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Though this story of three girls on the lookout for rich men inspired How to Marry a Millionaire, the gals in this pre-Code original hardly hold out for marriage! Sugar daddies will do as well as husbands, and even better in the case of one who prefers an illicit good time to a rich husband. Joan Blondell, as the good sport, doesn't have enough screen time but is quite effective when she does--the catfight in the beauty parlour, with its mudpacks and a hair-waving machine that looks like a giant squid, is a riot. Madge Evans is the sweet one who nevertheless forsakes her sweet boyfriend for wealthy Lowell Sherman's offer of musical training, which clearly includes some very intimate private tuition. Ina Claire is the wildly unscrupulous one, who cheats, steals, and tells outrageous lies to keep herself in champagne and chinchilla. The clothes are gorgeous--slinky evening gowns that look like lingerie--and the wisecracks are as sharp as the diamonds the girls crave (remember that this was the era of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). A man, asking for the men's room, is told "It's the door that says Gentlemen--but don't let that stop you." When the two other girls meet Ina Claire returning on an ocean liner, one says, "Look, she doesn't have a man--you'd think she'd be afraid of catching cold." There's no plot to speak of, just a series of incidents, which gets a bit wearying, and it's bizarre that the other two keep reconciling with the treacherous, bitchy Ina Claire character. But for a frivolous, glamorous, unsentimental look at love and money, this is hard to beat.

This fun, pre-code romp from 1932 starring Joan Blondell, Madge Evans, Ina Claire, was remade in color in 1953 as How to Marry a Millionaire. Similar plot, but in the original, the girls steal boyfriends (David Manners and Phillips Smalley) from each other, where as in the remake, they each find their own man, and then have to decide if they want to keep them or not. Interesting that Betty Grable, who starred in the 1953 version had appeared as a hat check girl in the 1932 version. This was one of the last films directed by Lowell Sherman ( also played Boris Feldman in the film) as he died two years after filming this. Ina Claire (played Jean) would have been the oldest of the three co-stars, 39 years old in 1932, and she only made three more after this. "The Greeks" was made during prohibition, so of course part of it takes place in a loud, smoke-filled "speakeasy". Lots of dark eye makeup, and the picture and sound quality are pretty terrible in the version I watched, but this IS a pretty old flick. A little slow, but fun if you have the patience. Gives you an idea of how some of the young, poor women got by in those days if they weren't willing to go look for work.

Polaire (Madge Evans), and Schatzi (Joan Blondell), are two Broadway actresses with manageable problems, but when their conniving friend Jean (Ina Claire) returns from Paris, broke and in search of a rich husband, their tranquility is upended. Polaire is trusting, and engaged to the honorable and wealthy Dey (David Manners). Schatzi has Pops, a sugar daddy, who remains off screen. Jean then goes to work trying to break them up, so she can have the men to herself.

Lowell Sherman ably directs and appears as Boris, a famous concert pianist who bets Jean money he can make her fall in love with him, but Boris falls for Polaire instead, allowing Jean an opportunity to wreck another couple. Jean's problem isn't that she's too clever for own good, it's that she needs excitement dull but respectable men can't provide. Once she has the money to send her away, and quiet down any scandal, Jean can do what she loves most: being in the company of Polaire and Schatzi. Adapted from Zoe Akins's play, the film is sprinkled with bon mots, and is a funny and sophisticated look at the complexity of female friendship.

I read with interest the comments of the critic for "Three Broadway Girls." Then I saw the movie. I must say that in accordance with the critic's 2007 standards, he was quite correct in his analysis. However, I am now 80 years old and remember the pictures in those days fairly well. I would say that the critic must be in his 30's or 40's for he evaluates the content and acting with those skills of 2007. If he were a critic in 1932 or the 30's for that matter, I think he would find this a 'charming' bit of humorous story telling. I would offer that those who criticize motion pictures should take into account the era in which they were made, and NOT evaluate them with the 2007 era standards.

The Goldwyn production based on Zoe Akin's racy play about three gold diggers has Joan Blondell, Madge Evans and Ina Claire playing the trio, double-crossing each other as the mood suits them with the men falling like tenpins. David Manners, Phillips Smalley, even Lowell Sherman, the director, who doubles as a concert pianist is not immune to their machinations and *ahem* talents. Apparently George Barnes, the director of photography fell in love with Blondell on the set. They married the next year; presumably Claire would have stolen him from her, except every time she put on a new costume, she rushed over to show soon-to-be ex-husband John Gilbert how she looked.

