movie
Oh, for a Man!
Director: Hamilton MacFadden
Year: 1930
Plot: Carlotta Manson is a young and beautiful opera star who wants some spice in her personal life. She threatens to forsake opera for a wild, romantic fling. One night, a burglar, Barney McGann breaks into Carlotta's boudoir while she's asleep to steal her jewelery. Carlotta awakes and is facinated with Barney. They date and marry at her Villa in Italy. Soon Barney can't take being married to a diva and leaves her. Carlotta picks herself up and returns to opera. One night as Carlotta is asleep in her boudoir, she is awaken by someone breaking in...—Kelly
Original Title:
Oh, for a Man!
Director:
Hamilton MacFadden
Writer:
Mary F. Watkins
,
Philip Klein
,
Lynn Starling
Producer:
William Fox
,
Hamilton MacFadden
Type: movie
Year: 1930
Genres: Musical, Romance
Cast:
Jeanette MacDonald
,
Reginald Denny
,
Marjorie White
,
Warren Hymer
,
Alison Skipworth
,
Albert Conti
,
Bela Lugosi
,
André Cheron
,
Gino Corrado
,
William B. Davidson
,
Mary Gordon
,
Donald Hall
,
Evelyn Hall
,
Althea Henley
,
Bodil Rosing
Runtimes:
78
Countries:
United States
Languages:
English
,
Italian
Color Info:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio: 1.20 : 1 (sound on film version)
Sound Mix:
Mono::(Western Electric System)::(Movietone)
Original Air Date: 28 Nov 1930 (USA)
Rating: 5.3
Votes: 80
Year: 1930
Akas:
Stolen Thunder (United States)
,
L'amant de minuit (France)
,
Mío serás (Spain)
,
Sepä vasta mies! (Finland)
,
Två hjärtan i otakt (Sweden)
Production Companies:
Fox Film Corporation
Distributors:
Fox Film Corporation
,
Fox Film Company
,
Fox Film Company
,
Fox Film Corporation
,
Fox Film
Synopsis:
The picture opens with famous opera singer Carlotta Manson (Jeanette MacDonald) singing"The Liebestod" from Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde." We know this from the opera program which is also shown. The curtain comes down and we next see Carlotta screaming at seemingly everyone backstage between curtain calls after which she dismisses a number of visitors who are asking favors of her. The scene switches to the waiting area of her dressing room where several well dressed men await her. Moans of pleasure are heard from the dressing room and Carlotta's maid Laura (Alison Skipworth) comments that it wont be long now because "she's loudest at the end." Carlotta then emerges followed by her masseuse. She was only having a massage. She then announces to the men that everyone wants her to sing but what she wants is to have a baby. One of the men stays and proposes to her and she asks him to take her in his arms and kiss her and when he does not she dismisses him.The next scene is her dimly lit bedroom. Her maid Laura helps her put on an alluring negligee and tucks her into bed. The lights go off but in the darkness we next see a wristwatch and then that same watch poking over the railing of the balcony of the bedroom. A flashlight moves around the room and finds a jewelry box which the intruder opens. But Carlotta is not asleep and she tells him that the jewels are not real. Startled, he rushes to her and puts a cloth over her face. She struggles and is able to tell him who she is and implores him not to ruin the "world's most beautiful voice." He steps back and recognizes her, and they talk and she convinces him to remove his mask. The burglar (Reginald Denny) turns out to be a handsome guy and she is immediately taken by him. He is also a wannabe opera singer and he wants her to tell him what she thinks of his voice. She agrees and he sings loudly to her. The singing brings Laura who knocks on the door and asks who's singing? Carlotta answers that it is she and Laura leaves but knows there is a man in the room. Carlotta, now entranced by the intruder, tells him she will arrange an audition for him and to come back the next day. He agrees and kisses her long and hard. As he is leaving she asks his name and he responds "Barney McGann."The next scene is the audition before Carlotta's manager Peck (Albert Conti) and conductor Frascatti (Bela Lugosi). Barney sings a song in German and it is apparent that Peck and Frascotti are not impressed but after Barney leaves, Carlotta insists that they give him an opera contract and promises that Barney will be given singing lessons by her own teacher, Costello (Andre Cheron). Carlotta then meets again with Barney and tells him that he must give up his night work (being a burglar) because he mustn't expose his throat to the night air. He agrees but the lessons do not go well. Barney can't sing and the voice teacher Costello storms out. Barney wants nothing more to do with voice lessons but Carlotta says how can he expect to be a singer and he says he doesn't and he doesn't want to have anything more to do with her. Carlotta then throws herself at him. She says she loves him and can't live without him. They kiss and she says that she wants to marry him. He laughs. He says that he wont be the husband of a prima donna whereupon she says that she'll quit. All she's ever really wanted is to be the wife of a handsome real man.The scene shifts to a dock where they are seen leaving on their honeymoon off for Italy. Although Carlotta has previously agreed to get rid of her entourage, Laura is going with them because Carlotta can't live without her. She also has two Pomeranian dogs and there are photographers. Barney hears himself called "Carlotta Manson's husband." In the next scene they are in Italy where Barney awakens in his bedroom to Carlotta in a separate bedroom singing. Annoyed, he gets out of bed and begins to loudly pound on a punching bag. Carlotta tells Laura to tell him to stop but she doesn't hear her. Carlotta goes to her dressing room and Laura takes Barney's shoes from under Carlotta's bed and drops them in Barney's room. Later, at breakfast, Barney doesn't like his egg and is bothered by the Pomeranians. Carlotta, in a revealing negligee, is reading the morning paper which is in Italian. He asks her if there is anything in the paper that would be of interest to him and she answers that there has been a jewel robbery. They quarrel but kiss and make up. She says that the days have been wonderful but the nights have been even better. A car pulls up with some friends of Carlotta and they have an animated conversation in Italian. Once again Barney is left out and after they leave she tells him that she has been asked to sing at a charity bazaar and she couldn't refuse.At the bazaar Barney, alone and unable to speak Italian, runs into some old American friends, Totsy Franklin (Marjory White) and Pug Morini (Warren Hymer) a boxer called "the walloping wop." On stage, Carlotta sings "On a Summer Night" but Barney and his friends are not paying attention. They are busy renewing old friendships when Carlotta joins them and realizes that they didn't even know she was singing.She and Barney have a fight and Barney says that she can have her friends and that he is going home with Totsy and Pug.The next reel of the film has been lost but nothing has changed. Carlotta is home lamenting that she has lost Barney and contemplates suicide. She is miserable but Laura comforts her and tells her "never to kill yourself when you're is miserable." Laura tells her to pick up her career. Carlotta overcomes her grief and realizes the must be true to her public. Singing must be her life.It is now the opera season. Carlotta is in her dressing room in a revealing costume. She is once again successful but she still has second thoughts. She asks Laura why is she doing this and Laura answers "for three thousand dollars a performance." In the dressing room there is a very large flower covered heart. The note with it reads "Hope you knock em cold tonight." Carlotta knows it is from Barney and she frantically instructs her manager Peck to scour the audience to find him and bring him back but it is to no avail. Back at home she is distraught and again ponders her future. Perhaps she should become a nun. She goes to bed and as she is about to fall asleep, a familiar arm reaches over the balcony railing. Of course it is Barney. He had a job down the block but thought he would drop in to see how she was doing. He saw her sing but didn't think she had her heart in it and he says that she must keep her mind on her job. He turns to leave but Carlotta, reaching provocatively for her bed covering, asks him to stay a little while He says longer than that if she asks him to. He reaches down to her and they kiss. The End.
Cinematographer:
Charles G. Clarke
Producer:
William Fox
,
Hamilton MacFadden
Art Direction:
Stephen Goosson
Certificates:
Sweden:15
Composer:
Peter Brunelli
Editor:
Alfred DeGaetano
Sound Crew:
E. Clayton Ward
Music Department:
Arthur Kay
,
William Kernell
Costume Designer:
Sophie Wachner
Costume Department:
Sam Benson