Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

ksf-2 Clearly a pun on "Beauty and the Beast".... this early talkie is so under-rated. It's just before the Hays code started being enforced, and the clever banter gets quite saucy. Warren William (from the Lone Wolf films) is the all-business, hardworking company president, who has no time for the flirtations of his secretaries, first Mary Doran, then Marian Marsh. It turns into a kind of competition between the two girls, after a confrontation. Doran is "Ollie", who uses her wit, wiles, and low-cut dresses to try to lure in the Baron. Susie (Marsh) tries to take the high road at first, but sees how easy it is to make men swoon with Ollie's naughty girlie ways. Charles Butterworth is here as the office manager, and has all the best lines. That dry, sarcastic wit, which he brought from his vaudeville days, usually muttered under his breath. He was only 36 in this film, but wow, he always looked old as dirt. Frederick Kerr is the Baron's sidekick, but doesn't really add much to the story. It's fun being an observer, to see who will "win" the prize. Story by Hungarian Ladislas Fodor, and the foreign currency and other words creep into the conversation. Directed by Roy Del Ruth, who had been around since the early days of silents, and successfully moved into talkies. This one is a lot of fun. Doesn't seem to have been shown often on TCM, with only 300 votes. Warner packed a lot into 66 minutes, and it moves right along. Recommended ! Catch it if you can. Warner Brother archives HAS released this on DVD...

MartinHafer The idea for this film isn't bad, but the writing was just awful. With just a few changes here and there and decent directing, it could have been a nice little film.The film begins with a big-time executive (Warren William) firing his very competent secretary. Why? Well, she's too good looking and William doesn't want to be distracted. He's a guy who is either a workaholic or a lecher--and nothing in between. Later, he hires a seemingly sexless lady (Mae Marsh) who is more machine-like than feminine. The working relationship works out great--and William is more productive than ever. Marsh seems happy but when she observes how other women have an intoxicating effect on William, she, too, wants to be this sort of a woman and win his heart.This film could never be made today--simply because it is so incredibly sexist. Such a boss would have a bazillion lawsuits for sexual harassment and gender discrimination!! But, if you can look past this the film still abounds with problems. The biggest is that William and Marsh are badly written characters--caricatures instead of believable people. It comes off, at times, as a very silly film when it shouldn't be. A few other problems are that the actors talk WAY too fast--so fast that I think Jimmy Cagney couldn't have kept up!! The director needed to tell them to slow significantly in their delivery. The only interesting thing about this bad film is the sexual undercurrent--which never would have been allowed in the Code films (starting in mid-1934). LOTS of innuendo and double-entendres abound. But the overall effort is limp and silly.SLOW DOWN! very sexist and dated strong sexual undercurrent Marsh's performance WAY too one-dimensional and silly BAD painting of Paris off balcony William is either a machine or a sex-machine

bkoganbing Originally entitled The Church Mouse in New York, London, and Paris where it began as a play by Ladislas Fodor, Beauty And The Boss is an average comedy with a few good laughs about a wealthy man who can't decide whether he wants efficiency or eye candy as female employees. The play ran a respectable 164 performances on Broadway in the 1931-32 season for the Depression and the most prominent name in the cast was that of Ruth Gordon.Warren William is the French industrial tycoon with this terrible dilemma and when he finds he can't concentrate on his business because he finds stenographer Mary Doran too attractive he fires Doran. There won't be that problem with Marian Marsh however who dresses down and dowdy so much that she's called a church mouse. But she's set her cap for William and she'll do whatever it takes to nail him.Rounding out this European comedy of manners is David Manners as William's fun loving brother, they're much like the Larrabee brothers in Sabrina. There's also Frederic Kerr as a count with a roving eye and the ever droll Charles Butterworth who for me is always a pleasure to watch in anything. The material cast has to work with is pretty thin, but they rise to the occasion and while Beauty And The Boss will never be rated as one of the great comedies of the Thirties it will give a few good laughs to anyone who views it.

kidboots Marian Marsh had a gorgeous doll like prettiness and in at least one of her films (the terrific "Five Star Final") proved she could act if given the chance. "Beauty and the Boss" seemed to be the last movie she made under contract to Warners, which shows they didn't take much time to groom and nurture her talent. Although it could have been titles such as "Under 18", "Beauty and the Boss" and "Daring Daughters" that kept discerning picture goers away.Baron Josef Von Ulrich (Warren William) is a banker who has the perfect solution for separating business from pleasure. Whenever a secretary starts to show too much allure, he simply fires her, gives her 6 months wages then begins an affair with her. His latest conquest, Miss Frey (Mary Doran) is proving very demanding so when Ulrich hires Susie Sachs (Marian Marsh) he is delighted. She has all the attributes he is looking for - plain of face, she describes herself as "hungry and poor as a church mouse" - plus her only interest is in efficiency and hard work. Marian Marsh is just adorable as Susie the "human dynamo" who within 5 minutes organises the Baron as he has never been organised before. She also manages to keep his mistresses at bay and his mind on the job.A trip to Paris and all the hard work is undone. Susie starts to feel there is more to life than just hard work and has an encounter with Miss Frey who tries to put her wise to all the tricks needed to hook a man (which Susie tries to use in a really sweet scene with the Baron). Susie's transformation is like Cinderella, when she steps out with Paul (David Manners) and Count Von Tolheim (the always good Frederic Kerr). Marian is absolutely radiant in a shimmering gown and with her blonde hair carefully marcelled. David Manners has another of his "nothing" roles. I have read he was never too keen on film acting and you can tell as he basically walks through his role. He has one scene where he confesses his love for Susie but you just know she wants a man of flesh and blood - a man like the Baron!!!Directed by Roy Del Ruth who was Warner's work horse director. His credits were outstanding - especially to a lover of pre-coders. "Blonde Crazy", "The Maltese Falcon", "Blessed Event", "Employee's Entrance", "The Little Giant" - only a fraction of the films he directed before the production code meanies stamped out the fun. Always at his best working within the framework of a big studio, once he left Warners, he then went to MGM where he was responsible for musicals like "Born to Dance" etc.Highly Recommended.