#the ex-mrs. bradford

[letterboxd-loggd]

The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936) Stephen Roberts

February 16th 2025

[chantalstacys]

the ex-mrs. bradford (1936)

[mischievoushiddleston]

Ex-Mrs. Bradford?

Warnings: Semi-public sex, sex in the elevator

Masterlist here!

Y/N took a deep breath and tried to steady her nerves as she pushed open the heavy doors of the courthouse. The cool marble of the entrance hall and the quiet hum of conversations made her flinch involuntarily. Today was the day she would officially return to her maiden name from Mrs. Bradford. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she felt sadness spreading through her.

Tim. She still loved him, with every fiber of her being. But love alone hadn’t been enough to save their marriage. It had been a slow decay—no great catastrophe, no betrayal, just a constant drifting apart. Tim had withdrawn more and more, coming home later from work, often with an evasive look and a brief, “It was a long day.”

Y/N had tried to be patient, to show understanding. But one evening, her patience had run out, and she confronted him. What followed was the worst argument of their marriage. Words, sharp as knives, were exchanged. Things she had never wanted to say left her lips, and his responses were just as harsh. In the end, she had packed her suitcase, close to tears, and left the house that had once been their shared home.t5

In the weeks that followed, she often wondered if things could have turned out differently. Should she have said something else? Should she have stayed, even when it hurt so much? The answer was always the same: Yes, she would have undone it if she could. But she couldn’t.

And so here she was, standing at the threshold of a new chapter, even though her heart was still stuck in the old one.

Her shoes clicked on the polished, high-quality floor as she walked to the elevator. After more than a year of separation, she would see him again today, and her nerves were on edge. She blamed herself a lot for the failed marriage because she had ignored Tim's attempts to reach out until he finally gave up and too much time had passed. About four months after their separation, she found an envelope with the divorce papers at her doorstep. Y/N closed her eyes as she waited for the elevator, the familiar scent of her soon-to-be ex-husband suddenly filling her nose, sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

“Y/N,” he whispered softly, almost like a murmur, electrifying her. It took a few seconds before she could bring herself to open her eyes and meet his blue gaze.

“Tim…” Her shoes clicked rhythmically on the gleaming marble floor, a sound that strangely calmed her and made her even more nervous as she walked purposefully, but hesitantly, toward the elevator. After over a year of separation, she would face him again today. Her heart pounded so loudly that she feared others could hear it. She took deep breaths, but it barely helped.

The memories of the past months crept into her mind. She carried so much guilt—or at least it felt that way. In the early weeks of the separation, Tim had repeatedly tried to reach her. Messages, calls, even a handwritten note—she had ignored them all. Not because she didn’t miss him, but because she was afraid. Afraid of what a conversation might mean. Afraid that she might go back to him and be hurt again.

But eventually, Tim had stopped trying. And when she one day found the divorce papers in a simple envelope on her doorstep, it felt like someone had drawn the final line. She had wanted to be prepared for that moment, but when it came, it hit her harder than she had ever expected.

Now, standing here, nervously pressing the elevator button, she closed her eyes. She felt the pressure on her chest, the chaos of her emotions. The cool air in the building suddenly felt warmer, heavier.

And then there was a scent. His scent. The familiar, woody-fresh smell that immediately made her heart race. Her eyelids fluttered, but she forced herself to keep her eyes closed. Maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe just a stranger wearing the same cologne.

“Y/N.”

There was no mistaking it. His voice—gentle, soft, almost a whisper—cut through her thoughts like lightning. The sound made her hands tremble, her heart stumble.

Slowly, she turned around, her eyes still closed. She knew she had to face him, that there was no way out, but it took all her strength to do it. Finally, she opened her eyes, and there he was: Tim.

He stood a few steps away, his hands casually in his pockets, as if he had no control over the chaos his mere presence unleashed in her. His blue eyes—the same ones she had once fallen hopelessly in love with—fixed on her, and for a moment, everything else was forgotten.

“Tim…” she whispered, her voice fragile, almost an echo of his tone.

