isn't better known with comedy fans. I think the best thing the film has going for it is the wonderful screenplay, which offers up some terrific situations and great comedy lines. Some of the best moments happen at the start of the film when Kibbee and Donnelly, a married couple for nineteen years, start to go after one another and throwing some terrific insults. This early sequence in their apartment really gets the film going and it really never slows down. There's some very funny bits between Woods and Lindsay as the "new" couple who get going in a lie and can't get out of it. The performers really do a wonderful job in their roles with Kibbee easily stealing the film as the drunk husband who wants nothing more than a divorce. I thought the actor did a fantastic job with his drunk scenes and his comic timing was right on the mark. Lindsay is also very good in her role of the wife who can't make her mind up on what she wants. The supporting cast also includes Frank McHugh, Roscoe Ates, Herbert Cavanaugh and Hattie McDaniel. MERRY WIVES OF RENO doesn't end as well as one would hope but with the terrific cast and great laughs it comes highly recommended.
