Dorothy Marries a Steel Boss

When steel magnate Arthur Parker (Robert McWade) brings his steel boss to his home for dinner, his wife, Henrietta (Florence Roberts) is insulted, and his daugher, Dorothea (Dorothy Mackaill) is amused; both expect an unkempt worker who will slurp his soup. But Dot is rapidly converted when she meets Richard Brunton (Joel McCrea); she almost immediately decides to marry him. But there is a problem; Dick is poor and is decidedly opposed to Kept Husbands (1931).

This is not a great movie, but it has some nice moments, thanks to its strong cast. Dorothy Mackaill does a good job of portraying a selfish, greedy brat of a girl, who is more interested in her own satisfaction than in the needs of anyone else, including her husband. There are times that it is hard to believe that Dot truly loves Dick, though Ms. Mackaill makes it quite clear that Dot is definitely in lust for the hunky steel boss. She plays Dot as thoroughly spoiled, and quite used to getting her own way by any means possible. Watching Ms. Mackaill summon up phony tears to play on Mr. McCrea's emotions is a pleasure; her delivery is perfect. Also amusing is the wedding night scene (remember, this is a pre-code film!)

Joel McCrea is excellent as Dick. He's a man with ambitions, who knows that wealth comes from being productive, and he is willing to pay his dues to reach the top. He genuinely loves Dot, but is thrown by the contradictions of this woman who claims to love him, but is unwilling to let him be anything but her lapdog. It's interesting that Dot falls in love with a man much like her father (who states that he is "the only one in this family that works") but then tries to change that husband into a layabout. When the final confrontation happens, you want him to stand his ground. We favorably compared Dick to Gene Raymond's character in The Bride Walks Out - Dot's wealth is not the sticking point. It is her insistence that he abrogate his career and dreams, and become a parasite on her and her father that is the issue. (We would argue with this TCM article that the film is less about taking down the heiress than showing that hard work is important, whether you are wealthy or not).

There are several noteworthy supporting actors in this film. Ned Sparks as Hughie is amusing at times, but after a while becomes an annoyance.  We liked Mary Carr as Dick's mother, Mrs. Brunton. She's sweet (though by the end, she is a bit too oblivious to what is going on with her son and daughter-in-law). Ms. Carr had a lengthy career during the silent era (unfortunately, many of those films are currently lost). She worked from the beginning of sound (1928) through 1956 (when she played a Quaker woman in Friendly Persuasion). Five of her children with silent film director William Carr went on to show business careers (son Thomas was a prolific film and television director). When Ms. Carr found herself nearly destitute after silent films ended, her friends in the film industry found her jobs. She died at the age of 99, in 1973.

Clara Kimball Young  (Mrs. Lucille Post) returned to film after a six-year absence with this, her first talkie (AFI catalog). She had her own company during the silent era (Women Film Pioneers Project), though there was involvement on the part of her husband, James Young, and her lovers Lewis J. Selznick and Harrry A. Garson (her eventual ex-husband would attack Mr. Garson with a knife in 1917). After this film, she primarily appeared in westerns, and in 1956, she was a correspondent for the Johnny Carson's first television show. She died in 1960, at the age of 70.

In the end, we did enjoy this film. It's not the best film that either Joel McCrea or Dorothy Mackaill ever made, but it's interesting - with the caveat that you may want to throttle Dot or her mother at various points in your viewing. At 70 minutes, it's worth a look if you are interested in pre-code films or in seeing silent stars like Clara Kimball Young and Mary Carr. (By the way, it lapsed into the Public Domain and is available for viewing on the Internet Archive).