The wisecracks fly fast and furious. Miss Claire, with her cigarette voice and scheming role steals the show every time she's on. It's a crackling Pre-Code, even though the lingerie shots are kept to a minimum

Joan Blondell, Madge Evans, and Ina Claire bring the Zoe Akins comedy, The Greeks Had A Word For It to the big screen. It's the story of three women who have determined that the good times of the 20s won't last and they're all determined to marry men who can support them in good style. By the time the play was making its 253 performance run on Broadway the Depression was upon us. No doubt those in the audience were saying how wise these girls were.

All three are different personality types, Claire's character isn't the noblest of God's creations, but they do have a bond with each other that seems to override all.

Adkins wrote some really great lines and the three of them, especially Blondell deliver those pre-Code zingers with pizazz. Those lines she didn't write Sidney Howard did for the screen and between the two of them we got one good script.

The American cinema has given us four versions of this story, the others being Three Blind Mice, Moon Over Miami, and How To Marry A Millionaire. All of them were updated to suit the times they were made in. An easy task to do because Akins is writing about eternal situations.

For fans of the leads, especially Blondell.

"Throughout the ages, half the women in the world have been working women… and the rest of the women have been working men," is a helpful introduction. And, opening with Joan Blondell (as Schatze Citroux) in her underwear is certainly appreciated. But, these "Three Broadway Girls" recreating Zoe Akins' "The Greeks Had a Word for It" for the big screen really shows its age. The storyline begins with Ina Claire (as Jean Lawrence) returning from France. She rejoins girlfriends Ms. Blondell and Madge Evans (as Polaire Gwynn). Alas, Ms. Claire is flat broke. So, the women set out to land a man, the richer the better. And, going after each other's man is fair game. The trio's main gold-digger is Ms. Claire, who also grabs most of the camera's attention.

The main leading man is dashing David Manners (as Dey Emery), best remembered for "Dracula" (1931). Actor/director Lowell Sherman was a great silent screen villain, especially memorable as the cad who impregnated and deserted Lillian Gish in "Way Down East" (1920). Interestingly, D.W. Griffith company player Creighton Hale was also in that movie, and receives some good "extra" work herein, possibly thanks to Mr. Sherman or producer Samuel Goldwyn. The film features several other notables in small roles. Probably the least satisfying will be the too briefly glimpsed Betty Grable, who appeared in this plot's updated "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953). All in all, this film is mainly enjoyable for Claire's scene-stealing performance. She sure is having fun.

***** The Greeks Had a Word for Them (2/3/32) Lowell Sherman ~ Ina Claire, Joan Blondell, Madge Evans, David Manners

This isn't a Warner Brothers quickie but there's a warm sense of familiarity about it and although we don't have the usual Warner family, the three girls do have a sparkling on-screen chemistry. Fans of 'Gold diggers of 1933' will like this - it is of course not as exceptional but it's got a similar plot, similar characters and that same upbeat, fun feel - but without songs.

Joan Blondell enjoyed the opportunity of working at a more relaxed pace in a more luxurious studio with Coco Chanel dresses and that enthusiasm coupled with her natural comic timing make her shine in this. George Barnes on camera captures her vibrancy brilliantly and his love making through the camera leads to him actually marrying her. Surprisingly though, she isn't the star in this, that accolade goes to Ina Claire, whom I confess know little about but she's fabulous in this. Not too sure about Madge Evans but nevertheless considering they've only just been thrown together for this, there's a real chemistry between them making them seem like they really are best friends.

Kind of remade twenty years later as 'How to Marry a Millionaire' but this original version, although only o.k. Is still just marginally better.

THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM has a good cast, a good director, and a good idea for a story, but you would never know it from watching this film. Ina Claire, a renowned actress from Broadway, displays not one ounce of subtlety in her role as the gold-digging, throat-cutting Jean. Joan Blondell tries her best as the warm-hearted Schatzi who attempts to keep order and harmony in her group of three women seeking wealth through marriage with a wealthy man. Given the script she has to work with, her task was next to impossible. Madge Evans, as the nice showgirl, rounds out the trio, but is unfortunately over-shadowed by the antics of Claire who dominates every scene with her over-acting.

