There's a certain point of time in the very early 1930s that marks the difference (for me) between modern film-making, and the creaky, clumsy early talkies. It varies from project to project and studio to studio. I just couldn't quite make myself watch Columbia's/Stanqyck's 1931 pic "Ten Cents A Dance", which seemed way too dated, but I enjoyed this Columbia/Stanwyck pic made just a year later. It seemed more modern.
Here, a waitress falls in love with a wealthy son of a domineering mother Stanwyck and Regis Toomey, while the mother is played by Clara Blandick (Auntie Em in "The Wizard Of Oz"). Mother uses an overblown heart condition to break up the young couple. When that fails, a powerful friend of the mother has Stanwyck jailed on a bogus morals charge. But Stanwyck is strengthened by adversity and becomes a successful showgirl. Will Stanwyck and Toomey reunite? There are some interesting twists here.
Stanwyck is very, very good here. My respect for her as an actress has grown substantially as TCM has been highlighting some of her early films. We have forgotten what a formidable actress she was. Regis Toomey was...interesting here. Very pleasant, but just a tad stiff...you can see why he never became a top draw, but I rather enjoyed him here.
There are a few spots where the direction of the film came up short, the omost obvious being the scene where the then successful actress tells Toomey off. It just doesn't fit the situation, although handled differently it might have. And the ending is all to quick, with the mother suddenly relenting and blessing the marriage...right after she was about to murder Stanwyck and/or commit suicide. But that's the way some of these old films are, and at least this one mostly handles the story pretty well.
It's worth mentioning character actress Zazu Pitts here. Unfortunately, in her later years (and I do remember her in the 1950s), Zazu Pitts became a bit of a caricature of herself. But here, not that long after being an actress in silent films, she was still entertaining, and not over the top.
You can enjoy this film if you like older flicks, although it probably won't end up on your DVD shelf.
Here, a waitress falls in love with a wealthy son of a domineering mother Stanwyck and Regis Toomey, while the mother is played by Clara Blandick (Auntie Em in "The Wizard Of Oz"). Mother uses an overblown heart condition to break up the young couple. When that fails, a powerful friend of the mother has Stanwyck jailed on a bogus morals charge. But Stanwyck is strengthened by adversity and becomes a successful showgirl. Will Stanwyck and Toomey reunite? There are some interesting twists here.
Stanwyck is very, very good here. My respect for her as an actress has grown substantially as TCM has been highlighting some of her early films. We have forgotten what a formidable actress she was. Regis Toomey was...interesting here. Very pleasant, but just a tad stiff...you can see why he never became a top draw, but I rather enjoyed him here.
There are a few spots where the direction of the film came up short, the omost obvious being the scene where the then successful actress tells Toomey off. It just doesn't fit the situation, although handled differently it might have. And the ending is all to quick, with the mother suddenly relenting and blessing the marriage...right after she was about to murder Stanwyck and/or commit suicide. But that's the way some of these old films are, and at least this one mostly handles the story pretty well.
It's worth mentioning character actress Zazu Pitts here. Unfortunately, in her later years (and I do remember her in the 1950s), Zazu Pitts became a bit of a caricature of herself. But here, not that long after being an actress in silent films, she was still entertaining, and not over the top.
You can enjoy this film if you like older flicks, although it probably won't end up on your DVD shelf.
