The Divorcee: Difference between revisions

The Divorcee
The Divorcee
	Rotogravure poster
Directed by	Robert Z. Leonard
Written by	Nick Grinde; Zelda Sears; John Meehan
Based on	Ex-Wife; 1929 novel; by Ursula Parrott
Produced by	Robert Z. Leonard
Starring	Norma Shearer; Chester Morris ; Conrad Nagel
Cinematography	Norbert Brodine
Edited by	Hugh Wynn
Music by	Jack Yellen; Milton Ager
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 30, 1930 (United States);
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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The Divorcee is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film written by Nick Grindé, John Meehan, and Zelda Sears, based on the 1929 novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, and won Best Actress for its star Norma Shearer.^[1]

Plot

Ted, Jerry, Paul, and Dorothy are part of the New York in-crowd. Jerry's decision to marry Ted crushes Paul. He gets drunk and drives, causing an accident that leaves Dorothy's face disfigured. Out of guilt, Paul marries Dorothy. Ted and Jerry have been married for three years when, on the evening of their third anniversary, she discovers that he has had a brief affair with another woman. Ted tells Jerry it did not "mean a thing". Upset, and with Ted away on a business trip, Jerry spends the night with his best friend, Don. Upon Ted's return, she tells him that she "balanced our accounts", withholding Don's name.

Ted is outraged, and they argue, which ends with Ted leaving her and the couple filing for a divorce. While Jerry turns to partying to forget her sorrows, Ted becomes an alcoholic. Paul and Jerry run into each other, and she discovers he still loves her and is willing to leave Dorothy, with whom he is in a loveless, resentful marriage, to be with Jerry. They spend two weeks together and plan for a future together.

Dorothy comes to speak with Jerry at her home but Paul is coincidentally meeting Jerry for dinner and the three have an awkward exchange. Despite good arguments from Paul, Dorothy’s desperation not to lose him forces Jerry to reevaluate her decision to leave with Paul. Ultimately, Jerry admits she regrets giving up on her first marriage. She decides to see if her husband will reconcile, disappointing Paul bitterly a second time.

Weeks later, on her third attempt to locate Ted in Paris, Jerry finally finds him at a New Year's Eve party. After a polite exchange, Ted expresses his regret at how he reacted before the divorce. Jerry tells Ted her true feelings, and the two kiss at midnight to begin the new year, and presumably their new lives, together.

Cast

Norma Shearer as Jerry Martin
Chester Morris as Ted Martin
Conrad Nagel as Paul
Robert Montgomery as Don
Judith Wood as Dorothy (sister of Mary) (billed as Helen Johnson)
Helene Millard as Mary (sister of Dorothy)
Florence Eldridge as Helen Baldwin
Mary Doran as Janice Meredith
Robert Elliott as Bill Baldwin
Tyler Brooke as Hank
Zelda Sears as Hannah (Jerry's maid)
George Irving as Dr. Bernard
Charles R. Moore as First Porter Opening Window (uncredited)
Lee Phelps as Party Guest (uncredited)
George H. Reed as Second Porter (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale as Divorce Judge (uncredited)
Theodore von Eltz as Ivan (uncredited)

Production

MGM production head Irving Thalberg bought the rights to Ex-Wife in the summer of 1929. Thalberg's original choice for the role of Jerry was Joan Crawford.^[2]

Norma Shearer, Thalberg's wife, originally was not in the running for the lead role in The Divorcee because it was believed that she did not have enough sex appeal. Only after Shearer arranged a special photo session with independent portrait photographer George Hurrell, and Thalberg saw the result, did he relent and give her the role.^[3]

Release

Warner Home Video released The Divorcee (along with A Free Soul, also starring Norma Shearer) as part of a DVD box set of five pre-Code films called the Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2 on March 4, 2008.^[4]^[5]

Reception

Norma Shearer won the Academy Award for Best Actress. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing.^[6]

References

^ Thise, Mark (2008). Hollywood Winners & Losers A to Z. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-879-10351-4.
^ Fleming, E. J. (2008). Paul Bern: The Life and Famous Death of the MGM Director and Husband of Harlow. McFarland. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-786-43963-8.
^ Wayne, Jane Ellen (2003). The Golden Girls of MGM: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, and Others. Da Capo Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-786-71303-8.
^ "TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2 (The Divorcee / A Free Soul / Night Nurse / Three on a Match / Female)". Amazon. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
^ "Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume Two DVD". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
^ "The 3rd Academy Awards | 1931". www.oscars.org. October 9, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

External links

The Divorcee at IMDb
The Divorcee at the TCM Movie Database
‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› The Divorcee at AllMovie
The Divorcee at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
The Divorcée at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] Thise, Mark (2008). Hollywood Winners & Losers A to Z. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-879-10351-4.

