Private Number (1936)

A young girl (Loretta Young) gets a job as a maid in the household of a wealthy family. She catches the eye of the devious butler (Basil Rathbone) who rules the household staff with an iron hand. Although he makes romantic overtures to the girl, she finds herself falling in love with the household's young heir (Robert Taylor). Based on the play COMMON CLAY by Cleves Kinkead (previously filmed in 1930) and directed by Roy Del Ruth (ON MOONLIGHT BAY). The 1930 film version was a pre code film so it was allowed to be more sordid. This movie coming in during the era of the Hays Code is cleaned up and made more romantic. It's yet another movie about a poor serving girl and the rich young master falling in love with class distinctions of the time proving an obstacle to their love. This one creaks. Young is lovely but her character is impossible to believe. Was anyone so naive, even in the 1930s? Taylor is still in his pretty boy phase, he would become much more interesting as a an actor in the 1940s and more so in the 1950s. With Patsy Kelly, Marjorie Gateson, Joe E. Lewis (the subject of the 1957 film THE JOKER IS WILD) and Jane Darwell.