Jeanette MacDonald Marries Her Burglar in Oh, For a Man! (1930)

If you have seventy minutes to kill and want to see how weird movies were right after they started talking, Oh, for a Man! is a decent pick. You would probably like this if you enjoy pre-code energy where people make terrible life choices for no reason. If you can't stand old-fashioned opera singing or plots that move like a runaway train, you will likely hate it.

It starts with Carlotta Manson, played by Jeanette MacDonald, being a total diva. She is tired of the same old fancy people and the same old songs. She wants spice. She wants a real man.

Then a burglar climbs into her bedroom. His name is Barney McGann. He is played by Reginald Denny, who looks like he wandered in from a completely different movie set.

Most people would scream or call the police if a stranger was touching their pearls at 2:00 AM. Not Carlotta. She just kind of looks at him and decides, Yep, that's the one.

The Bedroom Scene

The whole interaction in the boudoir is so strange. She is laying there in this incredibly fancy bed, and he’s just standing there being a criminal.

There is this one shot where she stares at him while he's trying to act tough. It lingers for a few seconds too long. It makes you feel like the director forgot to yell cut, or maybe they just liked her face alot.

Jeanette MacDonald has this way of looking intense even when she is just sitting still. She’s got that early sound era theatricality where every blink is a major event.

The dialogue is fast. Like, really fast. They talk like they are trying to beat a timer.

• She wants romance.
• He wants her necklace.
• They end up getting married.

It makes you wonder if anyone in 1930 actually thought this was how dating worked. Probably not, but it’s fun to imagine.

They move to a villa in Italy because that is what rich people did in movies back then. The scenery looks like it was painted on a piece of cardboard five minutes before they started filming.

Barney realizes he hates being 'Mr. Carlotta Manson.' He has to wear fancy clothes and listen to her sing all day.

I felt kind of bad for him during the dinner scene. He looks so uncomfortable in his tuxedo, like it’s made of sandpaper.

Wait, is that Bela Lugosi?

One of the weirdest things about this movie is seeing Bela Lugosi. He plays a guy named Frescati.

He isn't a vampire here, obviously. But he still has that stare. He’s just kind of there in the background of the opera world, looking slightly out of place.

It’s a tiny role, but every time he’s on screen, the movie feels a bit heavier. Then he leaves and we are back to the goofy marriage drama.

The pacing is very uneven. The first half feels like a romantic comedy, and the second half feels like a weird PSA about why you shouldn't marry people you don't know.

There is a scene where she sings on a stage and the camera just stays on her face for what feels like five minutes. It’s a lot of singing. If you aren't into 1930s opera style, your thumb will be hovering over the fast-forward button.

The movie is alot like Only a Husband in how it treats the idea of a 'manly man' being domesticated. It doesn't really know what to do with the husband once he's caught.

Barney eventually leaves because he can't handle the diva life. He goes back to his old ways, I guess? The movie doesn't really explain his feelings that well.

Then the ending happens. It’s a bit of a circle. It’s almost funny how the movie just decides to repeat its own premise to wrap things up.

Small Things I Noticed

There is a moment where a maid drops something and the sound is so loud it nearly blew out my speakers. Early sound tech was really struggling with balance.

Also, the way they hold their cigarettes is very specific. It’s like they are holding fragile little birds.

The costumes are the real stars here. Jeanette has these headpieces that look like they weigh ten pounds. I don't know how she kept her neck straight.

"I don't want a gentleman. I want a man!"

That line basically sums up the whole film. It’s a movie about wanting something 'raw' but only if it comes in a pretty package.

It’s not as polished as something like Lucretia Lombard, which has a bit more weight to it. This one is light. It’s like a snack that you forget you ate twenty minutes later.

But the energy is high. It doesn't take itself too seriously, which is a blessing.

The extras in the opera house scenes look bored out of their minds. You can see one guy in the third row basically falling asleep during her big number.

I appreciate the lack of a moral lesson. She likes the bad boy, he’s a jerk, and everyone just kind of keeps moving.

It’s a strange little relic. It’s not 'important' cinema, but it’s a good look at what passed for a romantic comedy when the world was still figuring out how to make movies talk.

Check it out if you want to see a very young Jeanette MacDonald before she became a massive superstar. Just don't expect the plot to make any sense.