by Glenn Erickson
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Brief Synopsis
A glamorous woman takes over a newspaper and clashes with the editor.
Cast & Crew
Read More
George B. Seitz
Director
Edna May Oliver
Mrs. [Lou] Atherton
Maureen O'sullivan
Martha Aldrich
Walter Pidgeon
Ken Morley
Rita Johnson
Ellen Warfield
Janet Beecher
Mrs. Sinclair
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Sep
17,
1937
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
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
When Thomas Hobson, publisher of the New York Globe-Leader , dies without leaving a will, the paper reverts to his niece, Martha Aldrich, a schoolteacher from Nebraska. Ken Morley, the woman-hating managing editor of the Globe-Leader , is not looking forward to a woman boss, especially as he is busy working on a big story about the possible pregnancy of a visiting European queen. Impressed to find that Martha is an attractive young woman, Ken accompanies Martha and her aunt, Mrs. Lou Atherton, to spend the weekend at ex-Governor Warfield's home. While Aunt Lou works on newspaper puzzles, Martha works on Ken, trying to convince him to reverse his policy against hiring women. A few days later, when she boldly calls the queen to ask if the rumors are true, she confirms the pregnancy and lands an interview as well. When Martha officially takes ownership of the paper, Ken has "the boys" dress up themselves and the city room to make fun of her, but she ignores the swipe and asks for a job as a reporter. Despite his views on women reporters, Ken agrees, partially because he has fallen in love with her. Later, when Warfield's daughter Ellen asks Martha to be a witness at her secret marriage to Chronicle editor Gregory Stone, and the scoop is only printed in the Chronicle , Ken angrily fires her. Consoling herself by buying a hat, Martha sees Mrs. Sinclair, who with her husband is an important labor leader about to initiate a strike against industrialist Talbot, and gets a hunch about a secret settlement. She goes to Mrs. Sinclair to get a story but, though Mrs. Sinclair is sympathetic to the plight of woman reporters, she tells Martha nothing. Later, Martha sees the Sinclairs sneak out of their apartment and follows them to the Red Apple Inn in Fort Lee, where they and Talbot are secretly ratifying a new labor contract. While Ellen tries to get her story by hiding in a dumb waiter, a worried Ken and Aunt Lou discover where she has gone and follow her with reporter Ted Martin. Angered when she realizes that Martha actually owns the Globe-Leader , Mrs. Sinclair ties her up and decides to give the story only to the Chronicle . When Ken, Ted and Aunt Lou break in, they, too, are tied up. After using the mirror from her compact to untie their bonds, Martha and Ken sneak out and plant the story while Aunt Lou pretends to have small pox and the restaurant is quarantined by some of Ken's reporters posing as ambulance attendants. Finally realizing that they work well together as a team, Ken proposes that she stay on as a reporter and as his wife, and she happily agrees to both propositions.
Director
George B. Seitz
Director
Cast
Edna May Oliver
Mrs. [Lou] Atherton
Maureen O'sullivan
Martha Aldrich
Walter Pidgeon
Ken Morley
Rita Johnson
Ellen Warfield
Janet Beecher
Mrs. Sinclair
Paul Harvey
Mr. Sinclair
Charles Waldron
Mr. [Ex-governor] Warfield
Walter Kingsford
Mr. Talbot
Roger Converse
Ted Martin
Guinn Williams
An attendant
Leonid Kinskey
A waiter
Brent Sargent
Gregory [Stone]
J. Farrell Macdonald
"Doc" Howe
Robert Greig
The major domo
Harry Tyler
Taxi driver James Joseph McElarney
Jack Norton
First drunk at inn
Lya Lys
The Queen
Renie Riano
Maid
Billy Wayne
Joe
Leonid Snegoff
Equerry
Don Barclay
Second drunk
Carl Stockdale
Apartment house manager
E. Alyn Warren
Doctor
James Flavin
Doctor
Selmer Jackson
Captain
Edward J. Le Saint
American
William Norton Bailey
Dupont
Sunny Bupp
Little boy
Margaret Bert
Boy's mother
Leonard Carey
William, the bulter
George Noisom
Office boy
Gwen Lee
Hat saleswoman
Marcelle Corday
Madame Sada
Hal Le Suer
Reporter
Ralph Bushman
Hauser
Wally Maher
Mechanic
Clive Morgan
Doorman
Paul Newlan
Husky man
Arthur Belasco
Press man
Marie Blake
Telephone operator
Adia Kuznetzoff
Servant
Garry Owen
Cop
George Davis
Waiter
Bud Fine
Doctor
Jack Baxley
Customer
Crew
E. J. Babille
Assistant Director
Randall Duell
Art Director Associate
Cedric Gibbons
Art Director
William S. Gray
Film Editor
Charles Lawton Jr.
