Forsaking All Others
Tags: romantic

Plot synopsis:
Ever since Jeff Williams (Clark Gable) was a child, he has been in love with Mary Clay (Joan Crawford). Returning from Madrid, Spain, he wants to propose to her firsthand. However, he comes to a halt, as he finds out that she is being married to Dillon 'Dill' Todd (Robert Montgomery) the very next day. The three had been friends since childhood, but no one besides the butler realized Jeff's feelings. So instead, he wishes all the best for the couple.
However, the next day, Dill doesn't show up to the altar, as it turns out that the night before the wedding, he ran off and married Connie Barnes (Frances Drake), a woman with whom he had had an affair in Europe some months before. Mary quickly gets out of her wedding dress and projects strength instead of fainting.
Although what Dill did to Mary was terrible, she still has a soft spot for him. Jeff and Mary are invited to a party at Dill and Connie's house, and the two decide to attend in order to cause some havoc and shock the newlywed couple. While the tension between Mary and Connie is palpable, Dill is shocked to see Mary. Dill and Mary share a romantic moment outside, and Connie awkwardly walks in on them. Jeff tries to smooth the situation over, but Connie remains furious.
Later, Dill calls Mary and Jeff finds out they intend to see each other. Mary knows she should not go, but the two go up to Aunt Paula's (Billie Burke) country house in Phoenicia, New York. The two share a romantic day, and they profess their love for each other. Dill calls his butler to tell him to pick them up tomorrow morning, but Connie overhears and sets off for Phoenicia. Aunt Paula also realizes the two are at her house, and goes there with Jeff in order to prevent the scandal from getting worse. In fact, the night previously, Dill accidentally burned himself, and the two did not sleep together.
As Connie arrives, Jeff and Mary pretend to be a couple, but Connie does not buy it. She wants to punish Dill for his perceived unfaithfulness, while Aunt Paula wants to avoid scandal. Connie accepts a lucrative settlement and leaves for Europe, thus leaving Dill free to marry Mary. Right before the ceremony, Jeff proclaims his love for Mary and tells her that he is leaving on a boat back to Spain. When the butler, Shep (Charles Butterworth), tells her the cornflowers sent to her last wedding were from Jeff and not Dill, Mary realizes she loves Jeff instead. She breaks off her marriage with Dill and joins Jeff on the boat—when Dill arrives at the wharf, the ship has already sailed.

Review: Clark Gable returns from Madrid (we are not told what he was doing there nor really what anyone does for a living) in order to propose to Joan Crawford.
Clark has secretly loved Joan since they were children but in his absence, Joan has agreed to marry Robert Montgomery who she has loved since they were children.
Enter the old flame, Frances Drake, who whisks Montgomery away on the eve of his nuptial leaving Crawford standing at the alter.
The marriage does not work and soon Crawford steps out with Montgomery on the side.
Gable criticizes and consoles Crawford eventually making plans to return to Spain.
Good performances by Crawford (opening shot with cream on her face is in contrast to other stars who preferred glamorous introductions), Montgomery (he really is funny), Gable, Billie Burke (who can do "flustered" any better), Rosalind Russell (does well in one of her early films) and a very droll Charles Butterworth.
This is one of the several movies that Joan Crawford made with Clark Gable, and fortunately quite a few of them (maybe all) have made it to at least DVD-R via the Warner Archive.
It's a romantic comedy in which Joan plays socialite Mary Clay, who is about to marry lifelong acquaintance Dillon Todd (Robert Montgomery).
Clark Gable plays another of Mary's lifelong friends, Jeff Williams.
Jeff has been long away from home and decides to come back just to ask Mary to marry him, unaware that Mary is about to marry Dillon.
Robert Montgomery is playing the usual harmless playboy character here that he did so much of in the early 1930's.
It looks like Mary and Dillon's marriage is about to go off without a hitch until one of Dillon's old girlfriends appears on the scene.This film was released about six months after the precode era ended, so there is nothing really racey going on here.
However, W.S. Van Dyke is the director of this film, and he knew how to combine sexual tension and comedy in an age of aggressive censorship, and this is a fine example of his work.
I have to imagine that in order for MGM to justify using two of their top leading men with Joan Crawford, their parts in Forsaking All Others would have to have been built up considerably.