David Manners plays Madge's nice and wealthy, though unbelievable boyfriend, while Lowell Sherman, who directed the film, plays a renowned pianist Claire runs after. This film is classic proof of the old adage that a film's principal seldom can step outside of their role to direct the proceedings and do a good job.

This film is so bad, one has to wonder who Sam Goldwyn had in mind when he began this production. The women are the worst stereotypes one could imagine, while the men have absolutely no redeeming qualities. No doubt Goldwyn saw this as some sort of a roaring twenties exercise in loose morality, but he only succeeded in creating a caricature of life in the jet-set.

I rated this a 3 only because of the presence of Joan Blondell and Madge Evans who are worth watching. Evans has been described as a "wooden" actress by another writer. In this film, she is the only one with any fire in her demeanor when standing up against Claire busy demonstrating how to chew up the scenery. Evans projects poise, grace, and class... no easy task in this scenario.

I saw this on a Mill Creek DVD collection of 50 comedies. As with most cheap Mill Creek public ___domain film collections, the print was not in great shape. The black and white was muddy and the sound squeaky. I hope some one will release a good print on DVD some day.

I won't repeat what other reviewers have said about the plot. Although it is jumpy and confusing, one does have to give it credit for being fast-paced, original and surprising.

Joan Blondell and Ina Claire do a good job of providing the comedy. Madge Evans is really the straight woman here. She is quite beautiful and glamorous and manages to steal the picture.

Besides these three women actresses, the movie has a lot of witty lies and a nice air of frivolity to it. There are some nice, subtle innuendos here and you do have to pay attention to catch the cleverness of the script.

This is a solid woman's picture from 1932 and there really weren't that many made.

If you have to watch the Mill Creek print, turn up the volume a bit.

The clothes, coats, hats and jewelry are gorgeous in this 1932 pre-code film that was remade as How To Marry a Millionaire in 1953 with Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable. The colorized 1953 version had the women being much more overtly calculating in their goal to marry a millionaire. In this pre-code version it was more subtle...they were definitely gold diggers although one genuinely falls in love and wants to marry, it is not as clear that the other two want to marry at all. It seems that they all three like to drink, party and spend other people's money.

It is a lifestyle I guess, but with friends like these...who needs enemies. At least two of them have a fierce competition going and end up sabotaging each other at every opportunity!

Worth seeing for the gorgeous lush clothing...and the three ladies in question, especially Joan Blondel who is an eye catcher in every film she is in...although in this one she had some competition!

Three "former chorus girls" team up to capture rich husbands. But they spend as much time fighting with each other as they do the men they try to snare. This film is based on a a play by Zoe Akins (THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR IT) which is also the basis for the softer and more genteel 50s version HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE.

In this pre-code version, Ina Claire plays the grasping and back-stabbing blonde who will go to any length to get what she wants. Joan Blondell plays the sensible girl (stocks and bonds), and Madge Evans is the sensitive one. All three dish the dirt while they chase after rich David Manners, that is until Claire decides that his daddy is a better catch! Lowell Sherman directs and co-stars as the Russian pianist (from the Bronx) who also dallies with the 3 ladies (and possibly with Manners?).

Ina Claire is totally outrageous here but fun to watch as she chews the scenery. Blondell, Sherman, and Evans are also very good. Manners is rather bland (as usual).

As state in Headline wrote by gideonlp is full of reason where he says "Critics of 2007 do not share same thoughts as 1932", it can explains my feelings over this oldies movies when a low techniques were in early developing, worst an experimental methodology were in progress through by try and error, so it proves by any means that the primitive cinema should be looked by this angle, this is rich and valuable romantic comedy with a peppery of malice ruled in this period before pre-code where arose hypocrites of the good customs to muzzle Hollywood, this picture shall be restored to show up all good things lost in bad shape images, a smart and sexy comedy fairly tasted then and now!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2011 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

For years I have read about one of the raciest & most sophisticated precodes on record -THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM-and I have actively sought to catch this most coveted of early 30s films. My first couple of passes on the film proved disappointing, prints were virtually unwatchable, dark, muddy prints that seemed choppy. Imagine my elation when I recently came across a fresh print on YouTube and was finally able to enjoy the film in all its art deco 1930s splendor.

