I have been a Hollywood guinea pig for a long time now, and while I'm sure they've programmed me to some degree, they will never get me to accept their idea of romance. Their idea that love is all that matters will always remain foreign to me. So, if a guy has a mistress, it doesn't matter so long as they love each other. Heck, if he has a dozen mistresses, it doesn't matter so long as he loves them and they all love him and are willing to be shoved to the back of his closet until he visits them. Such was the theme of quite a few pre-code romances.
That's the message of "Back Street."
Ray Schmidt (Irene Dunne) was a playful flirtatious girl in pre-prohibition Cincinnati who would dance with the traveling salesmen, but give her heart to none; until Walter Saxel (John Boles) arrived. He swept her off her feet, BUT... DUN DUN DUNNNN! He was engaged.
Say it ain't so! I did not see that coming.
What do you know, a guy sweeps into town, sweeps a girl off her feet, and he's already engaged (see "They Call it Sin" 1932). And just like "They Call it Sin" he went to New York and so did the girl. Also like "They Call it Sin" Walter was depicted as the good guy, the hopeless romantic, the man in love, and not the POS he really was.
Walter got married and he kept up a relationship with Ray while he was married. And the one time Ray made up her mind to cut it off Walter sweet talked her into remaining his mistress. After all, they did love each other, and what's more important than that.
Twenty-five years passed and Ray dutifully remained in the shadows the entire time not daring to interrupt Walter's pristine public life (see "Forbidden" (1932)). Everyone knew about her except Walter's wife. Apparently, he gamed her so well she'd never think anything ill of her husband.
Eventually Walter's son Richard (William Bakewell) confronted the two of them. He called them every allowable name for that era (he called them rotten and contemptible).
Do you think that stopped Walter and Ray? Nope. In fact, Walter told Ray that he would give up "everything" for her, even his own life. And that's when I knew the script writer was punking me.
You expect me to believe that he'd give up his wife, his family, and his reputation for Ray now!? He's kept her hiding for twenty-five years in order to protect himself from losing those very things and NOW he'd give them all up for her?!
GTFOH.
Once a player always a player. Dude was still running game to Ray even though they were both old. "Walter, my man. You've got her already. You don't need to lie anymore."
And one of Hollywood's dirty tricks they play when they want the audience to feel unencumbered by their own sense of right and wrong is that they keep the other woman hidden. So long as we never see Walter's wife Corinne (Doris Lloyd) we don't have to concern ourselves with the other woman who may be devastated by all this.
No, this was all about poor Walter who had to keep up this charade and poor poor Ray who couldn't help but love this man and as a result had to live a servant's life making herself available whenever Walter could visit her and having no family of her own. I suppose our hearts were supposed to bleed for her, except I had no f's to give. You made your bed now lie in it.
"Back Street" was such bile. They mixed perfume with it as though it would make it less noxious. This was a perfect movie for a man to take his mistress to so they could see a movie about them, but definitely don't take the wife.
Free on YouTube.
That's the message of "Back Street."
Ray Schmidt (Irene Dunne) was a playful flirtatious girl in pre-prohibition Cincinnati who would dance with the traveling salesmen, but give her heart to none; until Walter Saxel (John Boles) arrived. He swept her off her feet, BUT... DUN DUN DUNNNN! He was engaged.
Say it ain't so! I did not see that coming.
What do you know, a guy sweeps into town, sweeps a girl off her feet, and he's already engaged (see "They Call it Sin" 1932). And just like "They Call it Sin" he went to New York and so did the girl. Also like "They Call it Sin" Walter was depicted as the good guy, the hopeless romantic, the man in love, and not the POS he really was.
Walter got married and he kept up a relationship with Ray while he was married. And the one time Ray made up her mind to cut it off Walter sweet talked her into remaining his mistress. After all, they did love each other, and what's more important than that.
Twenty-five years passed and Ray dutifully remained in the shadows the entire time not daring to interrupt Walter's pristine public life (see "Forbidden" (1932)). Everyone knew about her except Walter's wife. Apparently, he gamed her so well she'd never think anything ill of her husband.
Eventually Walter's son Richard (William Bakewell) confronted the two of them. He called them every allowable name for that era (he called them rotten and contemptible).
Do you think that stopped Walter and Ray? Nope. In fact, Walter told Ray that he would give up "everything" for her, even his own life. And that's when I knew the script writer was punking me.
You expect me to believe that he'd give up his wife, his family, and his reputation for Ray now!? He's kept her hiding for twenty-five years in order to protect himself from losing those very things and NOW he'd give them all up for her?!
GTFOH.
Once a player always a player. Dude was still running game to Ray even though they were both old. "Walter, my man. You've got her already. You don't need to lie anymore."
And one of Hollywood's dirty tricks they play when they want the audience to feel unencumbered by their own sense of right and wrong is that they keep the other woman hidden. So long as we never see Walter's wife Corinne (Doris Lloyd) we don't have to concern ourselves with the other woman who may be devastated by all this.
No, this was all about poor Walter who had to keep up this charade and poor poor Ray who couldn't help but love this man and as a result had to live a servant's life making herself available whenever Walter could visit her and having no family of her own. I suppose our hearts were supposed to bleed for her, except I had no f's to give. You made your bed now lie in it.
"Back Street" was such bile. They mixed perfume with it as though it would make it less noxious. This was a perfect movie for a man to take his mistress to so they could see a movie about them, but definitely don't take the wife.
Free on YouTube.