He nodded slightly, a fleeting smile crossing his lips before it vanished. It was an expression that said more than words. Pain, regret, affection—it was all there, and Y/N felt as if time had paused for a moment.

The silence between them was charged, filled with all the words they hadn’t said and all the questions they didn’t dare to ask.

The silence that followed was only interrupted by the "ding" of the elevator. Y/N turned away and stepped inside, trying to calm her pounding heart as she pressed the button for her floor. Tim entered the elevator as well, and the proximity was both comforting and torturous. Her eyes were fixed on his back, and she struggled with herself, wondering if she should say something. Tim rubbed his neck, visibly tense.

“Screw it,” he murmured almost inaudibly, then did something. For a moment, she was confused, and suddenly, the elevator stopped.

“What…?” she breathed, looking up at him as he turned around.

“I don’t want a divorce, Y/N. I know you don’t want it either,” he said softly, filled with emotion.

“Tim, we—”

“We never talked about it. Not the way we should have,” he said, stepping closer to her. There was no way for her to escape. Her hand rested on his chest, feeling the hard muscles under his shirt. “Do you really want the divorce?”

Y/N’s eyes filled with tears, and she tried to avoid his gaze as she shook her head. “No, but—” she whispered, cutting off as his finger gently lifted her chin. Suddenly, his lips were on hers in a tender kiss.

“No buts,” he whispered before slowly leaning toward her. She saw the moment coming, had all the time to pull away, but she didn’t.

His lips met hers in a gentle, cautious kiss that conveyed everything words couldn’t. It wasn’t an impulsive, passionate kiss but a promise, a plea, and an apology all at once. Y/N’s eyes closed on their own, and for that moment, the world seemed to stand still.

The gentle kiss slowly turned into something more urgent, more passionate. Tim’s hand slid to her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed together. Every touch between them sparked with the pent-up longing and emotion they had suppressed for so long.

A soft, contented sigh escaped Y/N’s lips as she leaned into him. Her fingers sought purchase on his jacket, gripping the fabric before slowly sliding it off his shoulders. It landed carelessly on the elevator floor, but neither of them paid it any attention.

Tim’s hands continued to roam, finding her thigh and gently caressing it before pushing the thin fabric of her dress upward. The touch of his rough fingers on her bare skin sent a shiver through her. She felt the heat between them intensify as his lips left hers, trailing a line of tender kisses along her jaw and down to her neck.

"Tim..." she gasped, her voice brittle and full of unspoken emotion. His name on her lips seemed to spur him on even more, and his hand slid further up until it reached the top of her panties. The pressure of his fingers was light, almost teasing, but enough to make her hold her breath. 

His lips traveled further, exploring the sensitive skin on her neck as she tilted her head back slightly, giving him more space. Her hands, which had been hesitant before, now wandered confidently over his back, pulling him even closer to her, as if she wanted to make sure this moment wasn't a dream.

"Tell me you want this too," he murmured hoarsely against her skin, his voice full of desire and uncertainty at the same time. His words made her pause for a moment before she turned back to him, leaning her forehead against his and looking deep into his eyes.

"Please, Tim," she breathed barely audibly, her voice trembling with desire. No further words seemed necessary as his eyes darkened and a soft, guttural sound escaped him as he understood her request. 

With deft fingers, he pushed her panties aside, his touch gentle yet purposeful. When his fingers finally explored her moist warmth, an electrifying tingling sensation ran through her whole body. 

Y/N threw her head back, her breathing quickened and a soft, pleasurable moan escaped her lips. Her hands unconsciously gripped his shoulders, seeking support as he completely took over her senses. 

His every movement was precise and full of devotion, as if he could read her, as if he knew exactly what she needed. The confined space of the elevator heightened the intimacy of the moment, allowing nothing but the two of them to exist.

He slipped a finger inside her, his movements slow and pleasurable, before increasing the pace slightly, penetrating her deeply and filling her again and again. At the same time, he leaned forward and let his lips linger on her neck, sucking gently on the sensitive skin so that a tingling sensation coursed through her body. His thumb circled her clitoris, skillfully and rhythmically, almost making her lose her mind. 

Y/N's body felt like it was on fire. The heat spread in waves, each touch, each kiss only fanned the flames further. Her chest rose and fell heavily, and she felt her nipples harden, pressing against the fabric of her bra and dress, leaving a tingling desire in their wake. 

Tim noticed it immediately. His gaze slid downwards, lingering on her breast, before he bent lower. Without hesitation, he encircled one of the sensitive spots with his mouth, even through the fabric, and sucked gently. The warmth of his lips and the slight dampness of his breath made her gasp as she pressed herself even closer to him. 

His fingers, his lips, his movements - everything was geared towards drawing her completely into this moment, demanding her and at the same time removing all resistance.

Her fingers dug firmly into his shoulders, seeking support as he continued relentlessly, thrusting his fingers deep inside her and bringing her to the brink of madness. His every movement was precise, his every touch driving her on until she felt the tension in her body building to breaking point.

Her breathing quickened, her muscles tensed and as she reached her climax, she felt herself tighten around his fingers. Her body trembled uncontrollably, wave after wave of pleasure rushing through her until she finally came over his fingers with an exhausted but satisfied gasp.

She had barely reached the peak of her desire when a new sound penetrated the veil of lust that surrounded her - the soft metallic tinkling of his belt.

She blinked, still half dazed, but before her mind could catch up, she could already feel the hot, hard tip of his cock pressing gently against her entrance.

"Tim!" Her moan was a mixture of surprise, desire and anticipation, her voice rough with excitement. She lifted her gaze to him, her eyes veiled with lust, and saw him looking at her with a mixture of tenderness and insatiable desire before he slowly pushed forward, leaving her in a frenzy of emotion once more.

"You're mine," he whispered, his voice low and possessive as he entered her fully with a rough, controlled thrust. Y/N gasped, her body tensing under the sudden fullness, but it only took a moment for her to adjust to him.

Her hands slid gently over his back, seeking support as she lifted her head to place gentle kisses on his neck. Her lips left a burning trail on his skin, and the soft moan that escaped her made him pause briefly, as if making sure she was ready.

With a slight gyrating of her hips, she gave him the signal he needed, her movements a silent "I'm ready". Tim pulled back slowly, letting the tension between them build before he pressed into her again, this time with a mixture of abandon and desire.

The rhythm he found was both patient and demanding, each thrust sending waves of pleasure rolling through them both as they moved in sync with each other, their bodies perfectly matched.

Tim gradually increased the pace, his movements becoming deeper and more powerful as he plunged into her again and again. Each thrust made them both tremble, and the intensity between them grew with each moment. Y/N clung to him, her fingers clawed into his back and her nails left marks that elicited a harsh gasp from him. 

"Tim..." she moaned breathlessly, her body completely at his mercy and she surrendered to him more with every thrust. The heat between them was overwhelming, their bodies sliding against each other, covered in sweat and completely in sync.

His grip on her hips tightened as he pulled her against him, his every movement more intense, more urgent. His mouth found her neck again, leaving hot, demanding kisses as his breath beat erratically against her skin. 

"You feel so incredible," he murmured hoarsely, almost like a confession, his voice drenched with lust and tenderness in equal measure. 

Y/N could only produce a moaning "Yes... please... more" as the ecstasy overtook her. She felt him thrusting deeper and deeper into her, each contact causing her body to quiver and the flames of passion to blaze even higher. 

His rhythm became more relentless and the sounds of their shared lust filled the confined space of the elevator. There was only the two of them, only the insatiable desire that bound them together and the fading boundary between body and mind.

Tim pulled a hand away from her hip, his grip warm and firm, and let it slide between their bodies. His fingers found her clitoris unerringly, and he began to stroke the sensitive bundle of nerves in rhythmic circles, perfectly timed to the deep thrusts of his body into hers. 

