Boy will be boys

Robert Gordan (Thomas Meighan) may on the surface seem to have a pretty good life. He lives in a nice home and is married to pretty Beth (Gloria Swanson). But that is the very root of his problem. Beth, you see, is a very good woman. A very, very good woman. Always out to improve her own mind and morals, she includes her husband in her course of self-improvement.

Robert is tired of living with a nun and decides to try to woo his wife. His quest takes him to a dress shop to buy a negligee for his prudish darling. The negligee in question is a delightfully over-the-top creation modelled by the kittenish Sally (Bebe Daniels). She giggles, flirts and generally makes Robert feel very important indeed. The contrast with Beth is even mroe marked when he gets home with his present. Beth declares him a pervert for expecting her to wear such a garment.

Off Robert goes to the waiting arms of Sally. The whole matter culminates in divorce, with Robert quickly making an honest woman of Sally and marrying her. But deep down, Beth and Robert are still in love.

This would be a pretty sad ending if not for an overheard conversation. Beth hears women gossiping about the divorce, blaming the whole thing on Beth looking more like Robert's aunt than his wife. Aided by her Aunt Kate, Beth decides that if Robert and other men want women to be flashier, she will go all out. "Sleeveless, backless, transparent, indecent - go the limit."

Meanwhile, Robert is discovering that marriage to Sally is rather like marriage to Beth, without Beth's good qualities. The sweet flirtation is gone, replaced by weeping when she does not get her way.

A chance encounter with the newly-fashionable Beth at a hotel rekindles Roberts interest and Sally suddenly finds herself on the defensive against a more attractive rival. But, unlike the formally passive Beth, Sally is not about to let Robert go without a fight.

Why Change Your Wife is the best of DeMille's matrimonial comedies. First there is obvious chemistry between his leading man and both his leading ladies. Second, the plot is smoother and easier to follow than the choppier Don't Change Your Husband. It is not interrupted by fantasy sequences or strange historical flashbacks.

In one of her best "clothes horse" roles, Swanson is completely charming. Whether fluttering around her bathroom looking for the right perfume or enjoying her new status as a babe, she has an endearing liveliness.

Thomas Meighan, a more staid actor, is an excellent complement to her, providing a stable character for flighty Beth to contrast against. Bebe Daniels, fresh from her partnership with Harold Lloyd (she left his act in 1919), successfully graduates from supporting vamps to a larger (though still vampish) role.

Why Change Your Wife is a refreshing reminder of why Cecil B. DeMille was such a popular director. Before becoming addicted to historical treacle, he made films that were sharp and funny. He had a deft eye for the inherent humor in a relationship, particularly a marriage, and put it on screen in a stylish and charming way. The combination of romantic comedy, stylish clothes and lovlinglyu filmed mansions and hotels proved to be a potent combination and the magic still works. Any movie fans owes it to themself to check out DeMille's non-epic offerings. Why Change Your Wife is certainly a wonderful choice.

On a side note, you can spot a young William Boyd as one of the men surrounding Gloria when she emerges in her swimsuit. That's him in the white uniform.

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