Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

bkoganbing In this pre-Code drama Kay Francis stars as the fashionable editor of a chic magazine who has no time for other than her job. Which leaves her playboy husband Kenneth Thomson all kinds of idle hours to play with perennial other woman Claire Dodd.When sporting goods salesman David Manners tries to sell her a rowing machine, he walks off with the job of her new secretary. And Kay ends up admiring more than David's work ethic.Man Wanted which contains no really steamy scenes nor any kind of suggestive language still could never have been made after the omnipresent Code was adopted. It has a way too casual attitude toward infidelity with Manners, Francis, Thomson, and Dodd all quite willing to keep things going. When Kay learns of Thomson's cheating, she's quite relieved actually because she and Manners can now kanoodle.Although Man Wanted cannot really make its mind up whether it's comedy or drama, it's still a good film and most typical of the films that Kay Francis was starring in at the height of her career.

bob.decker One must keep in mind with any Kay Francis picture from 1932 that no attempt is being made at realism; whether "Man Wanted" or "Trouble in Paradise," the mise en scene is the collective product of the studio's imagination, and no New York editor ever worked in an office quite as plush as the one in which Miss Francis and David Manners as her secretary toil. Yet even if its the intent is merely to provide a glamorous escape from the dreariness of the Depression, "Man Wanted" also succeeds in delivering quite a feminist portrayal of a woman executive who is not the least embarrassed by her position nor inclined to disguise her sexuality with mannish suits (a la Rosalind Russell), masculine dialogue, or any show of weakness. In this respect among others, "Man Wanted" is far ahead even of present-day Hollywood portrayals of capable, powerful women. While our puritanical culture might not like to admit that a wife could view such indulgent bemusement the infidelities of a weak, alcoholic husband, there are plenty of prominent modern marriages whose persistence cannot be explained otherwise. One suspects, therefore, that the reaction of Lois Ames to her husband's philandering is as firmly grounded in realism as the more violent and hysterical reactions we've come to expect, not to mention her extraordinary sang froid when confronted by her secretary's accusatory fiancée (Una Merkel). Moreover this secretary, who finally wins his boss's hand, is hardly some male tower of strength; he can get up the gumption to face her only after undergoing a sloppy bender with his half-dressed roommate (Andy Devine) in their rather sordid apartment. This isn't subversive just for 1932; it's subversive for now, and includes some very nice dresses, props, and a scene at a polo grounds that suggests a bygone era before Los Angeles was fully encased in concrete.

blanche-2 "Man Wanted" was made in 1932 before the Code was put in place, and it's quite entertaining, starring the beautiful Kay Francis, David Manners, Una Merkel and Elizabeth Patterson. Francis plays Lois Ames, a sophisticated, glamorous publisher who works constantly. Her old secretary (Elizabeth Patterson) won't work overtime, so she's fired. A man, Tommy Sherman (Manners) who has come to sell her something impresses her, and she offers him the secretarial job. He accepts and becomes invaluable to her, moving up in rank. All the time, he's falling in love with her. He has fiancé (Una Merkel) and Lois has a husband, Freddie. Freddie lives off of his wife, and though she loves him, she realizes that he has affairs. In one scene, Freddie is on his way to an assignation when Lois comes home unexpectedly early. Freddie goes with the moment, and they're both in the mood. Just before she gets into bed, Lois finds the other woman's hotel key. She puts in on her husband's pillow and feigns sleep.Dieterle does a good job with the pace of the film. The gender references are quite interesting. Tommy assumes the female publisher he'll be meeting will be an old hag and is surprised to see such a young, good-looking woman; nothing is made of her hiring a male secretary. One wonders, though, had she a very capable woman secretary, would she have risen to a higher position? It's something to think about.

Ron Oliver There's a MAN WANTED to become private secretary for a powerful female editor. Once found, will they be able to keep their minds strictly on business?Here is another example of a wonderful pre-Code comedy from Warner Brothers which has slipped under the radar and is undeservedly obsolete. The casting, acting, script & production values are all first rate. The humor is grownup & intelligent, and does not treat its viewers like insensitive Neanderthals.Scintillating & sly, Kay Francis is perfect in the role of a worldly woman with a wide-open marriage. Her frankness & grace in dealing with her husband's casual adulteries is most fetching - as well as making her character very human. As beautiful as she was talented, it is a shame that this lovely lady no longer receives the recognition she's due.Matching her every step of the way, David Manners exudes gentle masculinity as her new office employee. Slowly falling in love, he must carefully control himself & not overstep the bounds of propriety. Mr. Manners gives another in a series of excellent performances. Quiet & unassuming, he could always be counted on for a solid contribution to any film. He left Hollywood for a more private life in 1936, never to return to movies, which probably accounts for his near anonymity today. (He died in 1998, at the age of 97.)Giving very firm support are Una Merkel as Manners' fierce, funny little fiancée; and Andy Devine as his rough edged, good natured roommate.Elizabeth Patterson makes the most of her small role as Miss Francis' original, somewhat eccentric, secretary; Edward Van Sloan (DRACULA's Van Helsing) has only a few moments as a store manager who knows what it takes to sell rowing machines to the ladies.Although he's still listed in the credits, the scenes involving British character actor Robert Greig have been deleted. Pity...