Hired Wife
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
William A. Seiter
Rosalind Russell
Brian Aherne
Virginia Bruce
Robert Benchley
John Carroll
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Kendal Browning is a secretary in love with her boss, Stephen Dexter, a man who every spring succumbs to his weakness for blondes. Much to Kendal's chagrin, Stephen's current affliction is model Phyllis Walden. When Stephen's cement company is threatened with a takeover by one of his competitors, Stephen's attorney, Roger Van Horn, suggests that Stephen marry and put his assets in his wife's name, thus averting the danger of takeover. Stephen foolishly dispatches Kendal to bring back Phyllis as his bride, but Kendal cleverly tenders Stephen's proposal in such a way that Phyllis rejects him, thereby making Kendal Stephen's bride by proxy. On their wedding night, Kendal confesses her deviousness to Stephen, who throws her out until he realizes that his new wife owns everything. To keep his business competitors from challenging the legality of his marriage, Stephen moves Kendal back in, recruits Roger to act as chaperone and promises Phyllis that he will divorce his bride as soon as possible. Kendal, however, has other plans as she forces her old friend Jose, a gigolo, on Phyllis. Presenting Jose as a wealthy South American rancher, Kendal finances his courtship of Phyllis with Stephen's money. Soon after, Stephen defeats his business rivals and asks Kendal for a divorce, but she refuses. However, Kendal's plans go awry when Judge Peabody, the official who performed their wedding ceremony, appears to inform them that his license had expired and therefore their marriage is invalid. Just as Stephen banishes Kendal from his life forever, he realizes that he really loves her. At the same time, Phyllis realizes that she really loves Jose, and all ends happily as Stephen proposes to Kendal in earnest.
Director
William A. Seiter
Cast
Rosalind Russell
Brian Aherne
Virginia Bruce
Robert Benchley
John Carroll
Hobart Cavanaugh
Richard Lane
William Davidson
Leonard Carey
Selmer Jackson
William Halligan
George Humbert
Virginia Brissac
Chester Clute
Crew
George Beck
Bernard B. Brown
Milton Carruth
Richard Connell
Paul E. Flato
R. A. Gausman
William Hedgecock
Irene
Milton Krasner
Gladys Lehman
Martin Obzina
Jack Otterson
Vaughn Paul
Charles Previn
William A. Seiter
Frank Skinner
Glenn Tryon
Vera West
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
A news item in Hollywood Reporter notes that the picture was filmed on location at the Union Air Terminal in Burbank, CA. In 1941, William Powell and Myrna Loy starred in a Lux Radio Theatre version of this story, and in 1956, the NBC television network presented a televised version of the story.
