Bachelor Apartment
- Lowell Sherman: Wayne Carter
- Mae Murray: Agatha Carraway
- Ivan Lebedeff: Pedro De Maneau
- Norman Kerry: Lee Graham
Bachelor Apartment is a comedy film from 1931 with Lowell Sherman and Irene Dunne. The former silent film star Mae Murray plays her penultimate role in the film.
Action
Wayne Carter is a famous bachelor with numerous ladies acquaintances. In his luxurious Park Avenue apartment he receives his mistress, including the married Agatha Carraway. One day he makes the acquaintance of virtuous Helene Andrews, who has come from a small town in the Midwest to New York to bring their easygoing sister to reason. Both fall in love, but the intrigues of Mrs. Carraway interfere with the smooth running of their romance. At the end of Wayne and Helene come to the altar.
Background
Bachelor apartment was the third film of Irene Dunne since her arrival in Hollywood. After her debut in the now lost musical Leathernecking they started immediately after the shooting at the Western Cimarron, a role for which she won Best Actress the first of five Oscar nominations. The first draft of the script by John Howard Lawson for Bachelor apartment was little more than a rough sketch story about a playboy and his adventures with his latest lover. For the lead roles, both former silent film stars Lowell Sherman and Mae Murray were provided. The character of Irene Dunne was initially not planned. In the end, the whole concept has been rewritten and degrades the part of Mae Murray to the secondary role.
Lawson took no pleasure in the finished film. According to him, the film of a bygone era belonged to:
"Despite the modern cynicism and witty style all belonged to " Bachelor Apartment ", including the actor, in the Roaring Twenties. "
For Mae Murray it was her penultimate role at all, while her debut in talkies. At the height of her career in 1926 Murray earned one weeks salary of $ 10,000 and was regarded as an international beauty. In the same year she married second husband, the - alleged - Georgian prince David Mdivani. On his advice towards Murray broke their contract with the film company Metro -Goldwyn -Mayer and was placed on a so-called black list so they got no further film offers more. Her husband brought within a few years through their entire assets of approximately $ 3,000,000, and Murray then divorced him. Your old friend Lowell Sherman got her the role in bachelor apartment. Her last role in High Stakes few months later, Mae Murray played in a film by Lowell Sherman.
Irene Dunne appeared in a supporting role for the last time. Already her next film Consolation Marriage brought her name as sole Actress and star of the production on the title.
Reviews
The New York Times took Bachelor Apartment amusing.
"It is by and large a sparkling comedy with a Parisian flair. [ ... ]. Although the plot is often remains completely implausible, one can say without exaggeration that the film is his goal to provide the audience with good humor achieved. [ ... ] Miss Dunne is competent as Helene. "