Are Husbands Necessary?
Cast & Crew
Norman Taurog
Ray Milland
Betty Field
Patricia Morison
Eugene Pallette
Charles Dingle
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
George and Mary Elizabeth Cugat are about to celebrate their second wedding anniversary and dream of having a child. Although they live comfortably on George's earnings as a bank official, Liz's scatterbrained handling of their finances constantly puts them in jeopardy. Liz becomes jealous when George's former girl friend, Myra Ponsonby, comes for a visit with his party-loving friends Bill Stone, Cory Cartwright and Chuck, an artist, after which George spends the entire evening dancing at a nightclub with Myra. Chuck takes Liz home early and, hoping to make George jealous, Liz prominently displays Chuck's hat, which he accidentally left at the house. George is disinterested, however, and later, Liz, believing a child is a solution to her problems, unsuccessfully tries to adopt a baby on the spot. In order to prevent George from meeting again with Myra, Liz then pretends that she and George have been invited to the country home of his boss, Duncan Atterbury. The Atterburys are entertaining a potential investor, Bunker, and are surprised by the sudden appearance of their employee and his wife. They nonetheless invite the Cugats to stay and Liz, hoping that George will be promoted to vice-president, impersonates a Southern belle to charm Bunker. Bunker sees through Liz's act but is delighted by her charm. The weekend is ruined, however, when Liz crashes the Atterbury's expensive new luxury car. On Monday morning, George expects to be fired, but Bunker saves his job and insists that he show him the city. That evening, George gets drunk with his friends and completely disrupts the Atterburys masked ball, however, his identity is hidden by his costume, a suit of armor. The next day, as workmen come to repossess the Cugats' piano because they are late on their payments, Bunker agrees to invest in Atterbury's bank as long as George manages his account. Atterbury promotes George to vice-president, but Liz is still not satisfied because George has an appointment to see Myra. Liz is suspicious when he returns with a fur coat that she had seen on Myra, and he explains that Myra only helped him select it for her. Liz calls Myra and learns that she has become engaged to Bunker. Liz then confides her own good news that she is pregnant.
Director
Norman Taurog
Cast
Ray Milland
Betty Field
Patricia Morison
Eugene Pallette
Charles Dingle
Leif Erickson
Elisabeth Risdon
Richard Haydn
Kathleen Lockhart
Phillip Terry
Cecil Kellaway
Anne Revere
Charles Lane
Charlotte Wynters
Clinton Rosemond
Olive Blakeney
Cecil Cunningham
Ed Mortimer
J. W. Johnston
Catherine Price
William Marion
Mikhail Rasumny
Edward Mcwade
Eleanor Durkin
Jack Roberts
Ed Peil Sr.
James Burke
Paul Mcvey
Joe Whitehead
George Chandler
Eddie Dunn
Jimmy Conlin
Pat West
Francine Bordeaux
Marta Downes
Catherine Wallace
Leota Lorraine
Bobby Barker
Crew
Ben Bernie
Frank Davis
B. G. Desylva
Robert Emmett Dolan
Hans Dreier
George Dutton
Harve Foster
Gene Garvin
Al Goering
Edith Head
Earl Hedrick
Walter Hirsch
Fred Kohlmar
Charles Lang Jr.
Jack Mintz
Walter Oberst
Tess Slesinger
Leroy Stone
Harry Tugend
Wally Westmore
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Mr. and Mrs. Cugat. A Hollywood Reporter news item noted that Paramount paid Xavier Cugat for the use of his last name in the film, and also noted that Loretta Young was considered for the lead role. According to a news item, the Frank Emery estate in San Marino, CA was used for the Atterbury home in this film. George Burns starred with Gracie Allen in a February 15, 1943 Lux Radio Theatre broadcast of the story.
