Barbara is Shopworn

Her father's sudden death forces Kitty Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) to take a job in a hamburger joint in the city.  One of her customers is David Livingston (Regis Toomey), a medical student. He and Kitty gradually fall in love, but David's snooty mother, Helen Livingston (Clara Blandick) has other plans for her son than a Shopworn (1932) girl.

This post is part of The Queen of Sass: The Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon hosted by Pale Writer. 

Shopworn is a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have a dynamic performance by Barbara Stanwyck, but other elements of the film fall into the banal.  Perhaps the key culprit is the final film itself. There are huge gaps (probably the result of censorship) (TCM article), that make the movie feel helter skelter. In the latter section of the film, we are told that six years have elapsed - it takes a while to find this out - and in the meantime, we are wondering why the sweet Kitty suddenly seems to be such a notorious woman. With almost no transitions between the major sections of the film, one finds oneself bemused by the changes. Regardless, Ms. Stanwyck makes the change easily to accept, and the audience accepts the change because of her skill. Lila Lee was initially considered for Kitty (AFI Catalog); Ms. Stanwyck evidently was sorry the part was not given to Ms. Lee. It probably didn't help that her marriage to comedian Frank Fay was starting to disintegrate. (A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True, 1907-1940 by Victoria Wilson).

The casting of Regis Toomey as Kitty's love interest is another problem. Mr. Toomey is fine as a character actor; he also was a good fit for television. He is a more intimate actor, which makes him ideal for the small screen, but opposite a dynamo like Barbara Stanwyck, he seems insignificant and unworthy of her attention. You spend most of the movie wondering what Kitty could possibly see in this momma's boy. Only when he finally stands up to Judge Forbes (Oscar Apfel) do we finally have any regard for David, but it is perhaps too little too late.

Our villains in the piece are David's nightmare of a mother, and her strongman, Judge Forbes. Given this is a pre-code film, no punishment is meted out. In the long run, we longed for the Judge to get his just deserts. There's no question Helen is a horror, but Forbes is a man of the law, and he misuses his position horribly. He's a despicable man, and the only comeuppance his gets is pitifully inadequate. A lurid trial, and the image of him being disbarred would have been a nice conclusion (but that is probably another movie).

ZaSu Pitts is adorable as Kitty's aunt and best friend, Dot. It's a small, but memorable role, and we looked forward to seeing her reappear on the screen. Her polar opposite is Clara Blandick, who creates the ultimate monster mother in Helen Livingston. It's the women who dominate in this film; but the only woman we really care about is Ms. Stanwyck's Kitty.

While the reviews for the film were not great - Variety called it "the clumsiest kind of literary hoke..." (A Life of Barbara Stanwyck, 1907-1940: Steel-True by Victoria Wilson) and Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times said "It is beyond the powers of such capable players as Barbara Stanwyck, Regis Toomey, Clara Blandick and Zassu Pitts (sic) to make their actions in this film convincing or even mildly interesting" - in the long run, the film did well at the box office (Starring Miss Barbara Stanwyck by Ella Smith). If you are a Stanwyck completest, you should watch it for her performance. 

We'll leave you with a scene in which Kitty shows her strength of character:



Be sure to visit the other posts that celebrate the Magnificent Missy at Pale Writer's The Queen of Sass: The Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon
 

Jean Meets the Devil

Multi-millionaire John P. Merrick (Charles Coburn) is furious. Though he studiously keeps himself out of the limelight, a recent labor protest by the employees of a department store he owns have brought his name front and center. Determined to fire all of the people involved in the protest, he hires private detective Thomas Higgins (Robert Emmett Keane) to infiltrate the store and find the protesters. Mr. Higgins is unable to start immediately (his wife is about to have a baby), so Merrick fires him and uses the store credentials Higgins has acquired to become an employee in the store's shoe department. It's not long before he discovers that he really likes the store employees and despises the management. Our film this week is The Devil and Miss Jones (1941).

