Hands Across the Table

A loafer and a manicurist, both planning to marry money, meet and form an uneasy alliance.

• Director: Mitchell Leisen
• Genre:Comedy / Romance
• Runtime:80 minutes

Cast

Carole Lombard : Regi Allen
Fred MacMurray : Theodore Drew III
Ralph Bellamy : Allen Macklyn
Astrid Allwyn : Vivian Snowden
Ruth Donnelly : Laura

Manicurist Regi Allen desires to marry a rich husband and is called to be the manicurist of wealthy invalid Allen Macklyn (Ralph Bellamy). Upon exiting his apartment, she encounters Theodore Drew III (Fred MacMurray) who is playing a game of hop-scotch in the hallway. He invites her to join him, which she cordially declines. Later she is called to give a manicure for Theodore Drew III and is surprised to see the man whom she had met in the hallway. She waves him hurriedly away, waiting patiently for Theodore Drew III until she is told by the woman at the counter who she waved away. She replaces her friend as his manicurist and pricks his fingers several times with her file, bandaging them as she goes along. They begin to talk rather awkwardly, but nevertheless he invites her to dinner.

Ted becomes drunk and tells her that he is engaged to be married to Vivian Snowden, heiress to a pineapple fortune and that he is leaving on a boat the next day to Bermuda. Regi is unable to wake him from his drunken slumber and permits him to sleep on her sofa, believing that he will leave before she returns from work. However, he is still there when she returns and greets her warmly while ironing his pants. He explains to her that he missed the boat to Bermuda and that his family lost all their money in the Great Depression. Uncertain, Regi is convinced when he frightens away a potential date, of which she did not wish to go on, by pretending to be her abusive husband. The two confess to each other that they intend on marrying for money only and in the course of his stay with her, they fall in love.

Ted calls his fiancee, Vivian (Astrid Allwyn), to remain in her favor with Regi interrupting saying continuously “Bermuda calling,” until they hang up. On Ted and Regi’s last night together, they admit their mutual love, but Regi ends the relationship stating that he must marry for money or their love will grow sour. Ted leaves that evening for his fiancee’s. Read more