terrible... so disappointed.

Best movie ever!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Directed by Busby Berkeley, it features Priscilla Lane as a secretary in an ad agency that wants to become a successful working woman. Unfortunately, the film gets pretty bogged down in some very dated stereotypes of women in the workplace and, especially, men's attitudes towards it. Linda Lawrence (Lane) shares an apartment with Nancy (Penny Singleton), who - for contrast - plays the more typical secretary who is only working until she can find a husband that will marry her and allow her to stay at home (which of course she does).In any case, Linda is so attractive that every man in the firm is trying to date (but not necessarily marry) her. As secretary to Mr. Bates, played by Hugh Harvey (with a very annoying "whoo hoo" throughout), a rather bumbling "first line manager his entire career" type, Linda quickly advances to a position as his assistant. A career woman named Beatrice Harris, played fairly convincingly by Mona Barrie, is initially reluctant to share her "queen bee" status with Linda. However, once she recognizes the same ambition in Linda as her own, Beatrice instead begins to mentor her, somewhat.Wayne Morris plays an ex-football jock from Princeton named Jimmy Hall; he is also very ambitious, especially in his rather obnoxious pursuit of Linda. In fact, it is his whole attitude and actions towards Ms. Lane's character throughout the film that will be most offensive to anyone (especially female viewers) watching the film these days. He exhibits a very physical "won't take no for an answer" approach to getting Linda to marry him, which she does. This is followed by him insisting she give up her very promising (more so than his?) career to be there for him when he gets home from work, especially after (with Beatrice's assistance) Linda starts working with the "top dog", Harry Galleon played by Humphrey Bogart. Harry, like every other man in the agency, can't resist Linda's looks and starts to intentionally sabotage her 3 month marriage to Jimmy, which precipitates his ultimatum.After six months of staying at home, and dealing with a daily routine which includes picking up her husband at the train station and carpooling home with Bill Dalton (Gene Lockhart plays another very annoying character), Linda decides to work a behind-the-scenes deal to further her husband's career. When he declines the offer, never knowing of her involvement, she walks out, accusing him of being not ambitious enough for her. This leaves room for Harry to get back into the picture. But, of course, everything works out in time (in this less than 70 minute film!) for a happy ending.A most unusual film for Bogart. The title comes from the last line spoken in the film, by Priscilla Lane's character incidentally.

Disturbing romantic drama about a woman climbing the corporate ladder while being involved with a clod. The woman is played by Priscilla Lane, an actress I like but certainly not in this role. On the surface a career woman in a 1938 movie actually sounds good. Unfortunately whatever good you can find from a historical perspective is undone by Lane's unhealthy relationship with a gross pig called Jimmy, played by Wayne Morris.Wayne Morris was an actor with an amiable screen presence but here he's playing a pushy, obnoxious, chauvinist stalker with a severe bad temper and violent tendencies. He parks the car he & Priscilla are in on railroad tracks with a train bearing down so she will say yes to his marriage proposal. This guy actually endangers her life just to get her to say yes! Someone thought that was romantic?!? Some usually solid supporting stars don't help much. Penny Singleton is likable but sadly wasted in a small part. Hugh Herbert is an annoying cartoon of a character, always fidgeting and making stupid noises. If the two lead roles were written better, Herbert's character would be the film's biggest deficit. But as it stands his irritating character is nothing to worry about next to the dysfunctional couple. Then we come to the main reason I even checked this film out: Humphrey Bogart. I've seen almost all of Bogie's films so whenever I get the chance to check out one of the few I haven't, I jump at the chance. Well this one was a wasted role for Bogie, playing Lane's infatuated boss who gets socked out by Morris.This is a terrible film. The characters are so wholly unlikeable that I can't believe Warner Bros made this mess. This may be the lowest rating I've ever given a film from this period. I'm a huge fan of classic films and I can often forgive their faults even more than modern films. But this is one case where I can't. Avoid this unless you're a fan of Bogart's or Lane's and just have to see every movie they're in.

There are a few interesting lines here like "All Men are Poligamists" but this comedy between the sexes never really comes off. This cast is a great cast in the whole but prove it takes a script to make a good movie. This one off the Warner Assembly Line proves how big an accident Casablanca was a few years later.Busby Berkley is know for musicals but directing a comedy does not seem to be his bag. The action is uneven. There is a silent slap stick quality to the car chases and train sequences. One RR crossing even looks like the same set used in Abbott & Costello Meet The Keystone Cops.Bogart really isn't much of a comedian coming off as a straight dull man who is a bit of a cad. Think he walked through this role in his sleep. The main actress, Priscilla Lane is an attractive lead, but her comedy skills are not up to other females doing comedy in this era.Overall, other than if your curious about the cast members, this is a movie to avoid. The best thing about it is it is short, obviously made as a B movie to be paired with an A Picture for Double Features.There is a little surprising grabbing by an actor of Lane's posterior in one scene which considering the codes of this era must have gotten through by accident.

Being an unabashed 'Lane, Priscilla' (qv) fan, Men Are Such Fools would be a delight to watch if only for the wonderful Miss Lane alone. But as a neat little bonus you get 'Bogart, Humphrey' (qv) in a rare, at that time, non-gangster role.This combination makes for an enjoyable movie about a young woman determined to succeed in the advertising business.However, the one problem I have with this movie is Wayne Morris, or at least the character he plays.As in another movie Mr. Morris was in with Miss Lane, _Love, Honor and Behave (1938)_ (qv), there is this undercurrent that seems to imply that you can show a woman how much you love her by physically pushing her around.I understand that things were different back then, but it is still a bit difficult to watch any guy resort to physical contact with a woman in order to win her over. This is by no means a big part of this movie, but it is noticeable after seeing it happen over a series of films from that era.That being said, the positives far outweigh any of the negatives. With Priscilla Lane starring and Humphrey Bogart in support, you can't go wrong spending your time with Men Are Such Fools.