The tone of this sweet and funny film is set at the opening credits, when we are introduced to the "devilish" Mr. Coburn and the angelic Ms. Arthur. While Ms. Arthur gets above-the-title billing, this film really belongs to Mr. Coburn, as it should. J.P. Merrick could be a bully and a bore, but not in Mr. Coburn's capable hands. He treads a fine line in being lovable, but still keeping you in suspense as to what he will do in the end. Though, as he becomes increasingly furious at the store managers and supervisors, you really want to give him a hug.

Charles Coburn came to the screen late in life - he was 60. He'd spent his career working in a touring company with his wife, Ivah Wills (they had 6 children). When Ivah died of congestive heart failure in 1937, Mr. Coburn moved his family to Los Angeles to try his hand at film acting. Between 1938 and his death in 1961, he appeared in more than 90 films and television shows. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1944 for his work in The More the Merrier, and was nominated two other times - for his work in this film, and for The Green Years (1946). He was active in the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (Hollywood Traitors: Blacklisted Screenwriters - Agents of Stalin, Allies of Hitler by Allan H. Ryskind), a group supporting the McCarthy hearings. Following a second marriage (he was 81 at the time), and the birth of a seventh child, he died of a heart attack at the age of 84.  His papers are housed at the University of Georgia, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Jean Arthur is delightful as Mary Jones. Though her romantic interest is Robert Cummings (Joe O'Brien), it is Mr. Coburn with whom she has the most scenes and the best chemistry.  She would work with Mr. Coburn twice more: The More the Merrier (1943) and in The Impatient Years (1944) (TCM Article).  The part of Mary Jones was specifically designed for Ms. Arthur - this film's producer was her husband Frank Ross. He had set up an independent production company and was eager to find a property that fit her talents better than the scripts she was being offered. Though Mr. Coburn's part is much stronger, Ms. Arthur refused rewrites that would have given her character more screen time. (Jean Arthur: A Biofilmography by Jerry Vermilyeand).  She was fond enough of the part that she planned to do a remake of it in 1966, to be titled The Devil and Mr. Jones, with Ms. Arthur as the Devil; sadly, it didn't materialize.

Robert Cummings  is good in a relatively small part. An early scene in the film has Joe cavorting with Mary on the beach at Coney Island. It's quite delightful to watch, and there is a naturalness to the performances. Mr. Cummings was not the first choice for the role - Jeffrey Lynn was originally considered.  (AFI Catalog)

Also in a small but important part is Spring Byington  (Elizabeth Ellis). A gentle woman who just wants to find someone to love, she fixes her sights on Merrick when she thinks that he is indigent. One feels that Merrick has avoided any kind of entanglements because of his money. Ms. Byington makes Elizabeth into someone who cares nothing for money. She wants to find a man she can make happy, and Merrick is the right fit.

There are so many excellent character actors in the film it is hard to focus on just one or two. Edmund Gwenn is marvelous as the repugnant Hooper, one of the bosses who drive Merrick to distraction. S.Z. Sakall  appears as George, Merrick's very tolerant butler, and is his usual warm self.  William Demarest shows up in the small part of a detective, Regis Toomey is a police officer in Coney Island, and Florence Bates plays a professional shopper - all contribute greatly to the film.

The film, which opened in April at Radio City Music Hall, received an enthusiastic review from New York Times critic Bosley Crowther "Out of the sheerest gossamer the most captivating webs are sometimes spun". Unfortunately, it did not do well at the box offer (Author Jerry Vermilye speculates that the "unsubtle pro-union stance" was a factor").  In January 1942, there was a Lux Radio Theatre production which starred Lana Turner and Lionel Barrymore. The film was nominated for two Oscars: Norman Krasna for his original screenplay and Charles Coburn as Best Supporting Actor.  

