Bachelor Apartment ( 1931 )

FERNANDO’s CORNER: Posted on April 26th, 2015

I revisited “BACHELOR APARTMENT” ( RKO Radio ) and I enjoyed it more than the first time I saw it years ago.The film is rather funny, thanks to some expert performances, especially by its leading man Lowell Sherman ( an actor who also directed* some films ); maybe he looks somewhat old for playing the “bachelor” ( he was 43 when he made the film ), but his skill and flair for comedy is undeniable.

Also in the cast, as the girl he falls for, is Irene Dunne, in an early performance as a very serious stenographer.

We too, have the rare chance of watching silent diva Mae Murray,who only appeared in three talking pictures ( this being one of them ) in the early 30s.

Here she plays an outrageously amoral flirtatious married woman, Mrs. Agatha Carraway, who’s after Sherman, in spite of his constant rejections of her affec- tions. Her performance is affec-ted and flamboyant, but never-theless funny and winning. Also in the cast beautiful Claudia Dell, as Dunne’s sister, a lesser known early ’30s actor, continental and debonair Ivan Lebedeff (greeting everybody with “charmed”), and silent star Norman Kerry. Noel Francis (who resembled Clara Bow and Sally Blane) is good as the girl whom Sherman picks up on the street when her cab crashes a truck. Charles Coleman is funny as Sherman’s butler. Funny and enjoyable.

* CineMaven’s Note: Some Lowell Sherman-directed films also include: “She Done Him Wrong” and “Born To Be Bad.” 

 

 

 

 

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