Post by rmichaelpyle on Jan 9, 2012 10:48:35 GMT -6
Last night I watched one of the single most bizarre films made in the 30's, "Smarty" (1934), with Joan Blondell, Warren William, Edward Everett Horton, Claire Dodd, and Frank McHugh. Exactly what the point of the film is is never made really clear. What emerges, however, is the fact that, yes, as Claire Dodd says at some point, Joan Blondell's character is "aggravating" - to the point that people hit her! And her husband, played by Warren William, does exactly that! He hits her in a scene at a bridge game, so nastily that she winds up getting a divorce. And her lawyer friend who was at the bridge game where the occurance happened - Edward Everett Horton - takes the case, admits that he loves Joan Blondell meanwhile - and then proceeds to marry her. But he also proceeds to find out that she wants to be around Warren William anyway, that she is a liar, and that she IS aggravating - only to the point that he wants to HIT her - and he does! Meanwhile, she now wants to divorce Horton and get back together with William - but only if he'll promise to - YIKES - HIT HER!!!!! The End
I'm not making this up. S & M in 1934. This was possibly supposed to be comedy, but I didn't quite see 'humor' in this at all.
Margaret and I were not amused. Indeed, I still wonder who the heck devised this thing and why? Why did Warren William let himself do this? Why did Blondell lower herself to such behavior? I will say this - I've never seen Blondell do such a change of pace in her acting. She obviously had talent to let this kind of character take her over and let her portray it. Indeed, I think she was possessed of the devil. The devil made her do it. Correct that: made all of them do it! I may be serious...
I'm not making this up. S & M in 1934. This was possibly supposed to be comedy, but I didn't quite see 'humor' in this at all.
Margaret and I were not amused. Indeed, I still wonder who the heck devised this thing and why? Why did Warren William let himself do this? Why did Blondell lower herself to such behavior? I will say this - I've never seen Blondell do such a change of pace in her acting. She obviously had talent to let this kind of character take her over and let her portray it. Indeed, I think she was possessed of the devil. The devil made her do it. Correct that: made all of them do it! I may be serious...