This is a movie that is not to be missed, especially if you are a Jean Arthur fan. We'll leave you with a clip, in which Charles Coburn meets Ms. Arthur:

Jimmy is a Pollster

Lawrence Rip Smith (James Stewart) is forced to close down his small survey business.  Rip is a pollster, and though good at his job, he is unable to compete with the larger firms.  He dreams of discovering a way of polling that is accurate, but fast and inexpensive; believes he has found it when his friend Hoopendecker (Kent Smith) sends him the results of a survey that he took in the small town of Grandview - a poll in which the results exactly match the results of a nationwide, weeks long interview process performed by one of his large competitors.  Rip believes he has found his dream, a Magic Town (1947), that is a microcosm of American society, where in, in a few days, he and his colleagues Ike Sloan (Ned Sparks) and Mr. Twiddle (Donald Meek) can take a poll that would exactly mirror the opinions of the nation.  The problem - keeping it a secret both from his competitors and from the town itself.

This is a very peculiar film. It wants to be Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or Meet John Doe, but has a postwar anxiety that undercuts those ambitions. Rip Smith, as portrayed by James Stewart, is an ambitious young man who spent his years in the military mocking the small town life, but who in reality longs for the peaceful existence outside of the bustling city. Mr. Stewart does an excellent job in displaying the conflicts within Rip. He is, however at war with a script that isn't quite sure where it wants to go. The role was written with Mr. Stewart in mind, and it is obvious that he is comfortable both with the character, and his co-star, Jane Wyman.

The chemistry between Ms. Wyman (Mary Peterman) and James Stewart is excellent. Much of this is thanks to Mr. Stewart's subtle display of his growing affection for Mary. But frankly, Mr. Stewart's part is more fleshed out that that of Mary. Ms.Wyman takes what is given to her and is able to make Mary a more realistic character albeit one who doesn't know her town as well as she thinks she does.

Jane Wyman was not the first choice for Mary. Director William Wellman first wanted Janet Blair; he later considered Arleen Whalen and Loretta Young (AFI Catalog). After years of playing light comedy, Ms. Wyman had finally started getting challenging parts. In 1945, she was Ray Milland's fiance in The Lost Weekend, and in 1946 she portrayed Orry Baxter in The Yearling, for which she was nominated for her first Oscar. The year after this film, she would appear in Johnny Belinda, and finally win an Oscar for her amazing performance (she would receive two more nominations after this, for The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954)).

When the film was shown to a preview audience, it was three hours long; the final running time as the film exists today is 103 minutes. It's hard to imagine what was covered in three hours that is not dealt with in 103 minutes. The film falls apart when hoards of people begin to stream into the town because of the publicity that is garnered by its ability to predict poll results. The question is why? What would make that meager event beckon to so many people?

What makes the film even more reminiscent of Meet John Doe is the presence of Regis Toomey and Ann Doran playing the Weavers, pretty much the same parts they played in Meet John Doe (though with different names). While the Weavers are conciliatory (just as they were in Meet John Doe), the other town folks are not all sweetness and cream; they reflect the darkness of a new post-war mentality. 

 

Donald Meek appears briefly in the film as a statistician who works with Rip, then the character just disappears from the film, with Ned Sparks informing us the character left on an earlier train. Mr. Meek died suddenly during filming, and rather than eliminate or recast the part, director Wellman cobbled up a means for him to be gone from the action (TCM article).

This New York Times review by Bosley Crowther was not very complimentary towards the film; it ended up losing $350,000, bankrupting Robert Riskin Productions. It did have a bit of an afterlife, however. In December 1947, James Stewart and Jane Wyman reprized their film roles for a Lux Radio Theatre production.

Mr. Stewart (and his best friend, Henry Fonda), were cat lovers and frequently took in strays (James Stewart: Behind the Scenes of a Wonderful Life by Lawrence J. Quirk and Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart by Scott Eyman), so it seems fitting to that the film has a cat.  While we can't really recommend this one, here's a clip  in which James Stewart interacts with Jane Wyman - and a kitten.

Barbara Writes a ANOTHER Column

The purchase of a newspaper by the powerful D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold) results in the firing of most of the staff when Norton hires Henry Connell (James Gleason) as his new managing editor.  Norton wants circulation numbers, and that means that "dead wood" needs to be cut.  Included is columnist Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck), who is the sole support of her mother and two young sisters.  Ordered to supply her final column before she leaves, Ann tosses off a letter, supposedly from a man, John Doe, who intends to commit suicide on Christmas morning in protest for the ills of the world.  When her prank results in a nationwide outcry to find and help John Doe, Ann and Norton manufacture a "John Doe" in the form of down-on-his-luck baseball play Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper), who agrees to pose as Doe for a fee.  Her job secure, Ann happily works for Norton, unaware his motives are far from pure.

