Don't Change Your Husband (1919)

Well, couldn't make it through the 'teens without at least one all-out morality play, could we?  In Don't Change Your Husband, Gloria Swanson (in her star-making role) does exactly that and learns to regret it.  The movie is equal-opportunity however - her husband (the first one) is in many ways the real main character as he must learn to improve his ways in order to win her back.  Perhaps the overall thesis is that all men are scum, but some men are scum down to the soul, while others do genuinely care, and can, to a reasonable extent, be made presentable.  Pretty close to the mark, I have to admit.  This is a morality play, but one that gets considerable mileage - and humor - from modest expectations.

Bonus movie - Sunset Boulevard (1950)

This week we actually watched two movies.  "Don't Change Your Husband" was the official 4th pick for the project, but we decided to throw in "Sunset Boulevard" as a bonus since it ties in so nicely.  It's another Gloria Swanson movie, about an aging silent film star who didn't survive the transition to talkies and has gone insane in her dilapidated Hollywood mansion.

The truly interesting bit about this movie is how many references to real silent film are in it.  Had I seen this movie by itself without the background I've had these past few weeks I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much.  But since I do have that background, every time some little reference was made I felt like I was privy to a hidden gem of knowledge.  One of my favorite references was a cool prop telephone that we had literally just seen in "Don't Change Your Husband"!  We commented on the phone while watching that movie, so to see it pop up again in this one was just a gleeful little nod to Gloria Swanson's own silent film past.

Don't Change Your Husband (1919)

This was another charming movie; a comedy about the trials and tribulations of married life.  This movie was chosen because it's the first pairing of Gloria Swanson and Cecil B. DeMille, who went on to do at least five movies together during their respective careers.  In this movie, Swanson plays an unhappy wife named Leila.  She's married to a slob (James Porter) who's addicted to onions and goes to sleep each night with a lit cigar in his hand.  She grows increasingly annoyed with his slovenly ways but never says anything about it except in snide little complaints.