The original Broadway production of this comedy that ran 110 performances in 1933 starred Tallulah Bankhead and it was strictly her show.
As if it would have been any other way.I have to give Joan Crawford credit on this one.
She's got both Robert Montgomery and Clark Gable after her, but she chooses early on and in the end she finds out she chooses wrong.
In fact the only impersonation Crawford does is one of her Grand Hotel co-star Greta Garbo.Both Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery settle into familiar stereotypes for them.
Gable is another reporter character like he is It Happened One Night and Montgomery is an irresponsible playboy like he was in a gazillion films.
Montgomery and Crawford are set to be married, but Montgomery leaves her at the altar and runs off with his demanding mistress Frances Drake.
But Crawford has Gable's shoulder to cry on for most of the rest of the film.
No way that Tallulah Bankhead would have let that happen on stage.Charles Butterworth and Billie Burke are also on hand and young Rosalind Russell on her way up has a small part as one of Crawford's friends.
Granted I am a huge Clark Gable fan, I thought this movie was one of the most fun films I had seen in a long time and not just because he's pretty to look at-- the whole cast was great as was the writing.
The chemistry between Ms. Crawford and Clark Gable is palpable and registers like a blister.
The ever-clever and witty Robert Montgomery is in fine form as the character of "Dill", and an apt foil for the combine of Ms. Crawford and Mr. Gable.
fun cat & mouse romp with Montgomery,Crawford,Gable.
throughout the film, all the big names are laughing, joking, playing, having a grand ol time, until every now and then some real life adult situations get in the way.
Miss Joan Crawford (Mary) getting spanked.
Clark Gable (Jeff) and Robert Montgomery (Dill) keep stepping out of the shower.
A witty film that benefits mostly from the pairing of Clark Gable and Joan Crawford.
Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and Robert Montgomery are childhood friends who are in not only a love triangle but a love quadrangle in "Forsaking All Others," from 1934.Crawford is Mary Clay, who is about to be married to Dill (Montgomery).
Gable is Jeff Williams, who returns from Spain with the intention of proposing to Mary.
Jeff puts on a brave face as Dill and Mary are two of his closest friends.
Dill, however, has some old business, and that's his ex-girlfriend Connie (Frances Drake).
Turns out Connie's business isn't as old as Mary and Dill thought because, as Mary prepares to walk down the aisle, Jeff gets a telegram saying that Connie and Dill are married.This is an entertaining comedy, with the three stars in top form.
Though comedy was never Crawford's forte, she actually plays this straight and is very good.Billie Burke costars and Rosalind Russell has a small role.
Crawford Gable and Montgomery Earn Their Money--The Hard Way. The sort of old movie that makes old movies seem, well, OLD.
The dialogue creaks and heaves towards the punch lines, the plot twists can be seen coming a mile away, and the characters behavior is totally subservient to the need to keep the hero and heroine from recognizing their obvious love for one another until the last possible moment.
That Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Robert Montgomery bring something even RESEMBLING emotional truth to this remainder-bin exercise is a tribute to their talent.
Anyone who says they don't make movies like they used to is right--and that isn't necessarily a bad thing .
Mary (Joan Crawford) loves Dill (Robert Montgomery) but he leaves her waiting at the altar and elopes with another woman.
Their friend Jeff (a miscast Clark Gable) loves Mary but won't say so because she loves Dill, even after the humiliation and despite him being married to another woman.
Why either Mary or Jeff would even want to be around this guy is beyond me but I guess they had to fill time with something.Crawford looks great but her character has little self-respect.
I hated seeing her pursue Bob Montgomery's character despite his dumping her to marry another woman.
I know times change and all but it taints the enjoyment of the movie for me when most of it is based around Joan wanting that creep back.
Montgomery is fine I guess but the character of Dill is a royal class jerk.
Having grown up seeing Joan Crawford films in which she was much older and with the reputation of being crazy and cruel, it's always fascinating to watch her very early films and see how truly engaging, charismatic and beautiful she was.
Her comfortable chemistry with Clark Gable is fun to watch, and although this film does't have stellar dialogue and is a bit low-brow, it's one I often just turn on when I have work to do or emails to catch up on.
I've noticed this expression being used in other films of the era - Robert Williams' character says it to Jean Harlow in "Platinum Blonde" as a way to note that he is free to love her, and Joan Crawford says it to Clark Gable in frustrated anger to stress to him she can make her own decisions.
