Too Many Women (1942)
Directed by Bernard B. Ray and released on February 27, 1942, Too Many Women is an American screwball comedy produced and distributed by PRC. Starring Neil Hamilton, June Lang, Joyce Compton, and Barbara Read, this low-budget B-movie is a chaotic farce built around romantic mix-ups, financial bluffs, and unwanted engagements.
Plot Overview
Richard Sutton (Neil Hamilton) wants to marry his sensible fiancée, Linda Pearson (Barbara Read), but they are held back by financial troubles. To shake off a pushy real estate developer offering a bad deal, Richard invents a wild fib: he claims a rich uncle in Brazil has died and left him a massive $3 million inheritance.
Unfortunately for Richard, the lie spreads like wildfire across town. His wealthy, ailing grandmother’s doctor warns him that telling the truth could shock her to death, forcing him to maintain the charade. Suddenly, old girlfriends and gold-diggers swarm him. Before he knows it, Richard finds himself accidentally engaged to both prim Gwenny Miller (June Lang) and spoiled Barbara Cartwright (Joyce Compton). To make matters worse, a night of drinking leads him to wake up in a strange apartment with a third potential bride, Lorraine O’Reilly (Marlo Dwyer), whose gangster brother insists on a quick wedding at gunpoint. Juggling three fiancées, an angry true love, and a fake fortune, Richard must scramble to untangle his web of lies before it completely ruins his life.
Cast
- Neil Hamilton as Richard “Dick” Sutton
- June Lang as Gwendolyn “Gwenny” Miller
- Joyce Compton as Barbara Cartwright
- Barbara Read as Linda Pearson
- Fred Sherman as Charlie
- Marlo Dwyer as Lorraine O’Reilly
- Maurice Cass as Dr. Miller
Production Notes & Trivia
- Directed and produced by Bernard B. Ray, a prolific Russian-born filmmaker known for his work on low-budget “Poverty Row” pictures and westerns.
- Leading man Neil Hamilton is best remembered today for his iconic television role as Commissioner Gordon on the classic 1960s Batman series, decades after his days as a prominent Hollywood leading man.
- Co-star June Lang was a popular screen actress of the 1930s and 40s, appearing in major studio pictures before transitioning to independent features like this one.
- Produced on a modest budget by PRC, the film capitalizes on the screwball comedy craze popularized by major Hollywood studios during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
