SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

mark.waltz This isn't as blatantly sexist as 1933's "Female" in which Ruth Chatterton sexually harassed her male secretaries. This boss, Kay Francis, is much more subtle, hiring David Manners as her secretary after firing too busy to work overtime Elizabeth Patterson. It's not going to take her bookkeepers long to figure out what's going on, especially if they see him with his nagging gal pal Una Merkel, a dame whom Groucho Marx would describe as being vaccinated with a phonograph needle. Even though this was made before the production code came in, this is not as shocking or even as exciting as other pre-code films.Francis is an able comedian, Manners a handsome but dull (perhaps uninterested?) romantic lead. It's basically a ploy between Francis and her married in name only hubby Kenneth Thomason to find out after living their own lives how they truly feel about each other. In fact, it is set up that they are more friends, so when she romances Manners on the sly, it is the medication for her to find out how she really feels about her husband.Andy Devine offers lots of earthy comedy as Manner's pal, which gives Merkel a ploy at the end when it becomes clear that she and Manners have no future together. It is also extremely short, which gives it no real time to establish either character or a definitive plot. Without Francis and Devine, this would have been a total disappointment.

bob.decker One must keep in mind with any Kay Francis picture from 1932 that no attempt is being made at realism; whether "Man Wanted" or "Trouble in Paradise," the mise en scene is the collective product of the studio's imagination, and no New York editor ever worked in an office quite as plush as the one in which Miss Francis and David Manners as her secretary toil. Yet even if its the intent is merely to provide a glamorous escape from the dreariness of the Depression, "Man Wanted" also succeeds in delivering quite a feminist portrayal of a woman executive who is not the least embarrassed by her position nor inclined to disguise her sexuality with mannish suits (a la Rosalind Russell), masculine dialogue, or any show of weakness. In this respect among others, "Man Wanted" is far ahead even of present-day Hollywood portrayals of capable, powerful women. While our puritanical culture might not like to admit that a wife could view such indulgent bemusement the infidelities of a weak, alcoholic husband, there are plenty of prominent modern marriages whose persistence cannot be explained otherwise. One suspects, therefore, that the reaction of Lois Ames to her husband's philandering is as firmly grounded in realism as the more violent and hysterical reactions we've come to expect, not to mention her extraordinary sang froid when confronted by her secretary's accusatory fiancée (Una Merkel). Moreover this secretary, who finally wins his boss's hand, is hardly some male tower of strength; he can get up the gumption to face her only after undergoing a sloppy bender with his half-dressed roommate (Andy Devine) in their rather sordid apartment. This isn't subversive just for 1932; it's subversive for now, and includes some very nice dresses, props, and a scene at a polo grounds that suggests a bygone era before Los Angeles was fully encased in concrete.

wes-connors Beautiful Kay Francis (as Lois Ames) is a busy magazine editor; her suave husband Kenneth Thomson (as Freddie Ames) enjoys playing polo, and having affairs. When Ms. Francis' secretary bids adieu, she hires good looking David Manners (as Tommy Sherman) as a replacement. Mr. Manners is engaged to Una Merkel (as Ruth Holman), who is, naturally, jealous of her beau's demanding bosswoman. Manners' roommate Andy Devine (as Andy) reads "True Confessions" magazines, and pines for Ms. Merkel.Watching Francis and Thomson fall for each other is enjoyable. Even better is watching Francis and Thomson falling out of love - especially, the sequence beginning when he prepares cocktails, as she slips a note under his door: "Darling, I've been waiting up to see you. Somehow we've drifted apart and its chiefly my fault. Let's make up. Lois." Their final realization, and their goodbye, is very sweet, and well-played. Thomson is certainly the film's best supporting actor; and, thankfully, he doesn't try to sing! Within a year, he would become one of the founding members of SAG (the Screen Actors Guild). ***** Man Wanted (4/23/32) William Dieterle ~ Kay Francis, David Manners, Kenneth Thomson, Una Merkel

Emaisie39 Kay Francis rose to sudden stardom playing a vamp opposite Walter Huston in a very early Paramount talkie called "Gentlemen of the Press"(Par, 1929). By 1930 she was one of that studio's top stars. In late 1931 her three-year contract was expiring and to much surprise she jumped ship to Warner Brothers that had promised her great scripts and a huge salary. The salary was forthcoming but the scripts varied wildly from the classic "One Way Passage"(1932) to the unbelievably bland "The White Angel"(1936) a disastrous William Dieterle directed biography on Florence Nightingale. Gorgeous and charismatic Kay's first vehicle for Warners and her first with Dieterle is this marvelous adult comedy about an emancipated woman who is the boss who needs a new "male" secretary. Running only about 70 minutes this film is a witty, wonderfully directed gem. Kay and Manners are so sexy and charming in their only film together. A must for Francis fans and forgotten classic movie lovers.