Thus begins Meet John Doe (1941), one of director Frank Capra's most well-regarded films.  Number 49 on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Cheers, it's one of the films that helped to invent the term "Capraesque" - films about the ability of the honest underdog to achieve his goals through courage and perseverance (sometimes called Capra-corn).  Capra's abilities as a director held such trust with his actors that Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, James Gleason and Spring Byington all agreed to appear in the film without a completed script.  Capra went into the project without a satisfactory ending, and actually test marketed FIVE different endings (TCM).  The one we see today is the one that garnered the most public appeal, and was suggested in an anonymous letter to Capra from someone who had seen the multiple endings (AFI catalog).

Originally, Capra thought in terms of Jean Arthur and James Stewart for his leads.  He also considered Ronald Colman (who would have been all wrong!), and he tested both Ann Sheridan and Olivia de Havilland as well.  Barbara Stanwyck came on board when Warner Brothers refused to allow Ms. Sheridan to do it (she was being punished). 

We are indeed lucky that the stars were willing to take on such a nebulous project, because the casting is spot-on. Cooper is able to convey the innocence and confusion of John, without making him into a complete idiot.  And then there is Stanwyck.  The role of Ann is a difficult one - we have to understand her desire for money, but still like her and root for her.  The rapport between her and Spring Byington (as Ann's mother) is essential; there bond in the film is undeniable.  As a result, we root for Ann, even when we know that she has really gone over the edge in the push for John Doe's stardom.

Spring Byington provides the focus that we need to understand Ann.  Generous, kind, loving; a mother who adores her children, and whose love for her late husband ventures almost into adoration, Mrs. Mitchell is both inspiration for Ann as well as motivation.  Ann sighs as her mother donates money to those she feels are in need, even as the family is on the verge of being penniless.  And, as Ann struggles with the motivations needed to make John Doe convincing, it is Mrs. Mitchell who suggests her late husband's diary as a source of inspiration.  With 119 film and television credits to her name, Byington was a dependable and much admired character actress, usually playing a mother or older relative of the lead character.  She started on Broadway; her first feature film role was as Marmee in Little Women (1933) (We've discussed her films When Ladies Meet (1941) and My Love Came Back (1940)).  She worked in both film and television until 1968.  She died in 1971, aged 84.  

Interestingly, this was one of the first films to deal with Fascism in America (this glowing New York Times review is very appreciative of the "inspiring message for all good Americans" that is present in the film.  Capra, who had been born in Italy (he had settled in Los Angeles by age five, so it is unlikely that he remembered much of his birthplace), may be reacting to the fact that it had already been overtaken by fascism. 

Though the fact that the ending was an afterthought is often evident when you watch Meet John Doe, it doesn't detract from your enjoyment of the film or of the performances of these amazing actors.  We'll leave you with a trailer:

Gumshoe Lee, R.N.

The Nurse's Secret (1941), based on a novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart, (Miss Pinkerton) is a remake of two prior films: Miss Pinkerton (1932) (which we'd already seen) and While the Patient Sleeps (1935).  The plot of this film is identical to that of Miss Pinkerton -  a young man is found dead of a gunshot wound in his room.  Is it murder, suicide, or an accident? Police inspector Tom Patten (Regis Toomey) figures this case is the one that can get him promoted.  When the doctor of the woman who found the victim, his aunt and insurance beneficiary Miss Juliet Mitchell (Clara Blandick), needs a nurse, Patten suggests his girlfriend, Ruth Adams, R.N.  (Lee Patrick).  Though annoyed at Patten for his constant cancellation of their dates, Ruth is thrilled to be a female Sherlock Holmes.  However, someone is wandering around the house, and whoever it is may be a murderer.  

Miss Pinkerton was a much more lighthearted effort than The Nurse's Secret.  Ms. Patrick makes Ruth far more serious than Joan Blondell's Miss Adams, and while we liked Lee Patrick, we missed Joan Blondell's sassy attitude.  This is a plot that can get very convoluted, and the humor from the first iteration deflected some of the confusion. Early in The Nurse's Secret, we even get a reference to the first film, when Patten (responding to Ruth's comment about being a lady Sherlock Holmes) replies "Or Miss Pinkerton."

What this film does offer is a panoply of wonderful character people.  First and foremost is Ms. Patrick, who spent most of her career as second lead and in character parts.  As this TCM article points out,  the biggest surprise here is that Ms. Patrick gets to carry the film, and she does an excellent job.  Born in 1901, Lee Patrick has 110 film and television credits (and 26 Broadway plays) to her name.  She started her career in films in 1929, and continued until 1965 when she retired to become a painter.  She was lured back to films once more, however - in 1975 she reprised the role of Effie from The Maltese Falcon in the spoof The Black Bird.  Looking at a list of her film gives one pause - you remember her character, but sometimes forget it was her - even with her chirpy voice, she was a chameleon who changed to fit the part she played.  When you realize that the same person who played Mrs. Biederhof in Mildred Pierce also played Doris Upson in Auntie Mame, it's almost surprising.  Married to the same man from 1937 until her death in 1982, Ms. Patrick was a talent that we sometimes forget (and shouldn't), but should NEVER ignore.

The film also contains performances from some interesting character people, most notably Clara Blandick, best known for playing Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz. With over 100 film credits, Ms. Blandick spent much of her career playing crotchety old ladies, as she does here.  But she was also a noted stage actress, appearing in such Broadway plays as Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman and The Enchanted Cottage (as Mrs. Minnett, the role that would go to Mildred Natwick in the film version).  Following her retirement in 1951, Ms. Blandick was quite ill.  Finally, wracked with pain, she committed suicide in 1962, at age 85.

While we think Miss Pinkerton is the better film, this one is not bad, especially if you are more interested in a serious take on the material.  We have a trailer to get you started:

She SHOULD Have Said "No"!!!

From the opening of  She Had to Say Yes (1933), it's obvious that this is a precode film.  At a meeting of the salesmen from the Sol Glass Clothing Company, all the salesmen are bemoaning the fact that their "customer's girls" are just too hard and too greedy to be appealing to the buyers who frequent their establishment.  But, the company needs to provide entertainment to these poor, lonesome men - so why not ask the secretaries in the steno pool to take on the duties of the customer's girls.  They are younger, nicer, and not as hard looking, so they will be more appealing to the buyers.  Of course, the girls won't be FORCED to take on the job (of course not...), but it will mean extra money in their pockets and free dinners and shows at the company's expense.  At first, only one girl (Birdie, played with a certain sluttish charm by Suzanne Kilborn) is willing to participate, but soon, Tommy Nelson (Regis Toomey) has convinced his fiance Florence Denny (Loretta Young) to go out with Daniel Drew (Lyle Talbot) to close a sale - and give Tommy some "alone" time with Birdie.

This film does not paint a pretty picture of men.  Without exception, the men in this film are total creeps; there is not a nice guy in the flick.  Take a look at this commentary from TCM, in which Jeanine Basinger says that the film "puts the capper on showing how women are used by men."   You know that the secretaries will be forced to participate, and you know that if they do not "play the game" properly, they will be fired.  One of our group once worked in the garment industry, and she shook her head at what she saw as a totally accurate portrayal of the attitudes of men in that business. It seems in over 50 years, female employees were still being treated as commodities for the pleasure of the men.

The opening credits immediately inform you that you are entering the world of the fashion industry.  With stunning gowns by Orry-Kelly, the costuming is never a disappointment.  Loretta Young (who in later years was noted for her magnificent wardrobe in her eponymous television show) is garbed in some truly lovely outfits.  