Y/N's head fell against the wall of the elevator, her lips opening in a soundless gasp before a breathless moan rolled over her. The double stimulation was overwhelming, each touch of his fingers and each thrust of his body bringing her closer to the edge of utter ecstasy. 

"Oh God, Tim...!" Her voice was rough and trembling, full of desire as her hands slid over his shoulders, pulling him towards her as if she couldn't get enough of him. 

He moaned softly, his voice low and vibrating with lust as he pressed himself even harder into her, moving his fingers faster over her clitoris, touching her with a passion that left no doubt as to how much he desired her.

"You're so perfect," he murmured against her neck, his lips and teeth playing with her sensitive skin as he brought her closer to the abyss with each thrust and touch. 

Y/N's body began to shake uncontrollably, and she felt the tension inside her become unbearable. Her muscles contracted tightly around him and her head fell back as she climaxed, a loud, pleasurable scream filling the confined space. 

Tim followed shortly after, his movements becoming even more intense before he sank deep into her one last time and found his own climax. His lips found hers, a kiss that was both an affirmation and a promise, while their bodies still quivered, united in the lingering warmth of their passion.

"I love you," he whispered softly, his voice full of warmth and tenderness.

"I love you too," she replied just as softly, her eyes shining with sincere emotion as they rested in his arms, trying to calm their breathing again.  "But we have to work on it."

"I'll do anything as long as I have you," he said softly, his words a promise. He kissed her again, a tender, loving kiss that expressed all the unexplored feelings between them.

Suddenly the elevator jerked, started moving, and Tim slowly pulled out of her, setting her down gently as they both hurriedly scrambled for their clothes. Y/N stepped towards him, a small, loving smile on her lips as she gently stroked the hair from his forehead. The closeness they shared was still palpable when the elevator doors opened. At the same moment, their lips met again, a final kiss that captured all the unspoken feelings.

"I think the divorce is off now?" Angela's voice suddenly rang out, and no one had to look at her to hear the mischievous grin in her voice.

"What divorce?" asked Tim with a playful smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement and a hint of nervousness.

Y/N looked to Angela, who was standing next to the elevator with Bailey. It was obvious that they had come because of the unusual stopping of the elevator. 

"There will be no divorce," Y/N said with a slight smile, patting Tim's chest affectionately.

[sandwichsapphic]

the letterboxd top fours of select jeeves and wooster characters

these are just my choices for laughs!!

bertie:

Clue (1985), Charade (1963), The Birdcage (1996), and My Man Godfrey (1936)

jeeves:

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), La Belle et La Bête (1946), Roman Holiday (1953), and The Lion in Winter (1968)

dahlia:

The Death of Stalin (2017), Knives Out (2019), Adam’s Rib (1949), and His Girl Friday (1940)

bingo little:

The Ex-Mrs Bradford (1938), Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Pretty Woman (1990), and National Velvet (1944)

stiffy byng:

Paper Moon (1973), Gone Girl (2014), Pearl (2022), and How To Steal a Million (1966)

madeline bassett:

La La Land (2016), Enchanted (2007), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and Sabrina (1954)

[sweetcarolinejane]

Lucy dashed outside.

“Tim!”

He turned. “Lucy?! What’s—”

“No time,” she hissed, grabbing his arm. “I need you to pretend to be my fiancé. Just for ten minutes.”

He blinked. “What?”

“She won’t design my dream dress unless she meets both of us.  Mike’s apparently not coming. Long story. Please, Tim. I’m begging you.”

Tim took one look at her panicked face — flushed cheeks, frantic eyes, fingers twitching at her side — and sighed. “Lead the way, future Mrs. Bradford.”

Lucy grinned, “it’s actually Mrs.Stewart. You’re Mike for right now.” She pulled him into the bridal salon before he could protest.

. . . . . .

