Welcome to our contribution to the CMBA 2018 Fall Blogathon: Outlaws. As always, we'll begin with a short synopsis of the film. Baroness Teri (Kay Francis) lives to shop. Her husband, Baron Franz von Hohenfels (Henry Kolker) indulges her with expensive jewels and clothing, but other than that he is completely inattentive. The Baroness' lovers also prove to be bores, so all that is left is looking for ever more expensive gems. When she visits a local store to buy yet another impressive ring, she finds herself in the middle of a Jewel Robbery (1932).
Though the plot is slight, this is a witty and engaging film. From the moment we meet Teri, we are intrigued. Ms. Francis creates a funny, wry character who is sexy and adorable. We first meet her in a bubble bath, where she is playing with the bubbles and the soap. When the soap goes flying from the tub, we experience a moment in which we believe she is really going to pop out of the bath. The film is pre-code with a vengeance! And while it is very dialogue driven, that's not really a bad thing, since the script is so sharp, you want to hear every word.
Sharing the screen with her in their their fifth (of seven) films together (TCM article) is the always-entertaining William Powell. The unnamed Robber is gentile and courteous. Like Teri, he too lives to shop - but he'd rather do it without money. Together, their repartee is engaging and quite suggestive (like I said, this is very much a pre-code film).
Teri and the Robber participate in a subtle mating dance from the moment they meet. We, the audience, have the pleasure of watching them verbally duel. And with William Powell as the sparring partner, the audience is in store for a battle of wits. The Robber's sophistication and wealth are apparent. The dialogue slips from his mouth like pearls - each line is delivered in such as way as to leave no doubt as to The Robber's attitude towards Teri, as well as his other "victims." One wonders why he is still stealing, as his vault is full of valuable gems, which he seems in no rush to sell. We suspect theft is a game to him - a cat-and-mouse challenge between him and the police, and his quarry.
Initially, Mr. Powell was not interested in the film (TCM article). He'd just married Carole Lombard (his first marriage had ended in divorce) and was eager to spend time with his bride. Unfortunately, the marriage was over by 1933, though the two remained close friends until her death in 1942 (My Man Godfrey was filmed well after their divorce). He was engaged to Jean Harlow when she died in 1937; that same year, he was diagnosed with cancer. He temporarily retired from film, while he underwent radiation therapy. Within two years, his cancer was in remission. His only child had died in 1968 (suicide following a period of prolonged
illness and depression; father and son had been quite close, and William's final letter was to his father). In 1940, he remarried Diana Lewis, a marriage which lasted until his death (from heart failure) in 1984 at the age of 91. He'd been retired since 1955 (Mister Roberts was his final film appearance) (William Powell: The Life and Films by Roger Bryant).
Helen Vinson as Teri's best friend, Marianne is also delightful. The scenes between her and Ms. Francis are amusing. Their discussion of the Baron, and his lack of skill in the bedroom are more than suggestive, as is Teri's admission that she is merely arm candy for her husband - candy for which he is eager to pay, with expensive clothing and jewelry.
Also appearing briefly is Alan Mowbray as Detective Fritz, providing the one real surprise in the movie. Though it should be mentioned that there is another surprise for modern audiences, unused to pre-code films - The Robber's use of a "funny" cigarette, that keeps reappearing in the films at inopportune times is quite enjoyable (and is clearly marijuana, which would, of course, be totally banned from movies when the Code was introduced). (Gestures of Love: Romancing Performance in Classical Hollywood Cinema by Steven Rybin).
Jewel Robbery was based on Ladislaus Fodor's play Ékszerrablás a Váci utcába, which was adapted by Bertram Bloch for Broadway as The Jewel Robbery. The film got mixed reviews (The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television Appearances by Lynn Kear and John Rossman and ), some praising Ms. Francis, some criticizing her (we're in the former camp. She's delightful). This is a truly entertaining film, and we highly recommend it. We'll leave you with a clip with Mr. Powell and Ms. Francis getting to know one another.
Joan Gordon (Barbara Stanwyck) has hopes of a better life - a torch singer in a New York City speakeasy, she is engaged to the wealthy Don Leslie (Hardie Albright), much to the regret of her lover, Eddie Fields (Lyle Talbot). Alas, the engagement is quickly broken; when Don discovers her past relationship with Eddie, he dumps her, and Joan, who is not willing to resume her affair with Eddie runs away to Montreal. Eddie, however, is determined bring her back. His men find out she is working there; when she realizes that another confrontation is at hand, she bribes her maid, Emily (Leila Bennett) to let Joan serve as Emily's replacement - as a mail order bride in North Dakota. There, she meets James Gilson (George Brent), a taciturn farmer with little knowledge of women or of conversation in general. The result: a horror of a wedding night, and a married couple who are at odds with one another. Thus begins The Purchase Price (1932).
