Divorce Among Friends

Divorce Among Friends
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Written by Harvey F. Thew
Arthur Caesar
from a story by Jack Townley
Starring James Hall
Irene Delroy
Lew Cody
Natalie Moorhead
Cinematography Devereaux Jennings
Edited by Owen Marks
Production
company
Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
  • December 13, 1930 (U.S.)
Running time
 65 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Divorce Among Friends is a 1930 all-talking American Pre-Code comedy film. The film stars James Hall, Irene Delroy, Lew Cody and Natalie Moorhead. The film survives only in a 16mm copy made in the 1950s for television.

Synopsis

James Hall constantly lies to his wife, played by Irene Delroy, to hide escapades. As he is about to leave the house again and separate from his wife, a party of guests arrives. Among the guests is Lew Cody, who is in love with Delroy. By the end of the party, the couple have reconciled once again. Soon after, he meets an attractive woman, played by Natalie Moorhead, and loses a lighter which his wife has given him, when Moorhead drives off with it. A while later, when Delroy throws a party, Moorhead, who is an old friend of Delroy, arrives. When Delroy introduces Moorhead to her husband, they pretend not to know each other. Once Delroy is out of the way, Hall pleads with Moorhead to return his lighter. She agrees to meet him later in the library and if he is nice to her she will give him back the lighter. Meanwhile, Delroy finds the lighter with the help of Cody and hides in the library. When her husband comes into the library, he thinks Moorhead is there and tells her that he likes her but they cannot do anything right now because his wife is suspicious and keeping a close guard on him. He says that they should have fun at some other time and place. Delroy quietly hands over the lighter. When Hall leaves the library, he encounters Moorhead who thinks he had taken the lighter from her purse. When the lights to the room are turned on they find Cody in the room, his wife having quietly hidden herself. Delroy tells the servants that she will be sleeping in the other wing of the house. When Hall later arrives in Delroy's bedroom he finds Cody only in her bed. The day after, Delroy sees a lawyer about how she can get a divorce. Since she does not have concrete proof of Hall's infidelity, the lawyer advises her to make her husband walk out on her because a divorce case can only be brought for infidelity or desertion in the state where they reside. Delroy goes back home and does everything is her power to make her husband want to leave her. This eventually leads to a case of food poisoning for Hall and this leads Delroy to become very worried about him. Delroy realizes how much she loves Hall and they agree to get back together again. That night, Moorhead arrives at the house and begins talking to Hall. When Delroy comes downstairs she sees Moorhead and Hall embracing and gets upset. Delroy tells her husband that if he is going to go out with other women, she can go out with other men as well. She pretends to telephone Cody to ask him out. This leads to another argument between husband and wife and Hall storms out and goes out with Moorhead. Cody arrives soon after and Delroy goes out with him also. When Hall unexpectedely returns home with Moorhead to change cars (from an open sports car to a closed car), since it is raining, Delroy and Cody quickly hide in the back seat under a blanket. Hall and Moorhead then drive off while his wife and Cody are hidden behind them leading to complications.

Cast

Songs

Preservation

The film survives complete. It was transferred onto 16mm film by Associated Artists Productions in the 1950s and shown on television. A 16mm copy is housed at the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research.[1] No 35mm prints are known to exist.

References

  1. ↑ Divorce Among Friends

External links