When Whitey (Harlow) goes to see Linda (Loy), does she do it in the hopes that Linda will realize her mistake and go back to VS? I was confused on whether Whitey wanted to be with VS or just wanted Linda to think that so they would get back together. When Linda showed up at VS's office it almost looked like Whitey smiled, but I wasn't sure.
shareI think Whitey had developed some feelings for Van, but she knew that he was completely in love with his wife. But Whitey also knew that if Linda didn't return to him, then he would find comfort in the next woman closest to him, which was Whitey. We see an example of that when Van invites Whitey on a trip with him because he's lonely and sad that Linda wants a divorce. It would only be a matter of time before Van and Whitey ended up together.
But Whitey knows that she wouldn't make him happy the way that Linda would because Linda is the one that Van ultimately wants. So, she goes to Linda to tell her to stop assuming that he had an affair with her and get back together with him. When Linda still shows resistance, Whitey says, "You're a fool. And for that, I am grateful." In other words, she's saying, "Your false accusations will come true because of your own doing. You're stupid for letting him go, but I appreciate it because he's going to end with me then and I'll take him."
I can't remember if I saw Whitey smile at the end, but if she did, it was probably bittersweet. She was glad that Van and Linda reconciled, but she was also sad because she had developed feelings for him.
whitey DOES smirk a bit at the end... could be a "I was right.. i knew you'd be back for him" or maybe she was really happy that VS was happy again.
shareShe doesn't smirk ( = smile in an irritatingly smug, conceited, or silly way). It's a bittersweet smile, as the preceding poster wrote; she knows that she has lost her chance with a dynamic man she loves -- and she also knows that she did the right thing, in putting his happiness above her own. This was a very different role for Harlow -- Whitey wasn't a home-wrecker.
shareYes, it was bittersweet at the end. Whitey was devoted to her boss, but she had ethics that went beyond her personal feelings. A beautiful piece of acting by Harlow. I loved this film!
shareHarlow was great in this film...the ending,had it occurred today,you'd defiantly think the producers were setting up for a sequal...maybe that was the case,but Harlows passing put the kybash on that.
shareI love this film too. The end was a tearjerker. But I think Harlow and Loy were both wonderful here.
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