Sir Basil Winterton (C.Aubrey Smith) is The Bachelor Father (1931); though never married, he has managed to father three children with three different women. Now getting on in years and not in the best of health, he asks his lawyer John Ashley (Ralph Forbes) to locate the now-grown children: Geoffrey Trent (Ray Milland), Maria Credaro (Nena Quartaro), and Antoinette Flagg (Marion Davies), so that he can finally have a relationship with them. But, will they want a relationship with him? Marion Davies is thoroughly delightful as Tony (don't DARE to call her Antoinette!), a vibrant and winning young lady who is eager to discover a new family, but unwilling to compromised herself to do so. The audience knows early on that Tony is not actually the daughter of Sir Basil (she had a half-sister, also named Antoinette, who died before Tony's birth). The script - and Ms. Davies - make it transparent that Tony is not there for wealth, she's there simply to meet her father - and if she doesn't like him, she's leaving!! Marion Davies is an engaging actress who really should be seen more often. Though she was concerned about the move to talkies, she should not have been. Ignore the stories that she is the model for the untalented second Mrs. Kane in Citizen Kane - she's not. In his introduction to The Times We Had by Marion Davies, Mr Welles said: "Marion Davies was one of the most delightfully accomplished comediennes
in the whole history of the screen. She would have been a star if
Hearst had never happened. She was also a delightful and very
considerable person." (WellesNet) With all the stories about William Randolph Hearst being the model for Charles Foster Kane, it's often forgotten that Citizen Kane is a work of fiction. It is true that Hearst wanted her to succeed as a dramatic actress, but Ms. Davies far preferred comedy. Her comedic timing was impeccable, and while I'm sure she is an excellent dramatic actress, her gift really was in comedy, as is evidenced in this film (which she also produced).
There are many Marion Davies stories - this one is rather nice. After Cecil Beaton commented that she was one of the six most beautiful women in Hollywood, he was invited to photograph her. When she arrived, she was wearing a high-neck dress. He had hoped to photograph her with bare shoulders - so she cut up the dress to give him the picture he wanted (TCM article).
C. Aubrey Smith is delightful as the curmudgeony Sir Basil. Mr. Smith was reprising his role from the 1928 Broadway play. Even though this was a pre-code film, there were still issues (that were apparently disregarded) concerning the subject of the film. The Hays Office wanted the title of the film changed and no reference to the Broadway play, so that Sir Basil was not a bachelor, but multiply-divorced. As it was, because it was clear that the children were illegitimate, several countries and U.S. states changed the dialogue to muddy the children's status. As you can see by the advertisement below, the studio ignored the order. (AFI catalog).
This was Ray Milland's ninth film role, and while its not a big one, he does make an impression as Geoffrey, who despite his mother's antipathy (probably well-deserved) to Sir Basil, wants to form a relationship with his father. Mr. Milland worked for years, often as second lead, until he won an Oscar for The Lost Weekend (1945). But he had already done some really choice parts, including Gary Cooper's youngest brother in Beau Geste (1939), Ginger Roger's benefactor in The Major and the Minor (1942), and the musician who's house is haunted in The Uninvited (1944). Mr. Milland would act and direct until just before his death in 1986. He was survived by his wife of 54 years and two children.
Ralph Forbes doesn't have an awful lot to do - he's mainly there as a love interest for Tony (honestly, the butler, Larkin (played marvelously by Halliwell Hobbes) is more interesting than Mr. Forbes. Mr. Forbes had a substantial film career, that extended from silents to the television era; he also appeared in 14 Broadway plays between 1924 and 1950. He was briefly married to Ruth Chatterton and to Heather Angel. He died in 1951, at the age of 46.
A French version of the story, entitled Le père célibataire and starring Lili Damita, was released the same year as this version. Though successful upon release, the subject matter made sure it was not available for viewing after the Code was enforced. If you get a chance to see it, please do - we think you will enjoy it, and perhaps fall a little in love with Marion Davies.
When waitress Mabel O'Dare (Marion Davies) loses her job thanks to Aloysius K. Reilly (Roscoe Karns), he gets the bright idea to introduce her to a Broadway producer. Mabel ends up with a job, only because the star has just quit. But there's a problem - Mabel can dance, a little, but not enough to lead a Broadway show. Her dreams of stardom are all but gone when Reilly decides to get some publicity for her by claiming a love affair between Mabel and up-and-coming boxer Larry Cain (Clark Gable). But again, there is a little problem - Larry and Mabel loathe one another. Thus begins Cain and Mabel (1936), a little froth of a comedy, with a few musical numbers thrown in. While it was fun to see Clark Gable in this very early role, and Marion Davies is a delightful performer, this was probably not the best movie either ever made. The musical routines were a bit tedious - they ended up changing the tone of the film. We know Mabel isn't a great dancer; all the routines do is emphasize that to no purpose. And though the film is a bit long, there are some delightful scenes. The early conversations between Reilly and Mabel are a hoot, and then there is the added presence of Allen Jenkins as Dodo, Larry's fight second. Any time Allen Jenkins is in a movie, you know you are going to have a good time.
We also have Ruth Donnelly as Aunt Mimi, who is also very
funny. It should be mentioned though that Mimi is a fairly despicable
person. She will go to any lengths to advance Mabel's career, because
it is keeping Aunt Mimi in the money. She has no worry that her actions might make Mabel
unhappy.
Another interesting appearance is that of Pert Kelton as Toddy, the
star whose departure makes way for Mabel. We've seen her in Bed of Roses, and as we mentioned then, later in her career as Shirley Jones' mother in The Music Man. Unfortunately, she doesn't get a whole lot to do here, which is a shame. Interestingly,
Dick Powell was originally slated to play Ronny Caudwell, Mabel's
co-star and almost boyfriend. However, the part went to
Robert Paige, because William Randolph Heart didn't like Dick Powell.
Hearst felt Powell was too attractive and that Davies liked him too
much. As I'm sure everyone is aware, Heart and Davies were longtime companions. An interesting bit of trivia - when Hearst was in financial trouble in the 1930s, it was Davies who came to his rescue. She was a very intelligent businesswoman, and used $1 million of her own money to bail him out (much of it invested in jewelry).
This TCM article also tells in some detail the story of how Clark Gable was cast as Larry. Davies did NOT want him in the part - she didn't think he was attractive enough to play Larry! She later changed her mind about him, but Gable never quite forgot the insult. All we have to say is HUH? Gable not attractive? On what planet? The film is a remake of the silent film The Great White Way, which was filmed by Hearst's company in 1924, which starred Anita Stewart. And while we can't whole-heartedly recommend this one, it has some nice moments. And then there is Gable. We close with the film's trailer:
