Ain’t Misbehaving

Misbehaving Husbands (1940) is a late Harry Langdon, but not really. He’s in it, but there doesn’t seem to be a trace of his silent film persona. In the silents and some early talkies, he was a sort of round-headed man baby. He is more of the absent-minded husband, with more than a touch of Wally Cox.

He plays the manager (owner?) of a department store, into which he puts all his attention. He even forgets about the party his wife, Betty Blythe, is throwing for him. He stays late at the store moving a blonde mannequin around in the display window, and one of his guests sees him on the way to the party. Worse, he injures her face and someone sees him loading her up into his car to take her to the wax works for repairs. The police pick him up later, thinking he was disposing of a body and hold him for questioning. Meanwhile, the story of him romancing a blonde starts going around among the guests at the party that he is missing, and his wife overhears.

This leads another guest, an unscrupulous divorce lawyer, to encourage his Blythe to divorce Langdon, and soak him for anything she can. And so on.

There’s a certain amount of humor in Langdon’s absentmindedness and some physical comedy with the mannequin. Also, there’s a drunk scene that isn’t bad. But most of this is very much standard fare - including the romantic subplot between two young people brought in to observe the couple’s separation. It’s mildly interesting to see Langdon all grown up. His wife, Betty Blythe, is another silent era star. Look for stills of her playing the Queen of Sheba - she was hot stuff. Several other cast members had similar backgrounds. Whether that makes it worthwhile is your call.