By Your Leave

1934
Approved
1h 22m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Frank Morgan and Genevieve Tobin in By Your Leave (1934)

In the midst of a mid-life crisis, Henry Smith convinces his wife, Ellen, that they should take separate one-week vacations, with no questions asked. He tries to sow some wild oats with a sh... Read allIn the midst of a mid-life crisis, Henry Smith convinces his wife, Ellen, that they should take separate one-week vacations, with no questions asked. He tries to sow some wild oats with a show girl and a paid escort, while she reacquaints herself with a childhood friend, now a fa... Read allIn the midst of a mid-life crisis, Henry Smith convinces his wife, Ellen, that they should take separate one-week vacations, with no questions asked. He tries to sow some wild oats with a show girl and a paid escort, while she reacquaints herself with a childhood friend, now a famous explorer. Both get more than they bargained for.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.8/10

203

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Top cast22

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Frank Morgan

Henry Smith

Genevieve Tobin

Ellen Smith

Neil Hamilton

David McKenzie

Marian Nixon

Andree
(as Marion Nixon)

Glenn Anders

Freddie Wilkins

Gene Lockhart

Skeets

Margaret Hamilton

Whiffen

Betty Grable

Frances

Charles Ray

Leonard Purcell

Lona Andre

Florence Purcell

Irving Bacon

Harry
(uncredited)

Shirley Chambers

Merle
(uncredited)

Ray Cooke

Elevator Operator
(uncredited)

Susan Fleming

Miss Allen
(uncredited)

Jack Gargan

Taxi Driver
(uncredited)

Tom Herbert

Bartender
(uncredited)

Lenita Lane

Laura
(uncredited)

Mary MacLaren

Costume Company Fitter
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Five years later, Frank Morgan (Henry Smith) and Margaret Hamilton (Whiffen) would both have prominent roles in The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Goofs
Glenn Anders' onscreen credits lists his character name as Freddie Wilkins, but he's called Freddie Clark throughout the movie.

Quotes
Henry Smith: [tasting a stiff drink] Seems to be a little kick to this horse.
Whiffen: You must've drunk the hind legs first.

Soundtracks
Far Above Cayuga's Waters
(ca 1870) (uncredited)
(Cornell University's alma mater)
Music (from the song "Annie Lisle") by H.S. Thompson (1857)
Lyrics by Archibald Croswell-Weeks and Wilmot Moses Smith (ca 1870)
Sung a cappella by Gene Lockhart

User reviews7

Review

Featured review

5/10

Frank Morgan in innocuous RKO programmer...

One of the pleasures of my movie-going life is to watch FRANK MORGAN in just about anything. His well established mannerisms gave many an MGM film a lift, particularly in the '30s and '40s, but here he's doing a job for RKO under Pandro S. Berman's auspices and his lovable presence is somewhat ill served by a less than original script.

But even a mild programmer like this has some compensations. MARGARET HAMILTON plays a nosy maid influenced by astrology and a platinum-haired BETTY GRABLE makes a brief appearance in one of her early starlet roles. But the story revolves around the "seven year itch" aspect of Frank Morgan's marriage and his own inability to accept the fact that he's middle-aged. GENEVIEVE TOBIN makes no particular impression as his understanding wife who reluctantly accepts the idea that they take a vacation from marriage. NEIL HAMILTON has virtually little to do as her romantic interest.

It's Morgan's restless, blustery performance that carries the film, but there's not much plot to carry. Based on a play, it's a theme better handled years later in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH.