mark.waltz This isn't as blatantly sexist as 1933's "Female" in which Ruth Chatterton sexually harassed her male secretaries. This boss, Kay Francis, is much more subtle, hiring David Manners as her secretary after firing too busy to work overtime Elizabeth Patterson. It's not going to take her bookkeepers long to figure out what's going on, especially if they see him with his nagging gal pal Una Merkel, a dame whom Groucho Marx would describe as being vaccinated with a phonograph needle. Even though this was made before the production code came in, this is not as shocking or even as exciting as other pre-code films.Francis is an able comedian, Manners a handsome but dull (perhaps uninterested?) romantic lead. It's basically a ploy between Francis and her married in name only hubby Kenneth Thomason to find out after living their own lives how they truly feel about each other. In fact, it is set up that they are more friends, so when she romances Manners on the sly, it is the medication for her to find out how she really feels about her husband.Andy Devine offers lots of earthy comedy as Manner's pal, which gives Merkel a ploy at the end when it becomes clear that she and Manners have no future together. It is also extremely short, which gives it no real time to establish either character or a definitive plot. Without Francis and Devine, this would have been a total disappointment.

Michael_Elliott Man Wanted (1932) ** (out of 4) Workaholic editor Lois Ames (Kay Francis) grows tired of women secretaries complaining so she hires an ambitious young man (David Manners). Soon the two are working long hours together and they start to fall for one another but the only problem is that she's married and he has a fiancé (Una Merkel). MAN WANTED is yet another "B" programmer from Warner that certainly has a few pre-code elements but in the end the product just seems rushed and nothing really comes together. I think the biggest problem is that the screenplay just doesn't have enough fre sh or original ideas to carry out even the short 62-minute running time. With such a short time you really shouldn't be looking at your clock at the half hour mark and it's even worse when the next thirty-minutes just drag along. The film has a pretty simple set-up because you know Francis' husband is going to be a no-good party animal and of course she's going to be attracted to Manners because he's hard working like she is. That's fine. What doesn't work is that we have to sit through forty-minutes worth of back and forth where neither character knows what they want yet it's obvious to the viewer. I think Francis was always good at playing these strong women and that continues here. She's certainly believable in the part and when she's going overboard trying to keep her busy schedule going it makes you feel she's being real. Manners is also pretty good in his part, although the screenplay certainly doesn't make it a very glamorous part. Merkel is quite annoying with a high-pitched voice but that's what the character called for. Andy Devine plays that type of character that only he could. Universal horror fans will be happy to see Edward Van Sloan in a quick scene and yes he gets to appear with Manners. MAN WANTED has a couple good ideas but in the end there's just not enough here worth watching so this is clearly just for fans of the actors.

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...