Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume Three
Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume Three
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Other Men’s Women (1931) – is a fairly simple and straightforward drama – a love triangle involving Grant Withers Mary Astor and Regis Toomey – but there’s something about it probably its train action sequences and some energetic acting which makes it appealing and interesting enough entertainment to want to watch it through to the end. That it was directed by William A. Wellman probably made a difference; its humdrum story was written by Maude Fulton. Withers plays Bill White long time friend of Jack Kulper (Toomey) and wife Lily (Astor). Both men work for the railroad as engineers; Jack is senior and more settled than the younger Bill who’s somewhat of a loner that likes to have a good time and drinks. He’d totally forgotten that he’d promised to marry rail-side diner waitress Marie (Joan Blondell) who’s naturally upset. But Jack sobers up his friend and invites him to come spend some time with him and Lily. The three have a lot of fun together as if Bill was Jack’s little brother until Jack and Lily share an innocent kiss that turns both their heads. The film’s most genuine scene involves the two discussing what to do next as Bill clumsily makes Lily feel like a tramp such that he runs away leaving her in tears and the returning Jack to guess what’s happened. But the two men have to work together on their next roundtrip and the truth inevitably comes out which leads to a struggle with an unfortunate result; this leads to more (predictable self-sacrificing) dramatics and the aforementioned action scenes. There are several other colorful characters in the cast including a ‘dancing’ James Cagney as another train engineer friend J. Farrell MacDonald as Peg-Leg and Walter Long as railroad man ‘Roundhouse’ Bixby.
The Purchase Price (1932) – is a period drama starring Barbara Stanwyck George Brent and Lyle Talbot that was directed by William A. Wellman and written by Robert Lord from Arthur Stringer’s story "The Mud Lark". Stanwyck plays Joan Gordon a torch singer in New York whose pre-marital relations with a racketeer named Eddie Fields (Talbot) ruins her dream of marrying into a wealthy society family. To get away from it all Joan takes a train to Montreal and changes her name but resumes the same kind of work until one of Eddie’s goons finds her. To escape she pays a homely hotel maid (Leila Bennett) $100 i.e. the purchase price which lets Joan take the maid’s place to become the mail order bride of South Dakota farmer Jim Gilson (Brent); the fact that the maid had borrowed Joan’s picture during the process makes it work all the better. However things don’t go so well at first – Joan is put off by Jim’s crude approach on their wedding night – but (incredulously) she falls in love with him anyway and spends her time trying to convince Jim to give her another chance. Jim’s dire financial situation nearly causes him to ‘give’ Joan to a lecherous wealthy farmer (David Landau) that wants her. Then an unexpected visit by Eddie who wants Joan back enables her to obtain the $800 (another “purchase price”) that Jim needs to plant his seed (double entendre intended). The little girl whose mother Joan helps with a new baby is played by Anne Shirley appearing uncredited.
Frisco Jenny (1932) – is essentially another Madame X (1929) vehicle for leading lady Ruth Chatterton with one minor twist: her self-sacrificing mother character in this one ends up being prosecuted (not defended) by her unawares son played by Donald Cook. It was directed by William A. Wellman and its screenplay was written by Wilson Mizner & Robert Lord (One Way Passage (1932)) from the story by Gerald Beaumont Lillie Hayward and John Francis Larkin. Chatterton in the title role grows up on the pre-1906 earthquake Barbary Coast as the daughter of corrupt casino owner Jim Sandoval (played by Robert Emmett O’Connor) who refuses to let her marry the piano player (James Murray) that’s gotten her pregnant. After both men are killed in the quake she continues in the only way she knows how – running a prostitution ring – in order to keep her baby. But an incident involving a friend – a prominent up-and-coming lawyer Steve Dutton (Louis Calhern) who accidently kills a gambler (uncredited J. Carrol Naish) in a dispute – forces her to give up her son to a wealthy judge (Berton Churchill also uncredited) and his wife. She and Dutton continue as partners in crime bootleggers (Harold Huber plays an accomplice) that bribe the law until Jenny’s son Dan grows up to be District Attorney Dan Reynolds who vows to end their corruption. To save his own neck Dutton threatens to tell Reynolds the truth about Jenny who kills her partner and faces the death penalty after being prosecuted by her own son. Helen Jerome Eddy plays Jenny’s loyal servant and friend; Robert Warwick appears uncredited as Dutton’s promoter.
Midnight Mary (1933) – full review!
Heroes for Sale (1933) – though its title is rather curious this Depression era drama featuring Richard Barthelmess Aline MacMahon and Loretta Young (among others) is worth a look. Directed by William A. Wellman and written by Robert Lord & Wilson Mizner it’s an oddly uplifting story about self-sacrifice during the worst of times. Barthelmess plays Tom Holmes who has every right to be bitter in the face of many hardships that come his way yet he remains hopeful and optimistic for our country despite such dire circumstances. Injured and thought dead while performing a heroic act during World War I Tom is given morphine by his captors out of compassion for his pain; unfortunately he becomes addicted. A cowardly peer (Gordon Westcott) who’d gotten credit for Tom’s heroism in the war tries to cover for suffering Tom at his father’s (Berton Churchill) bank. But Tom is fired and committed to an asylum to break his addiction. After his release Tom finds solace and friendship at a café and flop house run by Mary Dennis (MacMahon) and her Pa (Charley Grapewin). There he meets his future wife Ruth (Young) who helps him get a job at a laundry run by George Gibson (Grant Mitchell). Robert Barrat plays Max Brinker a kind of nutty communist come capitalist neighbor of theirs that invents a cleaning machine; Tom convinces Mr. Gibson to use it in order to make things easier for his employees. However when Gibson dies Tom and his co-workers are deemed unnecessary put out of work by the machines. A riot ensues – during which Ruth is killed – and even though Tom tried to prevent it he’s jailed for 5 years. When Brinker visits Tom in prison to tell him that the laundry machine invention – which they co-own – is making them both rich Tom says he wants nothing to do with it; Brinker banks the money for Tom anyway. After noticing how bad the economy has gotten when he gets out of jail Tom donates all of funds in his bank account ($53000 approximately $821000 in today’s dollars!) to Mary – who’s been taking care of Tom & Ruth’s 10 year old son – so that she and her Pa can (continue to) feed the hungry. Forced out of town by government officials that think he’s a Red Tom joins the masses of unwanted forgotten men walking from city to city looking for jobs.
Wild Boys of the Road (1933) – directed by William A. Wellman with a screenplay written by Earl Baldwin from Daniel Ahearn’s "Desperate Youth" story this gritty drama which effectively captures some issues from the 1930’s Depression features Frankie Darro as Eddie Smith and Edwin Phillips as Tommy Gordon – two fun-loving yet earnest teens who leave their respective homes to keep from being a burden to their unemployed parents. Eddie’s dad is played by Grant Mitchell and Rochelle Hudson appears briefly as his fiancée. On the road they befriend others who have left their homes that are riding the rails – including Sally (played by the director’s step daughter Dorothy Coonan) and Ollie (Sterling Holloway) – in hopes of finding a place to live with a distant relative or a job in a big city. Out-of-work adults and railroad dicks hired to keep them off the trains aren’t too happy about this growing transient population. Tommy’s leg is injured and has to be amputated by a sympathetic doctor (Arthur Hohl) so the boys build a shanty town in uninstalled sewer pipes at the rail yard to settle down before police tired of their panhandling and theft drive them off. Eddie Tommy and Sally make their way to New York where more trouble ensues before a judge-father (Robert Barrat) takes pity on them. Charley Grapewin and Ward Bond who plays a brakeman that rapes Ann Hovey’s Lola another runaway are among many who appear uncredited. Added to the National Film Registry in 2013.
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