Double Harness (1933) online at TCM Media Room

[moira finnie]

"Marriage is a business, at least a woman's business."

The above comment by Ann Harding's character in Double Harness is an example of the kind of mask her character attempts to wear in the interest of finding a niche for herself in a pre-code world. Is she perceptive or as full of illusions as her love-besotted sister? When "innocent" playboy William Powell presents her with a gardenia he explains that the flower reminded him of her: "Coolly virginal, yet exquisitely inviting." Little does Bill know that she has plans for him to be the fly, while she's decided to try to be just a little spidery around the edges.

It might be of interest to those of you who haven't had a chance to see this film that the "lost" RKO feature that has resurfaced within the last year on TCM is now available in its entirety at the TCM media room, found here.
Starring Ann Harding & William Powell directed by John Cromwell, I enjoyed the interplay between Ann & Bill as well as some of the points about how not to conduct a liaison, (that is, until the script nearly falls into an episode of "wife knows best").

If you go to the TCM link above, look on the left side of the screen. Double Harness perched between the trailers between Closely Watched Trains & The Heavenly Body.

[Ann Harding]

That's great! This is actually one of Ann's best effort, well worth investigating!

[silentscreen]

I was fortunate to be able to see this one! Witty and charming, it is indeed one of Ann's best efforts! I wish someone would bring out a boxset of some of Ann's best precodes! This fan would snap it up in an instant!

A review from the IMDb:

"The wonderful William Powell one year before playing Nick Charles! Just found out via Robert Osborn on TCM why this film hasn't been seen in 50 years. This picture was not available when Ted Turner bought the RKO Pictures catalog. It was tied up in litigation which was finally resolved. At that point it became available to TCM for showing. Also, TCM found a print in France that had 2 1/2 minutes which had been cut from the version available here. So TCM restored the missing footage to the film.

My mother was growing up when this film came out. She tells me that Ann Harding was a big star at the time."