The Joan Crawford Experience 16/59The film starts off the day before Mary (Joan Crawford) marries her childhood sweetheart Dillon "Dill" Todd (Robert Montgomery).
Aunt Paula (The Fabulous Billie Burke) bursts in to fuss over Mary, and that leads to everyone else coming in with cocktails for a chaotic scene.We understand that Mary and Dill are part of a very close-knit group of friends who are kind of wild and have a lot of history together.
Mary, Dill, and Jeff Williams (Clark Gable) have known each other since they were eight years old!At the same time, we see Jeff enthusiastically returning from an extended stay in Spain.
He is met by his old buddy Shemp (Charles Butterworth), and head directly over to Mary's apartment.
As Dill is home getting ready, he is visited by an old fling from a summer in Europe - Connie Barnes (Frances Drake).
She knows that he is getting married but wants to reminisce about the good times they had over a drink (or seven) before parting ways.The next morning we discover that Dill never made it to the bachelor's dinner; and boy he really missed a good time judging from the wreckage of Jeff and Shemp's hotel room and the chaos that caused.
Mary is left at the altar.She finds out via telegram that Jeff has married Connie.So instead of spending their honeymoon at Aunt Paula's cabin in upstate New York, she spends it -with- Aunt Paula trying to clear her head.
Jeff and Shemp head up for moral support (and to bring Mary her mail) and find that Connie has invited Mary to a cocktail party.Of course she's going to go!
She takes Jeff along as her date, and they discover his new crowd of friends are a lot more sedate than the old gang.
Dill didn't know that Connie had invited her and tells her "Connie, you're being just a little bit cheap!"A bit later Jeff and Mary have it out over her pining away for a married man and Mary slaps him!
So, while Mary is off running around with Dill, Jeff figures he'll go back to Spain.Or will he?This is a fairly good comedy / romance set amongst New York Society.
This love triangle comedy is worth tracking down for its great script, which is filled to the brim with humorous wit and colorful dialogue that keeps viewers on their toes.
Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay, based on a stage play.) And it certainly helps to have these lines read by the likes of Billie Burke and Charles Butterworth, whose inimitable comedic talents boost the so-so story.Robert Montgomery's and Joan Crawford's characters grow tiresome after a while, but the film is saved by the performances of Butterworth and Burke in their sidekick roles.
His character is the most likable of the three leads, but he drops out from the middle of the film.The plot takes some tedious turns, but the ending is satisfying.
Worth Watching for Crawford and Gable.
Forsaking All Others (1934) ** 1/2 (out of 4) MGM fluff has Jeff (Clark Gable) returning from Spain with plans of proposing to Mary (Joan Crawford) but once home he learns that she's about to marry Dillon (Robert Montgomery).
Jeff decides to take it like a man and step to the side but when Dillon runs off and marries another woman he must try and figure out the best way to get to Mary.
This isn't a bad movie but considering the cast and director one can't help but be a little disappointed that it's not better.
Gable is in top-form here as he's very believable in the role and you can't help but feel for the guy and enjoy the class that the actor brings.
The more I see from Gable pre-IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT films the more impressed I am.
Montgomery isn't too bad as the romantic slime but for some reason the screenplay seems to forget this is a drama when he's on screen.
There are countless scenes with him falling, tripping or hurting himself in other ways that gives one the impression that this was some sort of slapstick film at some point.
Charles Butterworth steals the film in each of his scenes and we also get Billie Burke as a real bad girl.
The opening credits here are extremely bizarre as the film opens with the three stars marching arm to arm down a row towards the camera with the biggest smiles on their face as if this was some sort of musical.
And yet another of the film pairings of Crawford and Gable, this time in one of the romantic triangles which became the norm for most of Crawford's films from the 1930s as Robert Montgomery is added to the mix of her suitors.
Essentially a will they-won't they situation, for a swift 84 minutes one is put to the task to see how long will it take before Gable and Crawford wind up in each others' arms.This one actually fares pretty good as a farce, mainly because the players make the story work in a light yet believable way even when the story per se becomes somewhat silly and even predictable.
Also of note is an early appearance by Rosalind Russell in a short role later in the movie..
