Romance, comedy and song are the essential ingredients in Expensive Husbands (1937), a regal-themed mini-musical, and a coup d'etat to director Bobby Connolly's ability to cram so much plot into a 60 minute programmer. The impoverished prince who falls for a well-to-do American movie star, loses her and then, via many humorous complications, wins her back along with his former royal status was pure confection: a prime example of 1930s dream factory fare. Aided by an able cast (led by popular contract players Patric Knowles and Beverly Roberts) and high production values (often borrowed from existing A-feature sets), Expensive Husbands belies its humble cost and running time, and, on the surface, seems like just another pleasant B-plus picture...Or was it?

Warners, always keeping an eye on the headlines for source material, turned to Europe and the real-life romance between American divorcee Wallis Simpson and the future King of England Prince Edward VIII. His abdication of the throne for her hand was the kind of "too good to be true" storyline that even the most gullible audiences would find hard to swallow. The fact that none of it was fabricated prompted the studio to push Expensive Husbands into theaters before the end of the year while the news was still fresh. The strategy paid off. Released during Thanksgiving, the peasant-budgeted six reeler ascended to noble heights, occasionally playing in top half slots to cash in on current events, thus providing a jewel in the crown for the studio B-unit, and a tidy king's ransom for the Warners dynasty.

Producer/Director: Bobby Connolly
Screenplay: Jay Brennan, Lillie Hayward, Jean Negulesco
Production Design: Hugh Reticker, Jr
Cinematography: James Van Trees
Costume Design: Howard Shoup
Film Editing: Louis Hesse
Original Music: M.K. Jerome
Principal Cast: John Butler (Savage), Ann Codee (Maria), Fritz Feld (Herr Meyer), Robert C. Fischer (Joseph), Otto H. Fries (Franz), Eula Guy (Trommy).
BW-62m.

By Mel Neuhaus