Her Cardboard Lover (1942)

Why so much hype?

The Worst Film Ever

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Producer J. Walter Ruben. Copyright 26 May 1942 by Loew's Inc. An M-G-M picture. New York opening at the Capitol: 16 July 1942. U.S. release: Not recorded. Australian release: 27 January 1944 (sic). 9 reels. 8,360 feet. 93 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Terry Trindale, a young songwriter, loses $3,200 to Consuelo Croyden at baccarat at a fashionable gambling casino at Palm Beach while under the spell of her beauty. He is unable to pay his losses and Consuelo offers to employ him as her bodyguard to keep her from seeing Tony Barling, a suitor with philandering inclinations with whom she is in love. Tony calls at Consuelo's home, but she tells him she is in love with another man, for the sake of making him jealous. Despite all, Consuelo continues to pursue Tony, but Terry, living up to his obligations, forbids it. NOTES: A re-make of The Passionate Plumber (1932), starring Buster Keaton. That movie itself was a re-make of a 1928 Marion Davies vehicle, The Cardboard Lover, based on Jacques Deval's 1927 stage play, Dans Sa Candeur Naive ("In Her Naive Candor").Final film appearance of Norma Shearer, who then retired. According to director George Cukor, Norma Shearer herself selected the old Deval play for her farewell screen appearance, having previously turned down the title role of Mrs Miniver (which was then assigned to Greer Garson).COMMENT: Norma Shearer was not greatly liked in either Great Britain or Australia - except of course by the carriage trade. Only four of her movies were re-issued in Australia during the great M-G-M classics revival of the late 1950s in which the studio ransacked the vaults: Her Cardboard Lover did little business anywhere on first release, even in situations were Shearer was reasonably popular. Wartime audiences had little time for this sort of dated posturing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, nothing dates so finally and inexorably as a sex comedy. Unfortunately this one was already well and truly rancid even before it was freshened up for 1942. The players try hard, all the M-G-M gloss and production values are there. The trouble simply is that so far as the characters in the play and their predicaments are concerned, we the audience simply don't care. They have long since passed from any semblance of real life into artificial death.

Robert Taylor plays a guy who is a bit goofy. He's infatuated with a stupid lady (Norma Shearer) and seems willing to do about anything to win her. Because both characters are awfully flawed (too flawed, actually) the film does lose a bit of its appeal--though it is still quite enjoyable.Taylor has a strong case of infatuation. While he has never spoken with her, he keeps coming back to the casino night after night just to see a mysterious lady (Shearer). But he hasn't the courage to do anything more than just be near her. Coincidentally, she is in trouble and looks for the first guy she meets for help--and it just happens to be Taylor. Finally, she notices him and he thinks his prayers have been answered. Why she wants him, however, is because she wants him to pretend to be her lover. That's because she has been in a very sick relationship with an ambivalent man (George Sanders)--a guy who treats her great one moment and ignores or mistreats her the next. Because she apparently is brainless and has no will of her own, she can only resist returning to Sanders IF Taylor stays with her all the time and pretends to love her. Why Taylor would want such a stupid woman is beyond me, but this IS a Hollywood film! This brings me to the major problem with the film. While you might chalk up much of Taylor's actions to youthful infatuation, what about Shearer?! She plays an extremely well-coiffed and well-dressed person with zero self-esteem. I personally felt a lot of disgust by her--particularly when she worked so hard to get Sanders back. I also was disgusted with her requesting that Taylor feel free to hit her in order to keep her away from Sanders!!! Wow, talk about a liberated woman!! She came off like one of the low-lifes on "The Jerry Springer Show" who was willing to fight for her degenerate boyfriend and as a result, I lost a lot of interest in her and wanted Taylor to find someone so much more worthy of his childish devotion. Taylor was a bit annoying--Shearer was contemptible.If you are somehow able to look past the annoying qualities of the characters and ignore the regressive female role model, perhaps you will like the film. After all, the acting and gloss are pure MGM--high quality and top-notch all the way. And, in a way, it's all fun and enjoyable. As for me, however, this is not a romantic comedy I want to see again and it's sad that Miss Shearer's career ended with such a mediocre (at best) film.By the way, this film is in some ways quite evil with its messages. Not only is Shearer a bad person and Taylor very pathetic as well, but the film gives credence to such ideas as a woman says NO when she she really means YES, it's okay to smack a woman around and if a man cheats on you that you should accept this! I would be horrified if either of my daughters internalized any of these vile ideas.

This is the second attempt to bring Jacques Deval's play to the screen. The first one was a vehicle for Marion Davies and Nils Asther, directed by Robert Z. Leonard. This new version bears George Cukor's signature as the director. The film is interesting for two reasons: it marked the last time its star, Norma Shearer, appeared on a film, and it also has Robert Taylor doing comedy, something he wasn't seen in often."Her Cardboard Lover" is a sophisticated comedy that capitalizes on the strength of its stars. The screen play by Valerie Wyngate has some ups and downs in it that even the great Cukor wasn't able to solve. First, there is a marked age difference between the stars, not because Ms. Shearer looks older, on the contrary, she is in excellent form, but Mr. Taylor appears to be much younger.The film has some good moments for everyone. The best thing Mr. Cukor was able to do was to give the suave George Sanders the part of Tony Barling, the playboy who comes back to claim the love of Consuelo Croyden. They have parted in a bad way, but there's still something between the former lovers. By hiring Terry Trindale as the "fake" lover, in order to make Tony Barling jealous, a new dynamic enters into play.There are two extraordinary sequences toward the end of the film. The first one is the fight between Tony and Terry in the hotel's pantry when dishes, vases, and all kinds of porcelain gets smashed against walls. The second one is in the court that is presided by judge Sam, brilliantly portrayed by Chill Wills. The acting is first rate by this marvelous cast. In minor roles Frank McHugh and Elizabeth Patterson shine.The film is a light comedy that is a delight to watch.

Firstly, I cannot believe that Norma Shearer is 40 in this film. She looks absolutely incredible and doesn't look a day over 30! Besides being beautiful, Norma Shearer was fantastic in this film! She was brilliantly funny and sophisticated. I once read that Norma Shearer couldn't act (I don't recall who this person is who claimed that), but this person is wrong. Norma can act, and it was definitely proved in this film. Luck was on Norma's side because she ended her acting career with this amusing film.And Robert Taylor -- what a gag! I love his acting and he's just so adorable! He was fabulous in this film! I won't give anything away, but the definite high point in the film (as well as Robert Taylor's funniest scene) happens in the middle of the movie and deals with a 'sleepy' Taylor...With such a little -- but talented cast -- this movie is fantastically funny and has hilarious moments and wonderful acting. I cannot rave enough about Norma & Taylor -- just see the film yourself!!