[2] Fleming, E. J. (2008). Paul Bern: The Life and Famous Death of the MGM Director and Husband of Harlow. McFarland. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-786-43963-8.

[3] Wayne, Jane Ellen (2003). The Golden Girls of MGM: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, and Others. Da Capo Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-786-71303-8.

[4] "TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2 (The Divorcee / A Free Soul / Night Nurse / Three on a Match / Female)". Amazon. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[5] "Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume Two DVD". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[6] "The 3rd Academy Awards | 1931". www.oscars.org. October 9, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{about|the 1930 film|the 1919 silent film|The Divorcee (1919 film)}}
 {{short description|1930 film}}
+{{about|the 1930 film|the 1919 silent film|The Divorcee (1919 film)}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = The Divorcee
-| image          = The Divorcee poster.jpg
+| image          = The Divorcee - Rotogravure One Sheet 27 X 41.jpg
-| image_size     =
+| alt            =
-| border         =
+| caption        = Rotogravure poster
-| alt            =
-| caption        = Theatrical release poster
 | director       = [[Robert Z. Leonard]]
 | producer       = Robert Z. Leonard
 | writer         = [[Nick Grinde]]<br/>[[Zelda Sears]]<br/>[[John Meehan (screenwriter)|John Meehan]]
 | screenplay     =
 | story          =
-| based_on       = {{based on|''Ex-Wife''|[[Ursula Parrott]]}}
+| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Ex-Wife (Ursula Parrott)|Ex-Wife]]''<br>1929 novel|[[Ursula Parrott]]}}
 | narrator       =
-| starring       = [[Norma Shearer]]<br/>[[Chester Morris]]
+| starring       = [[Norma Shearer]]<br/>[[Chester Morris]] <br> [[Conrad Nagel]]
 | music          = [[Jack Yellen]]<br/>[[Milton Ager]]
 | cinematography = [[Norbert Brodine]]
-| editing        = Hugh Wynn
+| editing        = [[Hugh Wynn]]
 | studio         =
 | distributor    = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
 | released       = {{Film date|1930|04|30|United States}}
-| runtime        = 84 mins.
+| runtime        = 84 minutes
 | country        = United States
 | language       = English
 | budget         =
 | gross          =
 }}
-'''''The Divorcee''''' is a 1930 American [[Pre-Code Hollywood|pre-Code]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] written by [[Nick Grindé]], [[John Meehan (screenwriter)|John Meehan]], and [[Zelda Sears]], based on the 1929 novel ''Ex-Wife'' by [[Ursula Parrott]]. It was directed by [[Robert Z. Leonard]], who was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Director]]. The film was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], and won [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for its star [[Norma Shearer]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Thise|first=Mark|title=Hollywood Winners & Losers A to Z|year=2008|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=0-879-10351-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/hollywoodwinners0000this/page/197 197]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodwinners0000this/page/197}}</ref>
+'''''The Divorcee''''' is a 1930 American [[Pre-Code Hollywood|pre-Code]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] written by [[Nick Grindé]], [[John Meehan (screenwriter)|John Meehan]], and [[Zelda Sears]], based on the 1929 novel ''[[Ex-Wife (Ursula Parrott)|Ex-Wife]]'' by [[Ursula Parrott]]. It was directed by [[Robert Z. Leonard]], who was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Director]]. The film was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], and won [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for its star [[Norma Shearer]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Thise|first=Mark|title=Hollywood Winners & Losers A to Z|year=2008|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-0-879-10351-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/hollywoodwinners0000this/page/197 197]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodwinners0000this/page/197}}</ref>
 ==Plot==
-Ted ([[Chester Morris]]), Jerry ([[Norma Shearer]]), Paul ([[Conrad Nagel]]), and Dorothy ([[Judith Wood|Helen Johnson]]) are part of the New York in-crowd. Jerry's decision to marry Ted crushes Paul. He gets drunk, and is involved in an accident that leaves Dorothy's face disfigured. Out of pity, Paul marries Dorothy. Ted and Jerry have been married for three years when she discovers that he had a brief affair with another woman—and when she confronts him on their third anniversary, he tells her it did not "mean a thing". Upset, and with Ted away on a business trip, Jerry spends the night with his best friend, Don. Upon Ted's return, she tells him that she "balanced [their] accounts", withholding Don's name.
