One of Joan Crawford's best early career films, running fast and furious. Directed by Harry Beaumont, popular director for MGM, especially in the 1920s, who directed Crawford in OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS, a famous silent film, which actually was a musical!
The movie is historical, from two vantage points. First, it has a sobering Depression era slant which finds rich kids Bonnie (Crawford) and her brother Rodney (popular actor William Bakewell) wiped out in the stock market crash, forcing them to get jobs.
Second, there's a connection to the grisly St. Valentines Day Massacre, pretty dramatic material woven into this story.
Bonnie has the good fortune to land a job as a cub reporter on a newspaper, while Rodney goes the other route and gets mixed up with illegal beer baron Jake Luva (played to the hilt by Clark Gable, in a very early role). Gable is not too nice of a guy, arranging a bloody shootout similar to the St. Valentines Day incident, and ordering the murder of Bonnie's reporter friend Bert, played by Cliff Edwards. Edwards later became quite famous as the voice of many Disney characters, such as Jiminy Cricket, and sang "When You Wish upon A Star."
This is one of those films that gets going and doesn't stop, Crawford and Gable so much fun to watch. A noteworthy supporting cast with Natalie Moorehead as Della and beautiful Joan Marsh as Sylvia, Marsh was a stunning look-a-like to Jean Harlow in the 30s. Also Purnell Pratt (as Parker), cast in numerous classic films of the 30s, either as businessmen or detectives. See if you can spot young Ann Dvorak as a chorus girl.
Everything clicks, and incidentally, co-written by Crawford herself, who also co-wrote her next film with Gable, DANCING LADY. Reportedly, the Hays Office was very concerned about the Pre-Code scene that found Crawford and her gal pals in their underwear!
Always on dvd and remastered blu ray. Thanks again to TCM for showing this film great.
The movie is historical, from two vantage points. First, it has a sobering Depression era slant which finds rich kids Bonnie (Crawford) and her brother Rodney (popular actor William Bakewell) wiped out in the stock market crash, forcing them to get jobs.
Second, there's a connection to the grisly St. Valentines Day Massacre, pretty dramatic material woven into this story.
Bonnie has the good fortune to land a job as a cub reporter on a newspaper, while Rodney goes the other route and gets mixed up with illegal beer baron Jake Luva (played to the hilt by Clark Gable, in a very early role). Gable is not too nice of a guy, arranging a bloody shootout similar to the St. Valentines Day incident, and ordering the murder of Bonnie's reporter friend Bert, played by Cliff Edwards. Edwards later became quite famous as the voice of many Disney characters, such as Jiminy Cricket, and sang "When You Wish upon A Star."
This is one of those films that gets going and doesn't stop, Crawford and Gable so much fun to watch. A noteworthy supporting cast with Natalie Moorehead as Della and beautiful Joan Marsh as Sylvia, Marsh was a stunning look-a-like to Jean Harlow in the 30s. Also Purnell Pratt (as Parker), cast in numerous classic films of the 30s, either as businessmen or detectives. See if you can spot young Ann Dvorak as a chorus girl.
Everything clicks, and incidentally, co-written by Crawford herself, who also co-wrote her next film with Gable, DANCING LADY. Reportedly, the Hays Office was very concerned about the Pre-Code scene that found Crawford and her gal pals in their underwear!
Always on dvd and remastered blu ray. Thanks again to TCM for showing this film great.