The type of film that helped make living in the depression fun, acting like the depression didn't exist, that millionaires never lost their fortune, that everybody dressed in silks, ermine, white tie & tails.
Everybody was gay, when gay meant giddy....It's no wonder that Joan Crawford was the biggest female star of the mid 1930's, not a female impersonator who actually happened to be a woman (Mae West) or a snappy little girl with curls (Shirley Temple).
And here she is, a bride left at the alter by her childhood pal (Robert Montgomery) who nevertheless continues to see her socially on the side unaware that their other best pal (Clark Gable) is madly in love with her himself.
Montgomery is instantly unhappy in his new marriage to venomous Frances Drake and longs to rekindle his romance with Crawford.People forget that Joan was adept in both comedies and musicals, not just the women's picture, so this film (based upon a Broadway play that starred Tallulah Bankhead) is overlooked in the history of great screwball comedies.
Toss in flighty Billie Burke, droll Charles Butterworth and wisecracking Rosalind Russell (in one of her first films), and you end up with a practically perfect crowd-pleaser that shows us how "Mommie Dearest" was as once as hot as today's "A" list stars and got to the top in a style that can't be copied today.The fun opening credits instantly got my attention with music that made me think that the three stars were going rollerskating.
This scene flows nicely to another great scene with Montgomery riding a bicycle with a nervous Crawford on the handlebars that ends up with a nice pratfall.
There are many aspects of this movie that make it seem like Clark Gable has taken a step forward in his career.
At this time, Robert Montgomery and Joan Crawford were big stars and the movie isn't nearly as off-the-wall as many of the weird early Gable films (featuring him in a dizzying array of strange roles).
In addition, the plot really needed a re-write and Gable's character just seems really needy and weak.
Here's the plot--you decide if Gable is poorly used: Joan Crawford is left waiting at the alter by Robert Montgomery who runs off with another woman.
She spends most of the movie STILL trying to get Montgomery (why she would still want this schmuck, I have absolutely no idea).
Gable is friends to both but secretly loves Crawford.
However, he doesn't tell her because he really wants her to be happy--even if it means chasing after married Montgomery!
I hate movies that avoid such an obvious and simple resolution.Fortunately, despite this HUGE plot problem, the ride is enjoyable so if you just turn off your brain and watch, you will enjoy the film.
But, as I said, your brain must be turned off or you'll find yourself wondering why they made Gable so spineless, Crawford so needy and Montgomery such an amazing jerk..
84 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Jeff Williams (Clark Gable) returns from abroad just in time to act as Best Man at the wedding of his friends, Mary Clay (Joan Crawford) and Dill Todd (Robert Montgomery).
To everyone's surprise, Dill leaves Mary at the altar.
He marries his mistress, Connie (Frances Drake) instead.
As it happens, Jeff has always loved Mary himself.
Dill asks Connie for a divorce and makes a fresh proposal to Mary.
True, he begins promisingly enough with our returning hero, Gable, loading Butterworth down with balloons and peanuts; but Mankiewicz's notion of humor degenerates later on into a lot of irritating gibberish from Butterworth and a frilly nightgown for Montgomery.
Forsaking All Others actually ends up as little more than an Adrian fashion show led by exquisitely photographed Joan Crawford.
Fortunately, Joan can do no wrong in my book, even in an inferior vehicle like Forsaking All Others.OTHER VIEWS: Here's an old-fashioned new-fashioned play.
For a starter, we have no-one in the Tallulah Bankhead class to play the main role.
Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell, are at the top of their game.
Everybody is rich, jet-setter types in tails, top-hats, and fancy ball gowns.Jeffrey Williams (Gable) is met at the New York dock by one of his old friends, Shemp (Charles Butterworth).
Jeff has just returned from Madrid and is planning on asking his childhood crush, Mary Clay (Crawford) to marry him.
When they arrive at a party in progress, he's shocked to find that Mary is already happily engaged to his other friend, Dillon Todd (Montgomery).Jeff swallows his disappointment, especially when Mary asks him to walk her down the isle, and resigns himself to getting appropriately drunk.
However, an old flame of Dillon's, Connie Barnes (Frances Drake), shows up at his apartment and talks Dill into running away with her and impulsively get married; thus leaving Mary at the alter.
But, Mary is determined to get with Dillon even if it's behind Connie's back to the disgust of Jeff, who frankly can't take it anymore.