Week End Husbands

William Randall becomes a bootlegger to provide his wife with the luxuries she demands. As a consequence, he is free only on weekends while Barbara is influenced by a jazz set and spends most of her time at fashionable resorts. Although Barbara remains faithful to her husband, she goes canoeing with another man and nearly drowns when their canoe is hit by a yacht. Gossipers at the resort convince William that Barbara was cheating and he should leave her. She goes to Paris, France, while Federal agents arrest Randall and release him under bail. Meanwhile Barbara, left alone, sends for her husband, who, instead of replying, catches the first plane to Paris. Barbara has already taken poison, but she recovers when Randall arrives and they return to America together.

Directed by Edward H. Griffith, Week End Husbands leans on a strong ensemble — Holmes Herbert, Alma Rubens, Montagu Love — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1924.