+Ted, Jerry, Paul, and Dorothy are part of the New York in-crowd. Jerry's decision to marry Ted crushes Paul. He gets drunk and drives, causing an accident that leaves Dorothy's face disfigured. Out of guilt, Paul marries Dorothy. Ted and Jerry have been married for three years when, on the evening of their third anniversary, she discovers that he has had a brief affair with another woman. Ted tells Jerry it did not "mean a thing". Upset, and with Ted away on a business trip, Jerry spends the night with his best friend, Don. Upon Ted's return, she tells him that she "balanced our accounts", withholding Don's name.
+Ted is outraged, and they argue, which ends with Ted leaving her and the couple filing for a divorce. While Jerry turns to partying to forget her sorrows, Ted becomes an alcoholic. Paul and Jerry run into each other, and she discovers he still loves her and is willing to leave Dorothy, with whom he is in a loveless, resentful marriage, to be with Jerry. They spend two weeks together and plan for a future together.
+Dorothy comes to speak with Jerry at her home but Paul is coincidentally meeting Jerry for dinner and the three have an awkward exchange. Despite good arguments from Paul, Dorothy’s desperation not to lose him forces Jerry to reevaluate her decision to leave with Paul. Ultimately, Jerry admits she regrets giving up on her first marriage. She decides to see if her husband will reconcile, disappointing Paul bitterly a second time.
+Weeks later, on her third attempt to locate Ted in Paris, Jerry finally finds him at a New Year's Eve party. After a polite exchange, Ted expresses his regret at how he reacted before the divorce. Jerry tells Ted her true feelings, and the two kiss at midnight to begin the new year, and presumably their new lives, together.
-Ted is hypocritically outraged, and they argue, which ends with Ted leaving her and the couple filing for a divorce. While Jerry turns to partying to forget her sorrows, Ted becomes an alcoholic. Paul and Jerry run into each other, and she discovers that he still loves her and is willing to leave Dorothy to be with her. Only after she meets Dorothy is Jerry forced to evaluate her decision.
 ==Cast==
-*[[Norma Shearer]] as Jerry Martin
+* [[Norma Shearer]] as Jerry Martin
-*[[Chester Morris]] as Ted Martin
+* [[Chester Morris]] as Ted Martin
-*[[Conrad Nagel]] as Paul
+* [[Conrad Nagel]] as Paul
-*[[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]] as Don
+* [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]] as Don
-*[[Judith Wood|Helen Johnson]] as Dorothy
+* [[Judith Wood]] as Dorothy (sister of Mary) (billed as Helen Johnson)
-*[[Florence Eldridge]] as Helen Baldwin
+* [[Helene Millard]] as Mary (sister of Dorothy)
-*[[Helene Millard]] as Mary
+* [[Florence Eldridge]] as Helen Baldwin
+* [[Mary Doran]] as Janice Meredith
-*[[Robert Elliott (actor)|Robert Elliott]] as Bill Baldwin
+* [[Robert Elliott (actor, born 1879)|Robert Elliott]] as Bill Baldwin
-*[[Mary Doran]] as Janice Meredith
-*[[Tyler Brooke]] as Hank
+* [[Tyler Brooke]] as Hank
-*[[Zelda Sears]] as Hannah
+* [[Zelda Sears]] as Hannah (Jerry's maid)
-*[[George Irving (American actor)|George Irving]] as Dr. Bernard
+* [[George Irving (American actor)|George Irving]] as Dr. Bernard
-*[[Charles R. Moore (actor)|Charles R. Moore]] as First Porter Opening Window (uncredited)
+* [[Charles R. Moore (actor)|Charles R. Moore]] as First Porter Opening Window (uncredited)
-*[[Lee Phelps]] as Party Guest (uncredited)
+* [[Lee Phelps]] as Party Guest (uncredited)
-*[[George H. Reed]] as Second Porter (uncredited)
+* [[George H. Reed]] as Second Porter (uncredited)
-*[[Carl Stockdale]] as Divorce Judge (uncredited)
+* [[Carl Stockdale]] as Divorce Judge (uncredited)
-*[[Theodore von Eltz]] as Ivan (uncredited)
+* [[Theodore von Eltz]] as Ivan (uncredited)
 ==Production==
-MGM production head [[Irving Thalberg]] bought the rights to ''Ex-Wife'' in the summer of 1929. Thalberg's original choice for the role of Jerry was [[Joan Crawford]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Fleming|first=E. J. |title=Paul Bern: The Life and Famous Death of the MGM Director and Husband of Harlow|year=2008|publisher=McFarland|isbn=0-786-43963-7|page=146}}</ref>
