mark.waltz For a film that starts off so promising, "Ever Since Eve" ends up very disappointing. For the first third, it's quite funny, this story of office sexual harassment where the victim can't go to HR. She simply makes herself into a plain Jane to avoid amorous bosses to whom overtime doesn't include office work. Marian Davies (quite lovely, as Louella would always say!) does what Ginger Rogers did two years ago in "In Person", for different reasons, however. This is confusing for her rowdy roommate (Patsy Kelly) and her boyfriend (Allen Jenkins) and for her new boss, an author of movie stories (Robert Montgomery) who has a really obnoxious socialite fiancée (Marcia Ralston). So far, so good. Montgomery at first finds the plain version of Davies too demanding of him (because of his boss, Louise Fazenda), but when she quits because of accusations made by Ralston, he goes to her apartment where he meets the pretty version of Davies. Thus, he falls instantly in love, but she pretends to leave town so he'll finish his deadline. Montgomery follows her to the place she really didn't intend to go, so Davies must rush there, both as her pretty and plain versions. Confused??? This is where the film goes off the rack, having a sudden group of thieves interrupt, including one woman who looks exactly like Davies and is wearing the exact same costume.As I said, the first 2/3 are really entertaining, not in a "My Man Godfrey" classic sort of way, but still enjoyable. Everyone is doing their best to provide laughs in a ridiculous but still fun plot line. But once they get to the inn, it just gets too much. Poor Ralston, who resembles Merle Oberon, but doesn't get to be as ladylike here, suffers all sorts of indignities with her obnoxious character. Frank McHugh too is around as Montgomery's pal who escorts Ralston when her fiancée is not available. Today, this sort of plot line could never be filmed because of its obvious use of sexual harassment and the way that is handled in the workplace. But in the 30's, the "How to Succeed in Business" song "A Secretary is Not a Toy" hadn't been written yet and as any 30's movie viewer knows, a secretary made many a hard-working businessman very happy. This is one of those films to take with a grain of salt and enjoy mostly for its fine character performances and sometimes witty banter.

Shane Crilly Many screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's are regular fixtures on the TV movie circuit, so, that you might know movies like It Happened One Night or Bringing Up Baby almost by heart they've been on so often. I've seen Ever Since Eve a couple of times on TCM, but that is about the only place you'll run into it. Too bad! But at least it does keep the story somewhat fresh, as much of it works with an element of surprise. Still this is a well-made gem that deserves to be seen more often.Short plot summary: Marge Winton is caught between eating 3 squares a day and preserving her virtue. She's a very good secretary who happens also to be very good-looking. Every time she lands a job the boss tries to land on her after hours and she has to quit. She happens upon a publishing company that insists that all their secretaries be unattractive and decides to disguise herself and take a job there. She ends up working for a playboy author who is not doing any work largely because of girlfriend Camille (Ralston) The publisher sets Marge to the task of making him write.The cast is filled with veterans who provide predictable laughs and display well-honed comic chops. Patsy Kelly and Alan Jenkins are great fun as Marge's roommate and her loutish boy-friend. They keep the action moving and push the screwball accelerator down a notch when the story threatens to get too soppy. Likewise, Marcia Ralston with her jealous girlfriend sets a tempestuous tone that keeps us from thinking too hard and would explain Freddy Matthews' (Robert Montgomery) inability to get his life in gear. Anyone who's dated a psycho can relate. Montegomery, as usual, is smooth and bubbly as the boy hero. He played that role so often, he could no doubt play it in his sleep.While most of the story can be seen coming there is a real surprise when Davies pulls off the transformation.In contemporary movies, we've had several stars try this trick. It's almost a Hollywood stereotype. Most notably we've had Julia Robert's trying to convince us that she was the ugly duckling sister; Sandra Bulluck as an unattractive(?) cop; Gwyneth Paltrow donning a fat suit and Renee Zellweger actually gaining weight for the part. No one could possibly believe the first two examples, because gosh darn it they were just too good looking. The Bullock example is stunning, because she is in the top .001 percentile of attractive women on camera. The studios have never made her look unattractive. The last two succeeded sort of. Zellweger took on the frumpy role just as De Niro took on the weight in Raging Bull, she wasn't made-up she was. Paltrow is wearing a fat suit and carry's off the ploy, but this is a triumph of extreme make-up.Davies pulls this off stunningly. Although it is but a wig, glasses and a change of clothes, it is thoroughly convincing. In fact, it is her acting chops that really pull this off, because she really takes on the manners and attitude of the plain girl and can just as easily switch back to the babe. When she tests it out for the first time on us and plumber Al, who is expecting the babe, we are already expecting her plain Jane disguise, but she exceeds our expectations. She could have easily slipped on to another movie set and played the frumpy secretary. Later on she even shows us the transformation from one to the other but it is still believable. She has brought the dual role to life much as Hoffman in Tootsie made us accept the dualism in his drag role. Really, the only thing that is hard to believe in this story is that Montegomery could actually write. Though, we can believe that Davies could get him to do it.All in all this movie is unrelenting fun and a fine time waster.

Neil Doyle In this harmless bit of fluff, MARION DAVIES plays a secretary who is so pressured by men making passes at her that she decides to make herself into a frump in order to get a secretarial job that she can hold based on skill alone. Naturally, she falls in love with her boss (a youthful looking ROBERT MONTGOMERY), and the fun develops in seeing how the relationship between Davies and Montgomery will fare once she becomes his dowdy secretary.Davies is just a little too mature for the role of a fledgling secretary more suitable for a much younger actress. But she's a good sport about donning a "homely" disguise in order to get the secretarial position with the firm interested only in hiring unattractive girls.There's plenty of comedy relief although it's not all that funny. Warner filled the cast with contract players like FRANK McHUGH, PATSY KELLY and ALLEN JENKINS--but the picture's central plot depends on whether you enjoy the repartee between Montgomery and Davies once she turns up as his unlikely secretary.Unfortunately, it soon becomes obvious that the screwball aspect (which had possibilities) is stifled by some absurd dialog and foolish situations that are not only incredible but unfunny as played by Davies especially. Montgomery has the more believable role as the playboy boss and does it with his customary professionalism in light comedy.There's an antique flavor to the script when you hear Allen Jenkins come up with a line like, "Did you know gasoline has gone up to 3 cents a gallon?" Unfortunately, none of the comedy seems spontaneous enough or really works, so it's just as well that Miss Davies made a graceful exit from the screen around this time. Any more films like this and her career would have been over anyway.Neither PATSY KELLY nor ALLEN JENKINS is doing anything more than wasting their time in this silly effort. Montgomery comes off best, but it's certainly not a shining hour for anyone.

Dr. Ed-2 Very underrated comedy stars Marion Davies (in her final film) as a woman who frumps herself up to land a secretarial job. Because the frump is efficient, the boss (Robert Montgomery) continues to chase women: a conniving shrew (Marcia Ralston) and a blonde beauty (Davies!) who he meets at a nightclub. Role-reversal comedy is fun from the start with Davies at her comic peak as the dour frump. She's not afraid to look really bad. Excellent supporting cast includes Patsy Kelly, Allen Jenkins, Frank McHugh, Louise Fazenda, and Mary Treen. Once again Davies proves she had acting talent (given the right roles) and that was was a total delight. Her best comedy performances stand up against those of Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy, Jean Arthur or Irene Dunne. Catch this one.