With Angela and Wesley officially on Team Ayla, the operation to reunite Tim and Lucy kicks into high gear. A fake wedding dress appointment. A mysteriously missing phone. And one very real moment between exes pretending to be in love. Will Ayla’s plan bring them closer—or expose everything they’ve been hiding?" Read the latest chapter HERE

[citizenscreen]

Eric Blore and Jean Arthur in THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD (1936), directed by Stephen Roberts

[mintywolf]

A Long Road Home - Author Notes

Page 34

This is not The Incident but it’s kind of a precursor to it. Nothing bad happens here, but throughout the festival Laudna has been steadily making herself more visible to the rest of Gelvaan than is probably safe. Next time Imogen has to step in to defend her, the stakes are going to be higher.

Overalls Tabaxi Boy now has a family! Here’s his mom and, if you look closely by the doughnut stand, a younger sibling. The straw hat and bonnet people in the foreground were seen back on page 3, with no other distinguishing features then either, haha.

For a long time Dolores Garrod’s entire role and identity in the story was just “Angry Parent” and she appears throughout the outline by no other name. From there she developed briefly into “head of the school board” for some reason (??) until finally I landed on the much more logical “ex-sheriff.” I don’t even remember the reason for the school board thing or why it would matter if the school board wants to run Laudna out of town. XD I just looked back through my notes and found it. I guess it was the whole “think of the children” motivation for her actions but that makes just as much sense coming from a cop who also has a kid. I do, however, remember that her last name was supposed to be Bradford, but then Laudna’s family name turned out to be Bradbury and then episode 48 gave us some actual Gelvaan citizen names so I chose one of those that would give her some weight in town. (I picked “Bradford” out of pettiness, it was the online pseudonym of a bully I knew.)

The boneclaw having visible, totally normal shoes under his costume was inspired by an ancient Egypt themed haunted house I saw once where one of the mummies was played by a bored teen sitting up high in the scenery and whose job was apparently just to sit there and look spooky. The effect was somewhat diminished by his visible and extremely bright white sneakers. ;) Laudna likes to take inspiration from other spooky things she sees so she’s enjoying the long fingers on Mr. Claw here. (Incidentally my DnD party encountered one of these recently. They also have very long arms but that was probably out of the Gelvaan festival budget.)

(Also, the noise a skull makes being "raahh" is an extremely dorky reference to this bit from one of my favorite MST3k episodes. :D)

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

The Princess Comes Across

From her first closeup in William K. Howard’s THE PRINCESS COMES ACROSS (1936, Criterion Channel, Apple TV), Carole Lombard has her Greta Garbo impression down pat. It’s not just the slightly cheesy Swedish accent. She even holds the camera and moves like Garbo. Her comic moments are funny without going for cheap laughs, and her serious moments play beautifully. The only problem is that there isn’t nearly enough of her, despite the fact she’s the top-billed star.

Lombard is a chorus girl left broke in London, so she joins forces with faded actress Alison Skipworth to pass herself off as a Swedish princess, which lands her a film contract in Hollywood. She’s sailing there on a luxury liner, where’s she’s courted by big band leader Fred MacMurray but also accosted by blackmailer Porter Hall. When Hall turns up dead in her cabin, MacMurray tries to keep her out of it, and that’s when the film goes off the rails. He does his job a little too well, turning the delightful comic subject into an object. At one point, Lombard says she’s going after a ring she had given the dead blackmailer, and then the film cuts to other people investigating the crime and forgets she was going to do some investigating on her own.

There’s enough material in Lombard’s imposture and her growing affection for MacMurray to fill an entire film, and as long as that’s all that’s going on the picture is a delight. It could even have worked had they bumbled through solving the crime together, like William Powell and Myrna Loy in the Thin Man series or Powell and Jean Arthur in the same year’s THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD (1936). Instead, Lombard is inexplicably put on the back burner. Even MacMurray is forgotten for a while as five police detectives (including a funny Sig Rumann) investigate the case. It’s not that the mystery scenes are a drag, there’s even a clever twist at the end, but they seem to be from another picture. Cinematographer Ted Tetzlaff even goes for high contrast lighting and deep shadows that make you wonder if he were trying to invent film noir. Yet his comic scenes have a grace to them, particularly a long tracking shot as MacMurray entertains the passengers with a song about his concertina (and that’s really him singing).