+MGM production head [[Irving Thalberg]] bought the rights to ''Ex-Wife'' in the summer of 1929. Thalberg's original choice for the role of Jerry was [[Joan Crawford]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Fleming|first=E. J. |title=Paul Bern: The Life and Famous Death of the MGM Director and Husband of Harlow|url=https://archive.org/details/paulbernlifefamo00flem|url-access=limited|year=2008|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-786-43963-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/paulbernlifefamo00flem/page/n158 146]}}</ref>
-Norma Shearer, Thalberg's wife, was originally never in the running for the lead role in ''The Divorcee'' because it was believed that she did not have enough sex appeal. Only after Shearer arranged a special photo session with independent portrait photographer [[George Hurrell]], and Thalberg saw the result, he did relent and give her the role.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wayne|first=Jane Ellen |title=The Golden Girls of MGM: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, and Others|year=2003|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=0-786-71303-8|page=51}}</ref>
+Norma Shearer, Thalberg's wife, originally was not in the running for the lead role in ''The Divorcee'' because it was believed that she did not have enough sex appeal. Only after Shearer arranged a special photo session with independent portrait photographer [[George Hurrell]], and Thalberg saw the result, did he relent and give her the role.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wayne|first=Jane Ellen |title=The Golden Girls of MGM: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, and Others|year=2003|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=0-786-71303-8|page=51}}</ref>
 ==Release==
-''The Divorcee'' was released on DVD by Warner Home Video on March 8, 2008 (along with ''[[A Free Soul]]'', also starring Norma Shearer), as one of five pre-Code films in the "TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2" DVD box set. Other movies with the same title were released in 1917, 1919, and 1969.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
+Warner Home Video released ''The Divorcee'' (along with ''[[A Free Soul]]'', also starring Norma Shearer) as part of a DVD box set of five pre-Code films called the Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2 on March 4, 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 2 (The Divorcee / A Free Soul / Night Nurse / Three on a Match / Female) |url=https://www.amazon.com/TCM-Archives-Forbidden-Hollywood-Collection/dp/B000YRY7VC |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=Amazon}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume Two DVD |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Forbidden-Hollywood-Collection-Volume-Two-DVD/151027/ |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=Blu-ray.com}}</ref>
 ==Reception==
-Norma Shearer won the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]. Also starring in the film are [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]], [[Conrad Nagel]], [[Judith Wood|Helen Johnson]], and [[Florence Eldridge]].
+Norma Shearer won the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]. It was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Writing]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-09 |title=The 3rd Academy Awards {{!}} 1931 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1931 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 71: / Line 74: @@
 == External links ==
 {{commons category|The Divorcee}}
-*{{IMDb title|0020827}}
+* {{IMDb title|0020827}}
-*{{tcmdb title|id=114|title=The Divorcee}}
+* {{TCMDb title|114}}
-*{{allmovie|14078|Synopsis}}
+* {{AllMovie title|14078}}
-*{{Rotten Tomatoes|divorcee|The Divorcée}}
+* {{AFI film|3776}}
+* {{Rotten Tomatoes|divorcee|The Divorcée}}
 {{Robert Z. Leonard}}
@@ Line 80: / Line 84: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Divorcee, The}}
-[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance]]
+[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award–winning performance]]
 [[Category:1930 films]]
 [[Category:1930 drama films]]
@@ Line 86: / Line 90: @@
 [[Category:American black-and-white films]]
 [[Category:Films based on American novels]]
+[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
 [[Category:American drama films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:1930s English-language films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard]]
-[[Category:Films made before the MPAA Production Code]]
+[[Category:Films about adultery in the United States]]
-[[Category:Adultery in films]]
 [[Category:Films about divorce]]
 [[Category:Films based on works by Ursula Parrott]]
+[[Category:1930s American films]]

v t e Irving Thalberg
Producer	The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938)
Writer	The Trap (1922)
People	Norma Shearer (wife) Irving Thalberg Jr. (son)
Related	The Love of the Last Tycoon