Her Husband’s Affairs (1947), starring Lucille Ball, Franchot Tone
Her Husband’s Affairs is a comedy starring Lucille Ball as Margaret Weldon, a wife who is constantly trying to help her husband, ad man William Weldon (played by Franchot Tone) — who doesn’t want the help. This leads to significant friction between the couple nearly leading to divorce.
Which gets worse when William tries to promote a fluid made by Professor Emil Glinka. A fluid that, once perfected, will enable the “perfect” embalming of a corpse. But in its’ present, unstable, form it can promote hair growth.
Hair tonic?
William wants to use this to promote the growth of facial hair. But Margaret has the “crazy” idea of using it for a hair growth formula for balding men. She uses it on several prominent people, including Edward Everett Horton, in a very funny supporting role. But it backfires when used on the Governor, whose head develops a glassy coating. “You can see your reflection!” The Governor soon issues an order for William’s arrest.
Forever flower?
William meets with the Professor, who thinks that he’s discovered another use for his formula — immortality, which he demonstrates with a “forever flower” — a rose that’s been treated. The Professor has acquired a corpse to test his formula on, but before that can happen, police appear to arrest William, resulting in the accidental destruction of the Professor’s laboratory, and William being arrested for the Professor’s murder.
Murder trial!
The Professor is actually alive, with the corpse being mistaken for him, and William decides to turn his murder trial into a publicity stunt to market the “forever flower.” Unwilling to let her husband go to jail, Margaret testifies “on his behalf” at his trial, testifying to his insanity. Margaret puts 2 and 2 together eventually, and finds the missing Professor in the nick of time at the end of the trial.
Despite what you might think from the synopsis, Her Husband’s Affairs is actually an enjoyable romantic comedy. I rate it 3 stars out of 5.
Cast of characters in Her Husband’s Affairs
- Lucille Ball (The Long, Long Trailer, I Love Lucy) … Margaret Weldon
- Franchot Tone (Suzy) … William Weldon
- Edward Everett Horton (Springtime in the Rockies, Arsenic and Old Lace) … J.B. Cruikshank
- Mikhail Rasumny (Anna and the King of Siam) … Prof. Emil Glinka
- Gene Lockhart (Edison the Man, Going My Way) … Peter Winterbottom
- Nana Bryant (Harvey) … Mrs. Winterbottom
- Jonathan Hale (Blondie!) … Gov. Fox
- Paul Stanton (Bachelor Mother) … Dr. Frazee
- Mabel Paige … Mrs. Josper
- Frank Mayo … Vice President Starrett
- Pierre Watkin (Stage Door) … Vice President Beitler