By Richard Harland Smith
Are You Listening?
Brief Synopsis
A radio announcer accidentally kills his wife, then leads an on-air hunt for her killer.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Harry Beaumont
Director
William Haines
Bill Grimes
Madge Evans
Laura [O'Neil]
Anita Page
Sally [O'Neil]
Karen Morley
Alice [Grimes]
Neil Hamilton
[Jack] Clayton
Film Details
Genre
Drama
Classic Hollywood
Release Date
Mar
21,
1932
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Are You Listening? by J. P. McEvoy (Boston, 1932).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 13m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8 reels
Synopsis
Radio continuity writer Bill Grimes is unhappily married to Alice and wants a divorce to marry radio actress Laura O'Neil. Though Alice knows about his relationship with Laura, she refuses to give Bill a divorce until he earns enough to give her $100 a week in alimony. Laura lives with her two sisters, Sally and Honey, both of whom are more interested in rich men and parties than waiting around for a nice man like Bill. On the night of Bill's third wedding anniversary, Alice coerces him into attending a dinner party, leaving Laura to wait for his late night visit. Her sisters meanwhile go to a dinner party at the apartment of the wealthy Jack Clayton, who gets Honey drunk. Two months later, Bill, who has had to break off his relationship with Laura, is discharged for losing an account because his gag lines are no longer funny. At home, Alice, who is completely unsympathetic, answers a phone call from Laura but prevents her from telling Bill that she has talked his boss, Mr. Carson, into giving him his job back. Finally fed up with Alice, Bill walks out, not knowing about Carson's offer. A short time later, Honey finally realizes that Clayton has been leading her on, but still decides to take a job he has offered her with The Morning Tab editor Ted Russell. On Christmas Eve, while radio singer Larry Barnes takes Honey, with whom he is in love, to see a Christmas tree for poor newsboys, Bill is about to be evicted from his hotel, but looks forward to a job interview with another station. Alice comes to his hotel, and warns him to get her some money quickly. In an argument, he accidentally knocks her down and leaves, realizing she's dead. He then goes to Laura and tells her he's leaving town, but while they are saying goodbye, they hear a police radio broadcast report about Alice's "murder," and Laura decides to run away with him. As they drive toward Florida, Honey's boss concocts a plan to capture "The radio man" through radio broadcasts. Two days later, when Bill and Laura stop for gas, someone recognizes them and phones Miami Clarion editor Pierce, who gets them into his office and calls Russell. Russell devises a plan to secretly broadcast an interview with Bill on a radio hook-up. After announcing to the audience that Bill is a cold-blooded killer, Russell pretends to Bill that he actually thinks he's innocent. While Laura pleads over the radio for Bill, Russell uses the broadcast to further enflame the public against him. Bill is arrested and convicted of manslaughter, and as he takes the train to prison, Laura comes to see him off. Because Bill has gottern a three-year sentence, he assures Laura that with good behavior he will be out in a year and maybe by then the Depression will be over.
Director
Harry Beaumont
Director
Cast
William Haines
Bill Grimes
Madge Evans
Laura [O'Neil]
Anita Page
Sally [O'Neil]
Karen Morley
Alice [Grimes]
Neil Hamilton
[Jack] Clayton
Wallace Ford
Larry [Barnes]
Jean Hersholt
George Wagner
Joan Marsh
Honey [O'Neil]
John Miljan
[Ted] Russell
Murray Kinnell
Carson
Ethel Griffies
Mrs. Peters
Hattie Mcdaniel
Singer
Rolfe Sedan
Hotel manager
Louise Carter
Mrs. O'Neil
Charles Coleman
Butler
Frank Whitbeck
Radio announcer
Herman Bing
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Drama
Classic Hollywood
Release Date
Mar
21,
1932
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Are You Listening? by J. P. McEvoy (Boston, 1932).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 13m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8 reels
Articles
Are You Listening?
His openly gay lifestyle a thorn in the side of his bosses at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, irreverent screen idol William Haines was left vulnerable when his star vehicles began to fail at the box office. Once hailed as one of Hollywood's top tier wisecracking male leads (whose leading ladies included Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, and Leila Hyams), Haines was recast by MGM as a dramatic actor and plugged into Are You Listening? (1932), in a role rejected by Robert Montgomery - Metro's "next William Haines." Playing a radio writer who becomes a fugitive from justice when his nag of a wife (Karen Morley) is found murdered, Haines is surrounded by an able cast of studio players, among them frequent costar Anita Page, Jean Hersholt, Neil Hamilton, Wallace Ford, Charles Grapewin, and Hattie McDaniel in an unbilled early role as a singer. Like Haines, Page had fallen from the good graces of studio head Louis B. Mayer (rumor has it she threw a chair at him), who shunted her into this project as punishment. In an effort to regain Mayer's favor, Haines considered entering into a sham marriage to boost his box office potential and proposed to Page during filming - but the actress turned him down and the two remained friends. Are You Listening? proved to be Haines' last film for Metro. He made only three more films before abandoning acting to take up a more satisfying second career as an interior designer.
By Richard Harland Smith
By Richard Harland Smith
Are You Listening?
His openly gay lifestyle a thorn in the side of his bosses at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, irreverent screen idol William Haines was left vulnerable when his star vehicles began to fail at the box office. Once hailed as one of Hollywood's top tier wisecracking male leads (whose leading ladies included Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, and Leila Hyams), Haines was recast by MGM as a dramatic actor and plugged into Are You Listening? (1932), in a role rejected by Robert Montgomery - Metro's "next William Haines." Playing a radio writer who becomes a fugitive from justice when his nag of a wife (Karen Morley) is found murdered, Haines is surrounded by an able cast of studio players, among them frequent costar Anita Page, Jean Hersholt, Neil Hamilton, Wallace Ford, Charles Grapewin, and Hattie McDaniel in an unbilled early role as a singer. Like Haines, Page had fallen from the good graces of studio head Louis B. Mayer (rumor has it she threw a chair at him), who shunted her into this project as punishment. In an effort to regain Mayer's favor, Haines considered entering into a sham marriage to boost his box office potential and proposed to Page during filming - but the actress turned him down and the two remained friends. Are You Listening? proved to be Haines' last film for Metro. He made only three more films before abandoning acting to take up a more satisfying second career as an interior designer.
By Richard Harland Smith
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
J. P. McEvoy's movel was serialized in Collier's from 17 October to December 12, 1931. A news item in Hollywood Reporter erroneously stated that it was serialized in Liberty. A news item in Film Daily stated that Robert Montgomery was originally set for the lead in the film and that Maude Eburne was also to be in the cast. Montgomery was replaced by Haines; Eburne's participation in the film has not been confirmed as she was not seen in the viewing print or mentioned in any reviews. It is possible that she was replaced by another actress. The Variety review notes that this film "has only the dubious advantage of being the forerunner of a new cycle of pictures centered around the broadcast business."
