Wife Wanted

During the 1930s, Kay Francis was a huge star...particularly with Warner Brothers. However, tastes are fickle and by the 1940s, she was mostly appearing in second-rate films. So, the fact that her final movie was for tiny Monogram Studio is no surprise. And, the fact that the movie is just barely okay also is no surprise given the sort of pictures Monogram generally made!

Carole Raymond (Francis) is an actress who has seen better days. Her roles now are few and far between. Despite this she is comfortable and her life seems good...though she is headed for disaster. Why? Because her new business partner with the Friendship Club is a swindler and has been using the matchmaking service to blackmail money out of its members! She only figures this out when one of her dates through the service informs her that they are swindlers...and only moments later, he falls to his death! Of course he's been murdered but Carole is a bit dim and doesn't necessarily know how to put two and two together. And, when she confronts the partner about his crimes, he freely admits it and promises to take her down with him if she goes to the police. Oddly, she agrees to keep her mouth shut...all the while looking for some evidence she can use to prove her innocence and his guilt.

This film has a huge weakness in that MOST people would simply go to the police....and Carole's not doing this seems weak and silly. Additionally, the plot just seems slight and is not the sort of thing a star like Francis deserved. Watchable but flawed.