“The Animal Kingdom” (also known as The Woman in His House in the UK) is a 1932 American comedy-drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith based upon a comedy of manners of the same name by Philip Barry. The film starred Leslie Howard, Ann Harding, Myrna Loy, William Gargan, Ilka Chase, and Neil Hamilton. Howard, Gargan, and Chase also starred in the play when it opened on Broadway on 12 January 1932.
The film is based on a play, of the same name, set in 1930’s New York and Connecticut. Tom Collier, Leslie Howard, is a book publisher, who has been living in the city with his best friend, Daisy Sage, Ann Harding, without being married. His wealthy Father, Rufus Collier, Henry Stephenson, wants him to live a respectable life. While Daisy is away, with her work, Cecilia, Myrna Loy, convinces Tom to marry her. Although, their lawyer and friend, Owen, Neil Hamilton, is in love with her; he doesn’t have enough financial resources to maintain her interest. Cecilia tries to get Tom to “sell out”, without his realizing it. She talks him into publishing books that will make money, get rid of his old friends, including “Red”, his prize-fighter friend and butler. She wants Tom to sell his publishing company, live in the city, with his Father, as a “proper gentleman”, and take their place in society, which Tom has been fighting all his life; but, is all “Cee” cares about.
Daisy tries to stay away; but, she and Tom’s Bohemian friends can’t believe he’s happy. She loves him deeply, and wants to have children with him; but, cares most about his well-being. Tom complains that he’s losing his soul and integrity. Finally, when Cee offers Tom champagne, to toast selling his publishing company and moving in with his Father, Tom realizes that Cee’s bedroom suite reminds him of a brothel he used to go, as he says, “in vino veritas”. When Red tells Tom he is going back to the city, that he can’t stomach anymore, Tom agrees, saying, he’s “going back to his wife,” Daisy.
As he leaves, he put a little something on the mantle for Cee, just as he used to, with the girls, in the bordello.
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Directed by Edward H. Griffith and George Cukor, produced by David O. Selznick, written by Philip Barry (play), Horace Jackson (screenplay), Edward H. Griffith, Adela Rogers St. Johns, starring Leslie Howard, Ann Harding and Myrna Loy.
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Source: “The Animal Kingdom” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 26 July 2012. Web. 30 July 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Animal_Kingdom.
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Leslie Howard is my very favorite English actor…and he and Myrna in this together, simply brilliant. one of my faves, thank you very much
Thank you so much for sharing!
Myrna Loy told me in 1974 that this was one of her favorite films and she was mad at Howard Hughes for locking it away from public view for so many years.
I have always avoided watching this film because there are these awful religious people who have taken over our media and they treat people who disagree with them like animals. I have always respected Leslie Howard so much that I couldn't imagine him appearing in a film that suggested a fascist dehumanization of people. Now that I have finally seen it, I realize of course that the the title is meant to be ironic. The artists or "animals" are fighting becoming part of the machine represented by the fake wife and father who only care about money and want Leslie Howard to sell out for more money. So the "animals," or the "artists" are really the genuine human people who feel deeply, and work for truthful books and paintings and tell each other the truth. The money lovers are machines with no genuine human or artistic feelings. The fact that they lived together without marriage makes Myrna Loy and the father see them like they do the Butler as just crass, lower class people. But by the end we realize that they truly loved each other and the snobs are just manipulating and trying to dominate others instead of love them. So Leslie returns to his true wife. Sounds like it is better to be an animal than a machine. I knew that Leslie Howard would never promote fascism after his incredible roles in so many antifascists films. How sad that the machine people have taken over Hollywood and our Media and our Publishing Houses and created so much social inequality through their cold, metallic arrogance.
I see very little comedy in this film. Howard and Loy are brilliant actors, but i found it impossible to like Howard's character-he seemed selfish and arrogant to me. At least Cee was true to her nature. Like many early talkies, it's more a photographed play then a real film. But definitely worth watching.