Misbehaving Husbands

In Misbehaving Husbands, Store owner Harry Langdon is accused of cheating on his wife, when someone sees him carrying a blonde mannequin …

Misbehaving Husbands (1940) aka Dummy Trouble, starring Harry Langdon, Betty Blythe

Production description

Store owner Henry Butler (Harry Langdon) finds himself in a compromising position when he sneaks home late one night carrying the high-heeled shoe of a tall, gorgeous blonde. Mortified, wife Effie (Betty Blythe) is convinced that her husband has strayed and promptly files for divorce. As part of the proceedings, her sleazy lawyer, Gilbert Wayne, insists that two witnesses, Bob Grant (Ralph Byrd) and Jane Forbes (Luana Walters), move in with the Butlers to prove they’re estranged.

Bob and Jane try to reconcile the couple and bolster meek Henry’s feeble attempts to tell his side of the story – the tall blonde was merely a mannequin. They almost succeed, until a glamorous woman shows up at the door demanding that Henry “return her shoe.” Effie signs the divorce papers on the spot as the bumbling Henry protests, but Bob and Jane are more certain than ever that Gilbert is behind the trickery. Devising an outrageous scheme to expose the scoundrel, the pair seize one last chance to save the Butler’s marriage.

Silent comedy legend Harry Langdon exhibits his slapstick brilliance in this hilarious feature-length talkie. The actor’s early work includes the Frank Capra silent classics, The Strong Man (1926) and The Long Pants (1927). Although Langdon’s career faltered with the advent of sound, Mishehaving Hushands is one of several worthy post-Silent Era movies featuring the great comic.

Cast of characters

• Harry Langdon (The Big Flash) … Henry Butler
• Betty Blythe (She) … Effie Butler
• Esther Muir … Grace Norman
• Ralph Byrd (Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome) … Bob Grant
• Gayne Whitman … Gilbert Wayne
• Florence Wright … Nan Blake
• Luana Walters (Blondie Plays Cupid) … Jane Forbes
• Frank Jaquet … Wilbur Drake
• Charlotte Treadway … Clara Drake
• Gig Young (Too Young to Kiss) … Floor Walker (as Byron Barr)
• Frank Hagney (The Paleface) … Gooch Mulligan
• Hennie Brown … Opal
• Billy Mitchell … Memphis
• Fred Kelsey (The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case) … Sgt. Murphy
• Mary MacLaren … Gossiping Friend
• Gertrude Astor (Come Clean) … Gossiping Friend