She Married Her Boss (1935)

She Married Her Boss (1935)

“That doesn’t sound like a marriage to me — it sounds like an incorporation!”

Synopsis:
An executive secretary (Claudette Colbert) who is secretly in love with her overworked boss (Melvyn Douglas) convinces him to marry her, but soon finds that he’s disappointed by her choice to run his household rather than stay at the office.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Career-versus-Marriage
  • Claudette Colbert Films
  • Cross-Class Romance
  • Melvyn Douglas Films
  • Romantic Comedy

Response to Peary’s Review:
It’s unclear why Peary includes this mediocre Gregory La Cava screwball comedy in his book as “must see”, given that it’s clearly one of the famed director’s lesser efforts. The primary problem lies in the film’s implausible, underdeveloped script, which is based on a decidedly weak premise: Douglas and Colbert’s marriage rings false from the start (why is Colbert in love with such a dull, insipid man?), while the convenient “other man” (Michael Bartlett) waiting in the wings to “rescue” Colbert from her loveless marriage never really seems to pose a serious threat. With that said, She Married Her Boss isn’t a chore to sit through — as Peary notes, it possesses at least a few good scenes, and Colbert (despite her poorly written character) sparkles in the lead role. Also enjoyable is young Edith Fellows as Colbert’s bratty new stepdaughter Annabel, whose temerity in the face of authority reaches hilarious heights.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Claudette Colbert as Julia Scott
  • Edith Fellows as Annabel — described by the NY Times as “nobody’s lamby pie”
  • Colbert being carried over the threshold of her new home by both her husband and his butler
  • Colbert’s drunken carousing with store mannequins

Must See?
No, but fans of ’30s screwball comedies will likely be curious to seek it out.

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One thought on “She Married Her Boss (1935)

  1. First viewing. Agreed, not a must – and the assessment seems kind.

    I’ve just watched it, found it a chore to sit through and can’t recall a single good scene.

    Director La Cava and his leads have all done better work elsewhere.

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