Unfortunately, in my humble estimation, the film doesn't stand up to its advance hype. Joan Blondell is the only actress of the trio that exhibits any screen charisma. She really pops off the screen and it's easy to see why she had such a long career. I was excited to see Ina Claire -legendary theater actress and ex-wife of John Gilbert-in a film, but her role had a hard-bitten edge that her personality couldn't overcome. The third gal of the trio was Madge Evans, but she hardly made any impression on me.

The casting was particularly disappointing since in the initial pre-production phase some really exciting screen personalities were mentioned as possibilities, including Jean Harlow and Clara Bow.

One of the big selling points of the film's publicity campaign were the lavish wardrobes created for the star actresses by the legendary Parisian designer Coco Chanel. The clothes she designed for Gloria Swanson in Tonight or Never stood up to the million dollar hype, but the clothes here were fine without knocking my eyes out or creating any particular impact. It might be the fault of the actresses themselves, none of whom were noted for their ability to wear clothes.

The Plot.

Sophisticated comedy: a trio of money hungry women who all have sugar daddies who keep them in the lap of luxury, even as they drive the men crazy.

Each woman represents a different personality type, from sensitive, to kind-hearted, to difficult and untrustworthy. Set in the age of jazz, the twenties come roaring back with immorality and in- fighting.

Pre code comedy which translates into bra-less babes bouncing about. Some of the ship scenes are interesting from a historical standpoint seeing how people had to travel back then.

The girls have the same Jean Harlow perm and it's hard to tell them apart.

This movie won't change your life, but it's an OK diversion for a drunken rainy night.

I bought a $1 DVD that had two movies about a year ago. The movies were Happy Go Lovely and this one, Three Broadway Girls. This tale of three lady friends who try to one-up each other in attracting rich men has some witticisms about them and the leads of Joan Blondell, Ina Claire, and Madge Evans are pretty good. It's the situations that got me a little confused and possibly bored since I almost fell asleep a couple of times. I suppose I could try to watch this again when I'm more alert and I think of how the plot plays out in my mind. Maybe by then, this would play a little better in my mind. Right now though, I'm giving this a 3. By the way, for Laurel and Hardy fans, Arthur Housman does appear in his usual drunk role here.

THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM (United Artists, 1932), directed by Lowell Sherman, became producer Samuel Goldwyn's contribution to the Warner Brothers "Gold Diggers" comedies from the pre-code era. Following the pattern of Warners' own "The Gold Diggers of Broadway' (1929) and post-edition of "Gold Diggers of 1933," THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM is straight comedy, with no staged production numbers involved. Even with the borrowed assistance of Warner Brothers' own Joan Blondell, the story, based on the play "The Greeks Had a Word for It" by Zoe Atkins, follows the pattern of three girl pals and the rich men in their lives. With Madge Evans (from MGM) and Ina Claire completing the rest of the trio known as "The Three Musketeers of Riverside Drive," it's Broadway legend, Ina Claire (in one of her very few film roles), and not the sassy Joan Blondell, who gathers the most attention for both her comedic performance and sassy one-liners that stand out among the rest.

Opening title: "Throughout the ages, half of the women of the world have been working women. And the rest of the women have been working men." Schatze (Joan Blondell), and Polaire (Madge Evans) are former showgirls sharing an apartment in New York City. Arriving home from Paris "broke and disillusioned" is Jean Lawrence (Ina Claire), a gold-digger with the catch phrase of, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." With Jean's recent downfall being engaged to a married man, she resumes her manner in nabbing any worthwhile male with pants. While at a speakeasy with her friends, the girls meet Dey Emery (David Manners), a millionaire playboy loved by Schatze, along with his friend, Boris Feldman (Lowell Sherman), a pianist. With Jean relishing the challenge of stealing boyfriends, she captures the attention of Boris, who, in turn, becomes very much interested with Polaire and her piano playing skills. With his attempt to develop her talent and make her rich, Polaire accepts his teaching invitation when she finds Dey shows no interest in asking her to remain with him. Polaire changes her mind when she comes to meet with Boris later that night, only to learn he's spend much of the evening with Jean. As much as Jean has her connections with a sugar daddy named "Pop" (whose character is never seen), she also finds Pop has been seeing Schatze during her absence in Paris, and upon his death, inherited his penthouse. Problems arise when Jean risks her lasting friendship with the girls by framing Polaire as a thief to break her engagement with Dey, only to become interested in Dey's father, Justin (Phillips Smalley), to a point of accepting his proposal of marriage. What further surprises does this "Italian blonde" have for her friends, Schatze and Polaire, must be seen to be believed.

