Now Playing - Father Takes a Wife (1941)

This splashy ad for “Father Takes a Wife” (1941) hails the screen return of Gloria Swanson, who had not done a film in some seven years, and whose next film wouldn’t be for another nine years. But that film-to-be was “Sunset Blvd.”, so it would be worth the wait.

Her cast here in this comedy about an actress who gives up a career for marriage includes the ever dapper Adolphe Menjou, John Howard as his son (who we last saw in “Make Haste to Live”), Desi Arnaz, and more importantly, Mary Treen, who in her string of funny maids, waitresses, secretaries and other lovable plain Janes, was always delightful, occasionally poignant, and often better than her material. She is cast here as a secretary.