This film pointed out to us the benefits of rewatching a movie together after a long gap. We originally discussed The Purchase Price back in 2009, shortly after the film came out on DVD via the Forbidden Hollywood collection. For all of us, it was our first time viewing the film (You can see that post here). As we were discussing the film, we referred back to our earlier comments, and discovered that much of what we originally said had changed, most especially our reactions to the two male leads, Jim and Eddie. We initially found the character of Jim to be a bit creepy; his almost violent attack of Joan on their wedding night was most off-putting, and it resulted in our really disliking him from that point forward. But on closer examination, we began to like him a bit more. He has the potential to be a great husband, but his uncommunicative behavior and his total lack of grace is still a bit disconcerting. He hasn't got a clue on how to behave with a woman, for one thing. Sure, he advertised for a bride, but manhandling a strange woman almost immediately in no way to win affection. But, when Joan reacts and hits him, he does NOT hit back or force himself on her further. He leaves the room and does not come back uninvited. He even suggests that they begin divorce proceedings so she can get on with her life. Ultimately, Jim's character grows and changes, to try to become a better man for her.
Eddie, on the other hand, will not take no for an answer. Essentially, he is a stalker, constantly pursuing Joan, even when she's told him that the life he offers is not the one that she wants. He's married, and cannot marry her. He does seem to love her, in his own way, and ultimately proves helpful to her, but his ego seems to be such that he cannot let her quietly exit his life. We also wondered if Joan is, for Eddie, the only decent person in his life, and the only person who provides him with the appearance of class, another reason why he might not wish to just find another woman - he knows he'll never find anyone as good. The town in North Dakota, as portrayed here, seems more like hillbilly country than the northern U.S. But where so many of the male characters that live here (like Bull McDowell, as portrayed by David Landau - a letch if ever there was one) are distasteful, the few women we see are rather nice, especially Mrs. Tipton (Adele Watson) and her daughter Sarah (Anne Shirley). Joan visits them when she discovers that Mrs. Tipton has had her new baby alone (except for the presence of her very young - and very frightened daughter). Ms. Shirley - uncredited here, had been working in films since the age of four (under the name Dawn O'Day). She was 14 when she appeared in The Purchase Price (and had previously played Ms. Stanwyck as a child in So Big, released the same year, and, as I was recently reminded, would later play Ms. Stanwyck's daughter in Stella Dallas) She is quite sweet in this very small part, and is worth looking for.
Don, the man that dumps Joan, is only in one scene, but it is a terrific one. Director William Wellman takes full advantage of sound to portray the sorrow and hypocrisy of the event. As Don scolds and rejects Joan for being involved with a bootlegger (a bootlegger he utilizes), the hotel lobby in which they sit becomes silent - the nosy inhabitants of the hotel all hush to listen to their conversation. Even the street outside is silent. But, as Don exits in a huff and Joan sits there in abject misery, conversations begin again, and a garbage truck drives up the block. It's an impressively done moment. Stanwyck again does her own stunts, most notably in the fire scene at the end of the film, resulting in some minor injuries. Her relationship with her director was very friendly, and Mr. Wellman is quoted as saying "On
one of Miss Stanwyck's interviews she mentioned me as one of her
favorite directors and ended with 'I love that man.' Needless to say I
was very proud and had a lump in my throat which does not happen to me
very often. Barbara Stanwyck -- 'I love that girl.'" (see this TCM article) Naturally, the New York Times review did not like the film (we seem to say that a lot), but in this case, we think the reviewer is quite wrong. This is a good film, with strong performances from Stanwyck, of course, and also from George Brent and Lyle Talbot. We will leave you with this clip in which Ms. Stanwyck herself sings:
Perhaps we should call The Purchase Price Torch Singer II,
since Barbara Stanwyck also plays a torch singer of spotty reputation
and also does her own singing (though to far less beneficial effect than
Ms. Colbert in Torch Singer. One understands why Ms. Stanwyck was
later dubbed in Ball of Fire! We have a trailer below, with her singing included.) Stanwyck's Joan Gordon wants to
marry; however her lover Eddie Fields (Lyle Talbot) quickly informs us
and reminds her that he is already married. She has a possibility - a
young man of wealth named Don Leslie (Hardie Albright), who dumps her
because his father has discovered her relationship with Fields. She
leaves town - mainly to get away from Eddie. Then, she changes places
with a hotel maid to travel to North Dakota as the mail order pride of
Jim Gibson, played by George Brent.
We've liked George Brent in
pretty much everything we've seen him in, but not this one. His Jim is a
creep. His near-rape attempt of his stranger bride on their first night
together we found revolting, and his assumption that molesting her
immediately was his right as a "husband" doubled our dislike of Jim. I
can't speak for my fellow movie watchers here, but I know I found Eddie a
lot more attractive (and wife or no wife, I would have gone off with
him. He's a much nicer man, and cared more about Joan's well-being than
Jim ever does).
The other creep in the movie was Bull McDowell
(played by David Landau), who offers to advance Jim money IF Joan will
act with a house maid (with benefits, of course). We also found the
rather odd man who stands around barking rather disturbing (we couldn't
figure out WHY he was barking!)
Stanwyck, who is good in
everything, is wonderful in this, and the movie is worth seeing just for
her. There is no question about Joan's character. We see her return a
house key to Eddie, as she goes off to marry. But she attempts to be a
good wife (in all but the physical sense) to Jim, as she tries to win
him over. She is good to her neighbors, and smart and strong. We loved
the scene where she goes off to assist a woman newly delivered of an
infant; alone, and still too weak to care for her newborn and young
daughter, Joan steps in, cooks, cleans and gets the family back on an
even keel. At that point, I dare anyone to NOT be in love with Joan.
As promised, here is a trailer with Stanwyck singing:
