Bachelor Bait

Bachelor Bait is a 1934 American comedy film about a man (William Watts) who is fired from his job issuing marriage licenses at city hall because of the actions of a co-worker. He starts a match making business which becomes very successful because of Mr. Watts' ability to find suitable matches for everybody except for himself. Bachelor Bait (originally titled The Great American Harem) was director George Stevens' first feature-length film for RKO, filmed from 30 April to 18 May 1934. His first feature was The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble (1933), for Universal.^[2]

Bachelor Bait
Film poster
Directed by	George Stevens
Screenplay by	Glenn Tryon
Story by	Edward Halperin Victor Halperin
Produced by	Pandro S. Berman
Starring	Stuart Erwin Rochelle Hudson Pert Kelton "Skeets" Gallagher Berton Churchill Grady Sutton Clarence Wilson Anne Shirley
Cinematography	David Abel
Edited by	James B. Morley
Music by	Max Steiner
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	July 1934 (1934-07)
Running time	74 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$120,000[1]
Box office	$195,000[1]

Plot

Stu Erwin plays a kindhearted man who, after losing his job as a civil servant in a marriage license office, opens his own business, Romance Inc., which becomes a successful matrimonial agency. When he sets up his secretary (Rochelle Hudson) with a wealthy client (Grady Sutton), he realizes just in time that he is really in love with her.^[2]

Cast

• Stuart Erwin as Mr. William Watts
• Rochelle Hudson as Cynthia Douglas
• Pert Kelton as Allie Summers
• Richard "Skeets" Gallagher as Bramwell Van Dusan
• Berton Churchill as "Big" Barney Nolan
• Grady Sutton as Don Beldon/Diker
• Clarence Wilson as District Attorney Clement Craftsman
• Landers Stevens as Mr. Wells

Analysis

According to Marilyn Ann Moss, Bachelor Bait "is a light comedy that touches briefly on the Depression (when mention is made of "everyone being out of work these days") before it supplies its audience with a leisurely paced series of misadventures."^[2]

The film lost $3,000 for RKO Studios.^[1]

Production

In February 1934, Lou Brock^[3][4] announced The Great American Harem as the next film for Ginger Rogers. ^[5]

William Seiter was set to direct.^[6]

Alice Joyce Moore, daughter of Alice Joyce and Tom Moore, was signed for a role.^[7]