Expensive Husbands 1937

Laurine Lynne, Beverly Roberts, unable to get work in the United States, travels to Europe hoping to find employment. She makes a grand entrance at a Viennese hotel, and Rupert, Patric Knowles one of the hotel’s waiters, is immediately enchanted by her. He insists on serving her dinner, but angers her when he says that although he admires her a great deal, he can tell from her movie love scenes that she has never known a great love.

Joe Craig, Laurine’s press agent, Allyn Joslyn, arrives with the news that because a certain bad actress is married to a count, she has gotten the part that Laurine wanted. He suggests that Laurine marry a title to help her career, and taking his advice, Laurine advertises for a marriage of convenience. Without realizing that it is Laurine who is advertising, Rupert, who is really an impoverished prince, answers the ad. Both are surprised when they learn the identity of their potential mates, but proceed with the marriage.

Although they love each other, both are convinced that the other went through with the marriage for selfish reasons: Laurine for the title, Rupert for the money. Nonetheless, when they are forced to spend their honeymoon night in a hotel that was Rupert’s ancestral home, Laurine waits hopefully for her groom to come to bed. Rupert, however, is disgusted by Laurine’s determination to return to Hollywood and her career and, in the middle of the night, leaves the hotel. The next morning, Joe calls with the news that Laurine has been signed to a picture. Her reviews are good, but now the press wants to meet the prince. During a press conference, where Laurine proclaims that she and her husband are madly in love, Rupert unexpectedly appears. He whispers that her love scenes have improved, but before he can explain his arrival, Laurine accuses him of returning for her money.

Rupert decides to punish her by spending as much money as possible, although as he reveals to Joe, he is actually depositing an equal sum of money to her bank account. Rupert now has money of his own because he met the conditions of a will stipulating that he must earn a certain amount of money before he inherited a fortune. He announces that he is returning to Vienna and begs Laurine to give up her career and come with him. At first, she refuses, but some time later, she arrives at Rupert’s home, which he has bought back, ready to be his wife.