Based on the plot summary, Ina Claire's Jean happens to be the wildest of them all. Joan Blondell is the sensible one who sides with the one she feels is right, while Madge Evans is the good girl-type not afraid to venture to the outside world when the chance allows. Lowell Sherman, who acts as both film director and character performer, resumes his scoundrel type he's been playing dating back to the silent movie era, while David Manners as a rich man's son who feels he has no tie on the girl he loves, is agreeable in his role as well. Others seen in the cast are: Sidney Bracey (The Waiter); Arthur Housman (The Drunk); Charles Coleman (The Butler); and Barbara Weeks (The Beautician).

For anyone unfamiliar with THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM, the reissue has been changed to a more familiar title of "Three Broadway Girls" with Joan Blondell rather than Ina Claire heading the cast. The reissue print, now in public ___domain, is the one that has been released to television (notably public television during the 1980s), as well as video cassette and DVD formats at 79 minutes. Overall, a familiar yet funny screen adaptation to a risqué play of the time that for contemporary movie viewers may seem tame and lackluster today. While some prints may be disturbing to watch due to either poor sound quality or bad picture transformation, it still gets by for its theme reworked many times thereafter, best known being HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (20th Century-Fox, 1953) with Betty Grable (Coco), Marilyn Monroe (Pola), and Lauren Bacall (Schatze). Though based on the Zoe Atkins play, both films differ greatly in style and story, with the original Samuel Goldwyn production seemingly more faithful to the stage play than the others, which makes this one acceptable viewing. (***)

Some older movies are among the very best ever made; more infrequently, some fall direly short of expectations. This one falls somewhere in the unremarkable middle: lightly amusing, with occasional especial cleverness, but ninety years later, ultimately not making much of an impression. There's no real spark to foster utmost active engagement or demand viewership; most scenes just blithely float on by for the viewer, and while moments of raised voices, argument, or overlapping voices are intended for laughs, the cacophony instead just becomes rather grating. The scenario is, in fact, built for humor, what with cheeky deception, scheming, backstabbing, and angling to land a marriage - yet there's a bit too much zip in the direction (informing delivery of lines, performances, the execution of scenes generally) that serves to quash any sense of comedic timing, and the same is true broadly of the tone of the film, too even-handed and unbothered for its own good. 'The Greeks had a word for them' is very mildly enjoyable, yet there's nothing about it that will help the picture to stand out among its many contemporaries and successors.

Speaking of "standing out": it's no particular fault of anyone involved - the casting director, the hair and makeup artists, least of all the actors themselves - but men and women alike are mostly indistinguishable, just a face in the crowd. It doesn't help that when all is said and done, the three main characters bear personalities and dispositions that are, after all, very similar. To whatever extent the characters do somewhat stand apart from one another at all is a credit to Sidney Howard's writing, I suppose, yet at large these feed into the feeling that the feature has no special claim to fame, or even its own identity. For lack of major vibrancy, all the back and forth in the dialogue, scene writing, and overall narrative becomes not fun, or even just interesting, but instead just kind of tiring. I think stars Joan Blondell, Ina Claire, and Madge Evans do turn in spirited acting that tells me they'd be a joy to watch in another film that lets them shine more brightly. As it stands, I think director Lowell Sherman just lacked the nuance and mindfulness to best capitalize on all the best potential of the material and his cast.

To be clear, I do sort of like this. Of anything, I most appreciate the production design and art direction, and the costume design. It's a fairly forgettable viewing experience, but it's not a bad one; it's a pleasant way to spend eighty minutes. For that matter, maybe I'm being too harsh; maybe there was some limiting factor I'm not aware of in the moment I sat to watch this, such that to give it another try would allow me to enjoy it more. At the same time, there have been some movies I've genuinely fallen asleep in the middle of, and upon waking and finishing them, still found them to be outstanding. This is so middle-of-the-road that it's hard to specifically give a recommendation, seeing as how there are countless other titles that are more immediately deserving. Still, I hope other folks get more out of 'The Greeks had a word for them' than I did, and even if it continues to dwell in a so-so no man's land, there are far worse ways to spend one's time. Don't go out of your way for it, and don't expect a life-changing picture, but if you happen to come across this and are looking for something light, it's decent enough to watch.