Rosalind Russell is excellent in the title role, as the domineering housewife who likes to keep her home neat, and her husband whipped. And who better to play a whimpy husband than Herbert Marshall, who specialised in cuckolds during the 1930s? The murder subplot always felt a bit awkward and over the top - Marshall is suspected of being involved in the death of a neighbour, which freaks out Russell. More effective is Russell bullying Marshall's aunt, lecturing her niece about the importance of responsibility, hectoring Marshall. It's sexist as anything - Harriet Craig (Russell) is depicted as a heartless bitch, a false woman for not wanting love, she's abandoned by her husband, niece and sister (who dies). But she's a strong character - it'd be interesting to remake this. Cecil B de Mille in the introduction calls the play "a very honest portrait".
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