Her Man (1930 film)

Her Man is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film produced and distributed by Pathé Exchange, directed by Tay Garnett^[1] and starring Phillips Holmes, Helen Twelvetrees and Marjorie Rambeau. The film is inspired by the ballad Frankie and Johnny.^[2][3] The picture's supporting cast features James Gleason, Ricardo Cortez, Thelma Todd and Franklin Pangborn.

Her Man
Ricardo Cortez and Helen Twelvetrees
Directed by	Tay Garnett
Written by	Tom Buckingham
Story by	Tay Garnett Howard Higgin
Produced by	E. B. Derr
Starring	Phillips Holmes Helen Twelvetrees Marjorie Rambeau
Cinematography	Edward Snyder
Edited by	Doane Harrison Joseph Kane
Music by	Josiah Zuro
Production company	Pathé Exchange
Distributed by	Pathé Exchange
Release date	September 21, 1930 (1930-09-21)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Phillips Holmes in Her Man (1930)

At least one copy is preserved at the Library of Congress.^[4] The original camera negative, rediscovered in the 2010s, has been scanned and restored at 4K resolution by Sony Pictures Entertainment, in partnership with the Film Foundation and RT features.^[5]

Plot

A Havana prostitute with a sadistic "protector" falls for a young sailor.

Cast

• Helen Twelvetrees as Frankie Keefe
• Phillips Holmes as Dan Keefe
• Marjorie Rambeau as Annie
• James Gleason as Steve
• Ricardo Cortez as Johnnie
• Harry Sweet as Eddie
• Slim Summerville as The Swede
• Thelma Todd as Nelly
• Franklin Pangborn as Sport
• Stanley Fields as Al
• Matthew Betz as Red
• Mike Donlin as Bartender
• George Chandler as Barfly

Reception

Writing in The New York Times on the release of a restored version of the film, the critic J. Hoberman says that the film was well received when it was released and that it was a favorite of Henri Langlois of the Cinémathèque Française. However, it received harsh criticism by the Cuban government and local US Latin press because of the stereotypical distortions it presented about Cuba in general.^[6] Hoberman calls out the use of tracking shots in the film,^[3] as also does Farran Smith Nehme in Film Comment.^[7] The MOMA film curator David Kehr called the "constantly moving camera" 10 years ahead of its time.^[8] Nehme describes the film as a "brawling, sleazy pre-Code" and that Garnet successfully "weaves in tenderness" into what is also a romantic film.^[7]

Popular Culture

Still-married actress Helen Twelvetrees met her second husband, stuntman Jack Woody, on set while filming Her Man. The ensuing marriage would produce another bevy of tabloid material centered on the young starlet. ^[9][10]