Photography
Herman J. Mankiewicz
Original story and Screenplay
Douglas Shearer
Recording Director
David Snell
Music Score
Dolly Tree
Wardrobe
Edwin B. Willis
Art Director Associate
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Sep
17,
1937
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
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
My Dear Miss Aldrich
The big-studio heyday of the 1930s honored great actresses, even if the roles they were given were sometimes limited. Written by the co-author of Citizen Kane (1941), the newspaper comedy-drama My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937) is interesting in that it addresses feminist issues, in at least a superficial way. Attractive Nebraska schoolteacher Martha Aldrich (Marsha Hunt) inherits a New York paper, and quietly hires on as reporter despite the standing rule of the editor (Walter Pidgeon) never to hire women. Martha scores with a scoop on the pregnancy of visiting royalty, but is fired for being too discreet about a society elopement. She soon learns that the only important thing is to obtain the story. Snooping out the truth behind some labor negotiations requires Martha to hide in a dumbwaiter; when the shifty union leaders capture both Martha and her boss, she pulls off a clever escape and retaliates with a fake quarantine scam to come through with the big story. My Dear Miss Aldrich was praised for the peppy newspaper patter of its writer Herman J. Mankewicz. Critics thought that the best jokes were stolen by its co-star, grand dame actress Edna May Oliver. Gorgeous Broadway actress Hunt never quite reached major star status. She made her film debut at age 18, and played mostly in ensemble films, (Cry 'Havoc' and The Human Comedy, 1943) or supporting roles in star vehicles for other actresses, such as 1941's Blossoms in the Dust. She did well on TV and the stage, for which she was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1950. Ms. Hunt has never stopped working. Her 1983 book on Hollywood fashion is entitled, 'The Way We Wore.'
by Glenn Erickson
by Glenn Erickson
My Dear Miss Aldrich
The big-studio heyday of the 1930s honored great actresses, even if the roles they were given were sometimes limited. Written by the co-author of Citizen Kane (1941), the newspaper comedy-drama My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937) is interesting in that it addresses feminist issues, in at least a superficial way. Attractive Nebraska schoolteacher Martha Aldrich (Marsha Hunt) inherits a New York paper, and quietly hires on as reporter despite the standing rule of the editor (Walter Pidgeon) never to hire women. Martha scores with a scoop on the pregnancy of visiting royalty, but is fired for being too discreet about a society elopement. She soon learns that the only important thing is to obtain the story. Snooping out the truth behind some labor negotiations requires Martha to hide in a dumbwaiter; when the shifty union leaders capture both Martha and her boss, she pulls off a clever escape and retaliates with a fake quarantine scam to come through with the big story. My Dear Miss Aldrich was praised for the peppy newspaper patter of its writer Herman J. Mankewicz. Critics thought that the best jokes were stolen by its co-star, grand dame actress Edna May Oliver. Gorgeous Broadway actress Hunt never quite reached major star status. She made her film debut at age 18, and played mostly in ensemble films, (Cry 'Havoc' and The Human Comedy, 1943) or supporting roles in star vehicles for other actresses, such as 1941's Blossoms in the Dust. She did well on TV and the stage, for which she was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1950. Ms. Hunt has never stopped working. Her 1983 book on Hollywood fashion is entitled, 'The Way We Wore.'
by Glenn Erickson
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
A Hollywood Reporter production chart on July 19, 1937 incorrectly identified actor Walter Pidgeon as Arthur Pidgeon. According to a news item in Hollywood Reporter, Pidgeon was borrowed from Universal for the picture, but subsequent to its completion, he was put under contract to M-G-M.
