How are Lovers Courageous? I/m not really sure. Maybe it just seemed like a good title? The pair of lovers do have good chemistry. Willie Smith (Robert Montgomery) is a struggling playwright who can’t hold down a regular job. He moves from country to country, collecting life experiences and writing home to his long- suffering parents. Meanwhile, Mary (Madge Evans) is a bored and flirtatious admiral’s daughter who hates living in “boring” South Africa. I would also hate living in South Africa, but my reasons would have to do with township districts and racism. To each their own, I guess. The pair accidentally fall in love after Mary goes to buy a box of Lucky Charms cigarettes for her friend Jeffrey (Roland Young) from the shop Willie works in. That’s right! She was after his Lucky Charms. For a pre-code film, this could’ve had more innuendo, but at least it had a lot about writing within the plot.
The movie’s sappy plot is mostly about how Mary’s family under her father’s (Frederick Kerr) instruction tries to keep them apart. This is partially because of Willie’s social status and partly because Mary is engaged to super British and super rich Jimmy (Reginald Owen). Jimmy calls her “old girl” and is obsessed with hunting. Jeffrey points out that married to Jimmy, Mary could still be rich and probably get away with as many affairs as she wanted. Willie agrees with the admiral, trying to make her understand that if she marries him, Marry could end up resenting him for never being able to give her a wealthy standard of living. Despite all this, Mary runs off with Willie, convincing him that they will be happy. Naturally, since this is a melodrama, their life is hard and he struggles to become successful. Boy gets girl. Spoiler alert: Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back after having great success with his first play.
The character of Willie goes back and forth between being a charming goof and an intense realist. Willie grew up as a “good-for-nothing” in his father’s eyes, always skipping school and refusing to work in a post office when he grows up. Secretly, his father is proud that he never gives up and defends the wayward son to his other children. Willie’s mother always believes in him, understanding that his mind works differently and that sometimes creative types don’t fit into social norms. Mary is instantly interested in Willie’s desire to be a playwright, and later his desire for her. See! Innuendo! It’s super easy to throw out there and in a few years it wouldn’t be allowed. You missed a golden opportunity, screenwriters of the 30s!
Anyway, back to Mary’s support for Willie’s writing. Mary reads his play when they first become friends, telling him not to be nervous about his ideas. She helps him rewrite the love scenes (insert eyebrow wiggle here) and promises to go to his first opening night no matter where she is in the world at the time. He warns her that he might not ever sell his play, yet she still promises. After they are married, she keeps pawning everything she owns, hoping that if he’s not working as much he will finally finish and sell the play. SPOILER ALERT: He gives her up when he can’t get a steady job or sell the play. During the time they are apart, his play is being produced and he doesn’t know that she’s dying of an unnamed illness (I suppose we’re to assume it’s broken heart). When she isn’t at opening night, he he goes to her. Now that he’s got some money, they get back together like she didn’t just almost die.
