MovieChat Forums > Too Many Husbands (1940) Discussion > Too Many Husbands

Too Many Husbands

posted 17 years ago by oh_mauigirl
22 replies | jump to latest

Somebody please! I fell asleep before the end of Too Many Husbands. Which husband did Jean Arthur pick? How did it end?

[–] dgave 17 years ago

(SPOILER) She never chooses. A judge rules that the first husband (MacMurray) is her legal husband and she leaves with him. But she makes eyes at the second hubby (Douglas) and drops her hanky for him to pick up. That scene and the concluding one strongly suggest that she is going to continue carrying on with both of them, which would have been a controversial resolution at the time the movie was made.

[–] VLeung 17 years ago

Oh fab, I was just coming to ask the same question for the same reason! I went to bed, taped the end, and my husband taped over it with football. Thanks! What do you mean 'AND' the concluding one? What happens after she drops her hanky?

[–] dgave 17 years ago

In the final scene, the three of them are at a swanky supper club and she is dancing with both of them. It's interesting that this movie, a frothy comedy, ignores the sexual ramifications that would exist in the sort of three-way relationship that it seems to depict. It simply doesn't address anything beyond the rather shallow dinner-and-dancing aspect of marriage.

[–] BreeInAZ 17 years ago

This movie was waaaaaay ahead of its time as it made many sexual inuendos and had a ton of subtle references, but mostly because it EMPOWERED the woman. It showed HER as the one in control and incidentally... LOVING it. It ended bi showing all that women have the exact same fantasies men do about having two lovers. Fascinating.

Ted in Gilbert, AZ

[–] dgave 17 years ago

If by "empowered" you mean selfishly cruel, then, yes, she was "empowered."

[–] atlanticbobby 16 years ago

Message me if you would like a copy

[–] moviebuf-11 15 years ago

I'm just the opposite of the OP, I missed the first half of the movie and tuned in as Jean and Melvyn were picking Fred up at the airport or train station. How did Fred end up being missing in the first place? Later in the movie Melvyn says something to Jean to the effect that Fred would probably desert her again if she took him back. Did he desert her the first time, or was he just assumed lost in some accident or something? That wasn't clear to me. Also, I got the impression the two men may have been best friends before. Is that right? If so, was Jean already attracted to Melvyn when she and Fred were originally together? How long was Fred presumed dead before she remarried?

Thanks!

[–] i-love-movies-1 15 years ago

(spoiler) i guess i can see "it's ahead of its time," but I like endings like move over darling and my favorite wife, better. I guess I'm old fashioned. Desing for Living was another one, but a pre-code, that had a similar story line, not two husbands, just two lovers. I guess I just prefer one man and one woman, but it was still a cute movie with a great cast.

[–] NoirCat2528 15 years ago

I was very surprised when she started enjoying the situation. It was interesting to see a woman even daring to question her husband's lack of attention in 1940 and indeed she didn't either (too much) until she had an alternative fall in her lap. She was right though. The first one travelled too much and the second one worked too much. No wonder they were interchangeable to her! Neither were around enough to distinguish themselves.

I was intrigued by the legal ramifications as well. As we know, in modern times this wouldn't even have been in question. The first husband trumps all, and that situation has been used in many a soap opera to cause angst for happily married couples. Guess things were murkier on the subject then.

I also liked that it didn't have a particularly pat ending. I expected Gertrude to get the leftover guy, but she was left to suffer through her loveless marriage I guess. We never saw her again after her confession to Vicky. I can only imagine how steamed she'd be to find out Vicky got to keep both of them after all, sorta. lol

The Dad was the best character. He got all the funniest lines. And it must be mentioned that Jean's wardrobe was stunning.

"The eyes, Socrates, go for the eyes."

[–] moviebuf-11 15 years ago

[–] NoirCat2528 15 years ago

How did Fred end up being missing in the first place?

He was lost at sea and presumed drowned, but he was really on a deserted island.

Later in the movie Melvyn says something to Jean to the effect that Fred would probably desert her again if she took him back. Did he desert her the first time, or was he just assumed lost in some accident or something? That wasn't clear to me.

Sort of. He went on a sailing expedition/adventure without her and never came back.

Also, I got the impression the two men may have been best friends before. Is that right?

They were friends and partners in a law firm.

If so, was Jean already attracted to Melvyn when she and Fred were originally together?

That was never made clear. Basically, he was "there for her" when Fred died, helped her get his affairs in order, that sort of thing. Then one thing led to another supposedly.

