Category Archives: Craig’s Wife

Craig’s Wife (1936)

john boles rosalind russell craig's wife
John Boles and Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

Although Rosalind Russell did not say much about her last film of 1936—her few words added up to “I was playing a meanie in Craig’s Wife”—it is a powerhouse performance that finally cemented her place as a serious actress in Hollywood. Rosalind fought hard so she wouldn’t have to do this role. She was sure everyone would hate her if she played “Craig’s wife,” but in the end, she did it and she was very close to being nominated for her acting skills. She may not have wanted to do it, but she gave it her all and I personally am glad we get to watch her in such a different role.

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Jane Darwell, John Boles, and Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

It shows how much range she was capable of and how well she could do it.

Craig’s Wife was the first film in which Rosalind received top billing. In the past, she was either relegated to the supporting cast or she was the female co-star behind the male star.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

But in Craig’s Wife, lo and behold, she was the star. And she deserved it! She needed to put those snobbish English lady and “other woman” parts behind her, put her acting shoes on, and go show the world how many emotions she could instill in them. No, she wasn’t a superstar, but she was getting there; she was getting more and more well-known and—I’m sure of it—loving it.

Directed by the famed woman director Dorothy Arzner, Craig’s Wife is about a woman who has complete control over her husband, the people who work for her, and her house, but who, in reality, just wants to be alone.

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Jane Darwell, Rosalind Russell, and Nydia Westman in Craig’s Wife (1936)

Or does she? The film opens with an air of fear and stress as one of the maids, Mazie (Nydia Westman), moves one of the vases on the mantle just an inch. The older maid, Mrs. Harold (who is well-respected and more aware) immediately shouts out to her to leave it alone.

rosalind russell john boles craig's wife
Rosalind Russell and John Boles in Craig’s Wife (1936)

If she moves even one thing in this house or leaves one speck of dust, there will be a lot of trouble in store for both of them. She calls the room in which they are standing the “holiest of holies.” Later that night, Walter Craig (John Boles) is having dinner with his Aunt Ellen (Alma Kruger), who also lives at the house. He is going over to a friend’s house to play some poker, which he hasn’t done in a long time.

rosalind russell john boles craig's wife
Rosalind Russell and John Boles in Craig’s Wife (1936)

Ellen mentions that he hasn’t gone out to have fun by himself in a long time because of his controlling wife, Harriet (Rosalind Russell). Walter doesn’t think much about it. He just hopes that Harriet will come home soon. She is in Albany visiting her sick sister in the hospital.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

When he leaves for his friend Fergus Passmore’s place, he exchanges a short conversation with their next door neighbor, Mrs. Frazier (played by Billie Burke). She often stands outside, watering her beloved roses, which she treats like her own children.

Walter visits his friend, a jealous man with a faithless wife, who tells him that his wife will be going out again and that nobody wants to play poker with him.

john boles rosalind russell craig's wife
John Boles and Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

Walter is the only one who has come by. Fergus seems very distraught and angry, which worries Walter a bit. Meanwhile, in Albany, Rosalind Russell makes her first appearance as the icy Harriet Craig. She sits in her sister’s hospital room, contemplating what is going on. Her sister’s daughter, Ethel, is by her mother’s bedside, sobbing over her sickness. Harriet immediately fetches a nurse and tells her she will leave right away with her niece because she thinks Ethel will set her back.

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Rosalind Russell and John Hamilton in Craig’s Wife (1936)

It is on the train home that the viewer gets a first glimpse at the type of woman Harriet is. Ethel informs her aunt of her intention to marry a man who teaches at the college she attends, and that she would never marry someone unless she was in love.

rosalind russell craig's wife
Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

Harriet doesn’t seem to agree with her views, saying that “love is a liability in marriage.” Ethel discovers that her aunt has never been in love with her husband, Walter, and that the main reason why she married him was to have a place in society and to have a lovely house, which we find out later is her “true love.”

rosalind russell john boles craig's wife
Rosalind Russell and John Boles in Craig’s Wife (1936)

“I married to be independent… independent of everybody,” says Harriet, something that shocks Ethel. Harriet then sends a telegram to Ethel’s boyfriend in Ethel’s name, which immediately rouses suspicions in him.

rosalind russell john boles craig's wife
Rosalind Russell and John Boles in Craig’s Wife (1936)

The next morning, Fergus and his wife have been found dead in their home and Mrs. Harold, one of the Craigs’ maids (Jane Darwell) suspects Mr. Passmore right away. Harriet arrives home ahead of schedule and exhibits some very obsessive compulsive behavior the minute she walks in the door. The first thing she notices is that the door was ajar when she came in and she will have none of that. While she tells Mazie to get Ethel’s bag up to her room, she looks around the room for even the tiniest thing out of place.

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Rosalind Russell and Jane Darwell on the set of Craig’s Wife (1936)

She touches every surface to make sure no dust is visible and examines every object in the room to see that they have not been moved from their original position. It is clear—although it is subtle beneath her icy exterior—that she is unhappy when she finds some mysterious flowers in the room and a stray piece of paper on a table.

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Rosalind Russell on the set of Craig’s Wife (1936)

Her anger rises when she finds out each object is directly connected to something she didn’t control. The flowers came from Mrs. Frazier, who is visiting with Aunt Ellen upstairs and the paper has a phone number on it—a number where Walter could be reached since he went out last night. Despising the fact that he went out without her permission, she hurries upstairs and calls the number, trying to find out who it belongs to.

rosalind russell john boles craig's wife
Rosalind Russell and John Boles in Craig’s Wife (1936)

Because the Passmores were found dead that morning, any calls to the number are being monitored, immediately putting the Craigs into some hot water. Harriet simply doesn’t trust anyone, even her own husband, who clearly adores her. She doesn’t trust others to be in her house, especially her neighbor, Mrs. Frazier.

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Alma Kruger, Rosalind Russell, and John Boles in Craig’s Wife (1936)

When Walter comes home and finds out his wife is back, he runs up the stairs, excited as a little boy, and greets her with glee. It is awful to imagine the fake love Harriet has for her husband, a man whose love is genuine. One of the first things she tells him when he comes into her room is to not sit on the bed because he will muss it.

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Billie Burke and Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

He doesn’t see why it matters, but he listens to her anyway (as he always does). He kisses her, so happy to see her, and she tells him that Ethel is here and that she doesn’t want Mrs. Frazier in the house. She doesn’t want her near the house or near him and Walter thinks it’s ridiculous. And it is indeed ridiculous to think a woman 23 years older (the actress anyway) than Harriet could steal her husband away.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

Later that evening, Ellen tells Harriet that “people who live to themselves are generally left to themselves,” a statement that would resonate with Harriet later on. She tries to explain to Walter what kind of woman Harriet really is, but Harriet immediately and nervously laughs very loud in reaction.

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Rosalind Russell’s withering glare in Craig’s Wife (1936)

She doesn’t want to hear it because she knows it’s true. Her husband has been fooled by Harriet’s motives in the two years they’ve been married and she wants it to stay that way. But once Harriet has left the room, Ellen tells Walter the truth.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

She explains that to Harriet, her life is all about her reputation and her lovely home, not the people in it. If she thought she could have this house without Walter, she would do so. After the enlightening conversation with his aunt, Walter takes a ceramic object off the mantle and smashes it on the floor in anger.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

He doesn’t care anymore that Harriet doesn’t want a thing out of place, for the room to be spic and span. He has been fooled for far too long and he will smoke in the house if he wants to.

The next day, Ethel finds out that Harriet had answered the phone when her boyfriend had called and told him she was not to be disturbed.

