Two Heads on a Pillow

Dir. William Nigh 68 Minutes

USA 1934

Starring: Neil Hamilton, Miriam Jordan, Henry Armetta, Hardie Albright, Dorothy Appleby, Mary Forbes

*1/2/***** Awful marital comedy with a very simplistic way of exploring its themes. The film begins with the divorce between John and Evelyn Smith, the former of which is studying for the bar exam at the time of the separation (something about eating prunes for breakfast or something). A few years later, the two find themselves on opposite sides of a divorce case and, naturally, sparks fly again. Neil Hamilton and Miriam Jordan exhibit zero chemistry, but the script does not give them much worthwhile sparring to begin with. And the premise concludes midway through the picture before it changes gears and becomes more about this unconvincing love story. The narrative feels like a precursor to something like Adam's Rib, and one wonders what would have been done with better performers and a more polished screenplay. William Nigh brings nothing to the table on a visual level, with many scenes being more suited to the stage with a static camera that lingers far too long on each take. Lousy attempts at comic side characters go nowhere, including Dorothy Appleby as a rather embarrassing "ditz" (complete with some "high brow" gags about Shakespeare). A real slog even at 66 minutes and unneeded to be seen even by early film completists. ​September 21st, 2019