How long was Fred presumed dead before she remarried?

She married Melvyn 6 months after Fred went missing. I got the impression that she married Fred for love and Melvyn for security, but both were very appealing to her, hence her inability to choose just one.

"The eyes, Socrates, go for the eyes."

[–] moviebuf-11 15 years ago

Wow, thanks for the comprehensive answers NoirCat!

One of your answers brings a new question -- if Fred was only missing for 6 months, what made her so sure he was dead? Did someone else's body actually wash up and they mistook the identity, or did she just give up waiting after only 6 months? (This brings to mind "My Favorite Wife" but I think Cary Grant waited several years to remarry.)

I hate coming into a movie late, but was intrigued by what I saw. Maybe next time it's on I can catch it from the beginning...

[–] NoirCat2528 15 years ago

Wow, thanks for the comprehensive answers NoirCat!

My pleasure!

One of your answers brings a new question -- if Fred was only missing for 6 months, what made her so sure he was dead? Did someone else's body actually wash up and they mistook the identity, or did she just give up waiting after only 6 months?

Fred wanted to know that too! lol

Apparently, she wasn't legally allowed to marry Melvyn for 5 years unless they had some proof of Fred's death and according to Melvyn the Coast Guard found something, but they never said what exactly. Fred accused Melvyn of manufacturing the evidence, but Melvyn scoffed at that and they never pursued it.

"The eyes, Socrates, go for the eyes."

[–] moviebuf-11 15 years ago

Thanks again! I'll definitely have to Tivo it next time!

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Reedmalloy 14 years ago

Just one small nitpick. Bill and Henry were partners in a publishing firm, Cardew and Lowndes. Both were depicted as occasionally too interested in the business to give their full attention to Vicki, Bill in his travels, Henry with a linotypers strike.

[–] gbennett5 14 years ago

Yeah, I have one small nitpick - THE WHOLE MOVIE. Good grief, this was
awful. A talented cast, straining for laughs that never come. The opening
scene with the secretary was absurd. I thought this was how they'd end
the film - the loser gets the secretary, since she stated she was in love
with both. But, no, a total red herring. The opening scene meant nothing
and the film concluded in a flat, pointless scene. The entire picture
was an exercise in pure frustraion. I love Arthur and really wanted to
like this, but yikes! Truly terrible.

[–] Errington_92 13 years ago

The opening scene with the secretary was absurd. I thought this was how they'd end the film - the loser gets the secretary, since she stated she was in love with both.

Thats exactly the assumption I made while watching Too Many Husbands. The film's conclusion made everything before seem worthless in terms of character development.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

[–] skiddoo 13 years ago

1940s movies often had strong women, but then in WWII women were permitted and encouraged to take on male roles and jobs.

I wonder if there was a rewrite that left poor Gertrude high and dry. There seemed to have been two different movies in mind. :)

I like the ambiguous ending. Fred was going to have to stay devoted or Melvyn would move right in. What could be more enjoyable for the wife? This sounds like a female fantasy film. lol

[–] ppllkk 11 years ago

NoirCat2528 wrote:

I was very surprised when she started enjoying the situation.

It was a wonderful moment. I found her enjoyment a delight especially as she's really a very nice person.

I also liked that it didn't have a particularly pat ending.

I thought that the ending was great. What happens is left to our imagination.

Vicky got to keep both of them after all, sorta.

I think it was probably more than "sorta" which is one of the things that I like most about the film.For easy markup in Firefox & Opera, see http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/42255

[–] MyMovieTVRomance 7 years ago

Vicky got to keep both of them after all, sorta.I think it was probably more than "sorta" which is one of the things that I like most about the film.

In thinking about this aspect of it – how jolly and fulfilling it would be to just do what one wants, without worrying what society or the law thinks!

To think that she might've kept them both and they could've continued with their merry mayhem is just such a sensual and satisfying thought!

Please excuse typos/funny wording; I use speech-recognition that doesn't always recognize!

[–] essex9999 10 years ago

It was interesting to see a woman even daring to question her husband's lack of attention in 1940

I liked the movie, too, and enjoyed your post, NoirCat, but I do have to ask what you meant by the above comment. Do you imagine that women - American women, especially - were such cowering doormats in 1940 that they wouldn't complain about a neglectful husband? That's just not true. It has probably never been true anywhere, but it was certainly not true in mid-20th century America.

Movies of that era are full of henpecked husbands, nagging wives, women who murder their husbands (a noir staple, as you probably know) and so forth, so it wasn't even common in the movies, let alone real life.