Skipworth is a delight as usual and gets some of the film’s best lines. She derides MacMurray’s concertina playing by calling it “very vulgar. A definite symbol of the lower classes. Put the thing on the floor and it crawls” (There are four credited and two uncredited writers, and I’d like to think that little gem came from J.B. Priestley). She even gets the film’s last line, just to remind us it’s supposed to be a comedy. William Frawley is also on hand as MacMurray’s manager, though their sharing a stateroom and his turning up later in a beret might make you wonder if there isn’t a little more going on between them. I mean, they would end up as co-parents three decades later. The film also features Douglas Dumbrille, George Barbier, Lumsden Hare, Mischa Auer (whose entire characterization seems to be that he chain smokes) and George Chandler. Milburn Stone is also there, but who could recognize him that young?

[brintesh]

Part 6 of watching 1001 films between the years 1920 through 1979.

51. Daughters Courageous (1939)

52. The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936)

53. The Rose Tattoo(1955)

54. Funny Lady (1975)

55. The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

56. Four Wives (1939)

57. Quality Street (1937)

58. Spitfire (1934)

59. The Little Minister (1934)

60. Mary of Scotland (1936)

[starjumpingpanda]

You know what's been bugging me?

Lucy said to Tim that her and Chris "never fight"

Before Tim arranged for Chris to be Lucy's date at the Double Date of Infamy, Lucy and Chris weren't quite so friendly.

Either they got together and it was all puppies and rainbows because fighting wasn't worth the effort, or Chris really is evil and he was trying to be the perfect boyfriend...

[jean-arthur]

Jean Arthur and William Powell photographed for The Ex-Mrs. Bradford, 1936.

[chantalstacys]

Old movies for bookish, nerdy girls that already need a break from studying? 😓

here are a bunch of movies i like that give me bookish, rainy, cozy, watch at midnight vibes~

♡ the big sleep (1946)

♡ the maltese falcon (1941)

♡ laura (1944)

♡ mildred pierce (1945)

♡ notorious (1946)

♡ out of the past (1947)

♡ it's love i'm after (1937)

♡ old acquaintance (1943)

♡ the ex-mrs. bradford (1936)

♡ star of midnight (1935)

♡ ball of fire (1941)

♡ funny face (1957)

♡ twentieth century (1934)

♡ camille (1936)

♡ rebecca (1940)

♡ all about eve (1950)

♡ a letter to three wives (1949)

♡ the last time i saw paris (1954)

♡ leave her to heaven (1945)

♡ grand hotel (1932)

♡ the bad and the beautiful (1952)

♡ peyton place (1957)

♡ who's afraid of virginia woolf? (1966)

♡ dead poets society (1989)

enjoy your break!!!

[incorrectlooneytunesquotes]

Wile E.: Oh well, you know, "Great minds..."

Bugs: No, I don't know any great minds.

[nostalgiepourmoi]

William Powell in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford, 1936 [3/3]

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2019) - #54: The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936) - dir. Stephen Roberts

Unless your standards are unreasonably low, you need not bother with watching RKO’s comedic whodunit The Ex-Mrs. Bradford. Like a number of other films from the 1930s that attempted to cash in on the popularity of the Thin Man franchise, Bradford focuses on a well-to-do couple who work together to solve a string of perplexing homicides. Here, the pair are portrayed by William Powell and Jean Arthur, while their friends and enemies are played by James Gleason, Eric Blore, Robert Armstrong, Lila Lee, Grant Mitchell, Erin O’Brien-Moore, Ralph Morgan, Lucile Gleason, Johnny Arthur, Spencer Charters, Frankie Darro, Paul Fix and Al St. John. The cast alone may be enough to convince you to give the film a chance, but its totally nonsensical plot and often flat humor are shortcomings that are difficult to overlook.

[nostalgic-solitude7]

The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (Stephen Roberts,1936)