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Rosalind Russell and Dorothy Wilson in Craig’s Wife (1936)

She is angry about what she did because she wanted to talk to him. While she is explaining her reasons for leaving, Harriet is suddenly distracted by a noise outside. She gets down on her hands and knees in despair and rage, inspecting the damage the mover has caused.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

He was carrying a trunk across the hall and accidentally dropped it, causing it to slide across the floor, scratching it. To scratch Harriet’s beautiful floor is a terrible crime. She screams at him and doesn’t even notice that Ethel has already gone.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

It is at this point that everyone starts leaving her house, which is something she thought she wanted anyway. After Ethel, Aunt Ellen and Mrs. Harold hand Harriet their keys to the house. They leave together, leaving Harriet with Walter. However, the same day, after Harriet has discovered the broken pieces and cigarette butts all over her “holy” room, Walter also gives her his keys, saying she can keep the house.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

It’s all she wanted anyway and “you neither loved me nor honored me.” She is left alone in the house and she looks around, trying to take in what just happened.

She receives a telegram, informing her that her sister has died. Without any family or anyone in the house to keep her company, she is finally completely alone. She breaks down, crying about her plight, and realizes this isn’t what she wanted after all. When Mrs. Frazier comes by and hears of the news, offering condolences, Harriet decides she wants company after all. But by the time she calls out to her, Mrs. Frazier has already gone. Harriet looks around the big, empty house discerningly with glistening, beautiful tears in her eyes.

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Rosalind Russell in Craig’s Wife (1936)

She now knows what it’s like to be “independent of everybody” and it’s too late to go back.

This role was a far cry from anything Roz did before or after, but I have to say, it’s fascinating to see her transformed into an ice queen with a domineering personality. I also have to admit her character frightened me at first. It was a bit of a shock to me, but what a performance!

IMDb page for Craig’s Wife

TCM overview of the film

Favorite Characters?

Many of you already know and have read about my favorite character of all time, Mame Dennis from “Auntie Mame.” But let me tell you about a few more of my favorites. A few obvious favorites are Sylvia Fowler from “The Women” and Hildy Johnson from “His Girl Friday.” These are purely comedic characters and make me laugh out loud. I am not sure if all of you know, but comedy is my favorite genre of film (no, you probably already knew that, ha ha). I like these characters for different reasons besides making me laugh. For instance, I like Sylvia not because of her sweet personality (because there isn’t an ounce of sweetness there) but because of her insane antics, her hilarious physical comedy, and… okay, her physical comedy. I have always been a sucker for physical comedy. I think it’s just perfect to get a laugh out of people and it’s something you could easily encounter in daily life, too. Ever seen one of your friends trip and fall or run into a door when you weren’t looking? Admit it. It’s funny! Now, why do I love Hildy Johnson?

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Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in “His Girl Friday” (1940)

Because of her brains, her wit, and yes, her rapid speech! I have always been drawn to movies that have fast dialogue. There is something about quick banter back and forth that I think is absolutely enthralling and amusing. And in my opinion, practically no one could and ever will deliver dialogue as quickly and as brilliantly as Rosalind Russell.

What about some dramatic characters? After all, those types do exist in her filmography. You could include those “Lady Mary” types she played in the beginning of her career, but they weren’t exactly my favorite. I am not a fan, really, of snobby, “nose-in-the-air” types, although when she does it, I like them anyway. A favorite of mine is her characterization of Harriet Craig in “Craig’s Wife.”

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John Boles and Rosalind Russell in “Craig’s Wife” (1936)

One of the reasons I enjoy it so much is because she actually scared me when I watched it the first time. That’s right–Roz actually scared me in a movie of hers! That’s unheard of. As she said in her book, she was “playing a meanie” and she did it very well. This was her iconic ice queen role and she did a great job, even though she didn’t want to play this role at first. Another dramatic character I love very much is Rosemary Sidney, the “old maid schoolteacher” in “Picnic.” She didn’t exactly have a very big role in this movie (although she received very special billing), but I had never seen a finer piece of acting by Rosalind Russell. You could tell she really dove into the part and gave it her all. She gave the role so much desperation, so much pity, that you could only feel sorry for her. She may have made a fool of herself in the dance scene when she got drunk and forced poor William Holden to dance with her, ripping his shirt in the process. And in the next scene, when she pleads so desperately with her boyfriend Howard Bevans to “please marry me… please…” you can only cry for her.

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Arthur O’Connell and Rosalind Russell in “Picnic” (1955)

While I’m on the subject, who are some of your favorite comedy characters and dramatic characters that Rosalind Russell played?