There are two versions of this movie that I'll review on this site back to back. This is the 1933 version. Gary Cooper plays Biff Grimes, a dentist whose old rival (Neil Hamilton) comes to his office by surprise. We see in flashback scenes how they both had designs on Fay Wray which Neil got while Cooper ended up with her friend, Frances Fuller. Some other complications follow before the ending. I'll just now say while there's some humor, it's mostly pretty dramatic concerning these players and it's not always a pleasant sight to see and hear what happens. According to this site, this was originally 85 min. but the DVD case says 69. In any case, there did seem some missing sequences when some events are only referred to and not shown. So possibly that may be a reason I wasn't satisfied enough with the version I saw. Still, it seemed partly good especially with the conclusion that happened. (The fact I watched much of this late at night and then the last 30 min. in the morning may have something to do with those last two comments.) So on that note, I say One Sunday Afternoon is worth a look. P.S. Because I like to cite when members of my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life-are in something else, well, actually it's the father of the one who played Harry Bailey in that one-Todd Karns-who's in this one, Roscoe Karns as Snappy. And, of course, Ms. Wray was becoming an icon earlier in the year in the original King Kong, and Hamilton would eventually become one as well decades later as Commissioner Gordon in the campy version of the "Batman" TV show.

Gary Cooper plays a dentist named Biff whose former friend Hugo (Neil Hamilton) stabbed him in the back many times when they were younger and even wound up with the woman Biff loved, played by Fay Wray. Now Hugo has come to Biff to have a tooth pulled. While Hugo is sedated, Biff flashes back to how things went down between the two men. Good movie but later remake called The Strawberry Blonde is better. That one stars James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, and Rita Hayworth. It's lighter and funnier than this one, which is dark in parts. Cooper's great here and his support is fine but I'm not sure Fay Wray was quite right for her part. This is yet another movie from the early '30s where Neil Hamilton played a man that women go crazy over. Something must have been in the water back then because I just don't see any woman preferring him to Gary Cooper. I remember another movie where he was picked over Clark Gable. Insane!

One Sunday Afternoon (1933) *** (out of 4)When Hugo Barnstead (Neil Hamilton) comes to a dentist office to have a tooth pulled he never expected to run into Biff Grimes (Gary Cooper). Years earlier Biff fell in love with the vamp Virginia (Fay Wray) only to have his heart broken when she ran off with the other man. It seems this film has been forgotten over the years due to how popular the remake with James Cagney was when it was released. That's really too bad because even though THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE was a fine film, this early sound version features a terrific cast and is a pretty good time on its own. What I enjoyed most about this film were the performances from the cast. I really enjoyed Cooper here who was simply superb playing this man who goes through his entire life with rage and anger because the girl he loved got away. I thought Cooper did a terrific job at playing the more dramatic parts extremely straight but I also thought he was wonderful during some of the comic moments. The sequence when he first meets Virginia was a classic because of the comic timing he brought to it. Wray is also extremely good as the vamp, although she's not given too much to do here. I will say that her attempt at Mae West at the end of the film didn't work all that well but it was still entertaining seeing her do it. Frances Fuller is terrific as the woman Cooper marries on the rebound and Hamilton makes for a good villain. I think the biggest problem with the film is that Cooper's character is such a jerk and is at times so mean that you somewhat lose sympathy for him. I thought he was especially cruel to his future wife and I was a little surprised to how mean his character was. Still, ONE Sunday AFTERNOON is a pure gem that's certainly worth checking out and especially if you're a fan of the cast.

There are three versions of this movie and hands-down this is the best. I of course adore James Cagney, Rita Hayworth and Olivia De Haviland in The Strawberry Blonde but this version is the best. Gary Cooper, aka Biff Grimes, is smitten with Virginia, aka Fay Wray. Ms Virginia was not interested in the simple Biff. Amy, aka Florence Fuller, has had a crush on Biff since grade school. Virginia is no more attracted to Biff than I can fly. Near the beginning when Biff is trying to impress Virginia there's a scene where he's winding around a tree ala true county bumpkin style, it's wonderful. And hanging upside-down on a Merry-go-Round ride, is too darling. The beginning of the movie gives away what happens but the whole 85 minutes is a treasure showing the road of the trials and tribulations. The real eye-opener of what's real and right is exposed in this lovely film.