Wife Versus Secretary Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Wife Versus Secretary Blu-ray Movie Review

Don't dip your pen in company ink.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 29, 2023

Clarence Brown's charming romantic comedy-drama Wife Versus Secretary is a film that gets by first on the strengths of its cast, and second on the merit of its actual story. It doesn't mean that this loose but likeable production can't hold its own weight, but it certainly wouldn't play as strongly without a great ensemble cast that includes silver screen icons Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, and a young James Stewart in only the third year of a career that would outlast all three of his main co-stars. It has the kind of basic plot that can be summarized in a sentence or two, but the great characters and layered comedy make it an entertaining and accessible film that feels 87 years young.

Van Stanhope (Gable) is the "V.S." in Wife Vs. Secretary, with the other two title characters being his loving wife Linda Stanhope (Loy) and faithful assistant Helen "Whitey" Wilson (Harlow), both of whom get a fairly equal amount of the magazine publisher's time and attention. Their relationship clearly seems platonic to most outsiders, and even the flirty behavior of naturally charming Van causes no real concern in Linda's eyes. A few things happen before to change the dynamic, though: the work relationship of Van and Whitey is questioned by Van's meddling mother Mimi (May Robson), and Whitey's beau Dave (Stewart) grows equally uncomfortable with her long hours and warm exchanges.

Wife Vs. Secretary remains "subtle but suggestive" as the triangle changes shape, with a handful of sitcom-ready misunderstandings and light melodrama playing nicely with its thankfully moral center. Established relationships are threatened and genuine romantic feelings develop, but this certainly isn't an overcooked or tawdry affair thanks to the clever subversion of certain cast members' established images. Harlow and Loy almost play their usual opposites; the former aims more for demureness -- even darkening her hair a few shades -- while the latter turns on the heat when needed, but it's all done in a way that reluctantly upholds then-new Hays Code "standards of decency", meaning that savvy viewers must read between the lines to catch a handful of off-color jokes. This unfortunate but unavoidable release timing somewhat hampers Wife Vs. Secretary's overall effectiveness and raw entertainment value... but again, it relies more on the formidable strength of its excellent cast to remain buoyant from start to finish.

Equally buoyant is Warner Archive's sparkling new Blu-ray edition, which features another of the boutique label's great restorations -- this one made from a recent 4K scan of best-available source elements -- that makes Wife Vs. Secretary look several decades younger than it actually is. While the bonus features are nothing to write home about, it's still a solid enough package overall and even makes for decent blind buy material if you're a fan of the cast.

Wife Versus Secretary Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A reliable source informs me that Warner Archive's exclusive 1080p transfer of Wife Vs. Secretary stems from a recent 4K scan of a mid-1960s preservation safety fine-grain positive. While this doesn't quite yield a picture as consistently crisp as one from an original nitrate negative, the boutique label's meticulous attention to damage removal -- which all but erases age-related wear-and-tear while preserving a purist-friendly image with plenty of natural film grain -- still brings this picture up to very respectable heights. All the usual highlights are here: excellent fine detail, gradient contrast, deep black levels and shadows, as well as bright whites, all of which work in tandem to brilliantly showcase Wife Vs. Secretary's workmanlike cinematography and, of course, the appeal of its era-specific production design. It's a great-looking transfer to be sure, and one that plays smoothly from start to finish on this dual-layered disc with no obvious signs of compression-related issues including posterization, banding, artifacts, or macro blocking.

Wife Versus Secretary Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Trace amounts of persistent hiss date Wife Vs. Secretary's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix a bit more than its transfer, although this still-capable track has likewise been sourced from the fine-grain positive's optical track and, under the circumstances, sounds as good or better than most in its class. Dialogue remains perfectly "readable" throughout, with good balance between it and background effects, as well as Herbert Stothart and Edward Ward's music score. Despite the occasional hiss as mentioned above, all other limitations -- age-related or otherwise -- are kept at bay including pops and drop-outs, resulting in an overall solid split mono mix that gets the job done.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, but not the extras. This is annoying since the DVD that they were sourced from did in fact have optional subtitles available. It's perhaps my only ongoing hang-up regarding Warner Archive releases, and one that I hope is finally addressed at some point.

Wife Versus Secretary Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts. All bonus features are ported over from Warner Bros.' earlier DVD editions, although a few minor A/V upgrades have been made.

• The Public Pays (18:20) - Part of the (presumably Hays Code-mandated) "Crime Does Not Pay" series, this 1936 MGM short -- written by John C. Higgins (Raw Deal) -- depicts a mob protection racket that preys on milk distribution but is finally broken from the efforts of a courageous local businessman and local law enforcement. This one's obviously dated and more than a little hokey, but still decent "true crime" material that genre fans will enjoy. It's been newly encoded in 1080p yet is clearly taken from the same DVD-era master.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:40) - This classic promotional piece can also be seen here.

Wife Versus Secretary Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Clarence Brown's charming romantic comedy-drama Wife Versus Secretary features a great cast -- so great, in fact, that they all but outshine the actual story on a few occasions. But this mostly equilateral love triangle makes for great, accessible entertainment, enough so that it's suitable blind buy material for both genre fans and lovers of the cast and crew. Largely lightweight and breezy, this is solid matinee material but sophisticated enough for date night as well. Warner Archive's Blu-ray earns its keep with typically outstanding A/V merits, even if the bonus features have little to do with the film itself. Recommended for sure, even if its not Warner Archive's best January release.