Much of our discussion focused on Ms. Young.  She's quite good here.  Her Flo is sympathetic and intelligent (though we really thought that Maizie played with wit by Winnie Lightner is the smartest of the lot; she's a bit older and a lot wiser, a good character and a good friend.  And someone who really knows how to handle these horrible men).  In a different age, Flo would have been an executive rather than a secretary.  She's certainly much smarter than her fiance, the ever-creepy Tommy. 

It's hard to talk about Loretta Young without getting into some discussion of her later, personal life. We spoke at some length of Young's relationship with Clark Gable and the daughter that was the result of the liaison.  Young was a complicated woman - devoted to her Catholic faith, yet with a past that many might find the antithesis of her own beliefs.   But, here she is, two years before her life took this unwanted turn, glowing with youth and beauty and appeal.   
 
Regis Toomey pulls no punches in presenting a character that is truly unlikeable.  An underrated actor, Toomey spent much of his film career playing second bananas.  He found a place in television, where he appeared in a variety of shows, including Burke's Law (where he played Gene Barry's Aide-de-Camp), and 6 episodes of The Loretta Young Show.   Toomey died in 1991, at the age of 93, after over appearing in over 200 films.

Lyle Talbot's Danny Drew isn't much better than Tommy Nelson.  You want to like him as the film progresses, but he is really just as despicable as Tommy.   The double-standard is thick enough to spread on toast.  Do what I ask you to do, the film says, but don't be surprised when I dump you afterwards.

Here's an amusing trailer from the film - note the script at the beginning: "...because she was hired to be 'nice' to out-of-town buyers, she had to take orders from THEM until they gave their signed orders to HER.  Could a good girl stay good WHEN She Had to Say Yes...

Olivia and Errol Get Married

This week, another Olivia/Errol adventure flick, and again we get history via Warner Brothers.  It's They Died with Their Boots On (1942), wherein Errol Flynn plays an unrecognizable (but wonderfully heroic) George Armstrong Custer, and Olivia plays his devoted wife, Elizabeth "Libby" Bacon.  The film starts with Custer's arrival at West Point (we are told he scored lower at the Point than did U. S. Grant), and where he meets his future wife.  He also meets his nemesis Ned Sharp (played with mustache-twirling nastiness by Arthur Kennedy).  During Custer's tenure at West Point, the Civil War erupts, and he is graduated early to serve in the active army.  Finally, he is able to get back to Olivia (having become a hero in the war) and wed her (despite her father's dislike of the Custer, who has a tendency to drink too much).  

There is an excellent documentary on the DVD, and if  you have a chance to get your hands on the DVD, do take the time to watch it.  There is a bit of discussion about the actual history of Custer (and of course, he was no way near as dashing as Errol. Nor was he anywhere near as pleasant as the character created by the talented Mr. Flynn).  Olivia's Libby is just lovely, and she gets to do a bit more here than in (say) The Charge of the Light Brigade.  Of course, her parting scene with Flynn (much cited when her performances are discussed) is gut-wrenching.  But also lovely are her scenes with Hattie McDaniel (as her servant Callie).  Finally, there is the scene in which Libby delivers Custer's "deathbed" statement.  Her quiet power is obvious.

Some other people to look out for here are Regis Toomey as Fitzhugh Lee, who leaves his position at West Point to join the Confederate Army (very nicely done) and Errol Flynn's scenes with Sydney Greenstreet (as Lt. General Winfield Scott) are quite funny, with Scott portrayed as a gourmand with a taste for onions.  And I must not omit Anthony Quinn as Crazy Horse; his Chief is Custer's military equal - a nobleman who is in the right, pretty much throughout the picture.

We'll be back soon with a much later Olivia film. We'll leave you with the trailer to the film:
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Other Men's Women

 After Bill (Grant Withers) succeeds in ducking his marriage to Marie (Joan Blondell), his pal Jack (Regis Toomey) offers to put him up. Jack's wife, Lily (Mary Astor) has no objections, but as time goes on, Bill and Lily start to have feelings for one another.

Other Men's Women is rather an odd movie. The consensus of our group was that it didn't quite know what it wanted to be: a romance for the women, or an action-adventure movie for the men. It did have both elements, with the love story between Grant Withers and Mary Astor playing out within the context of railroad men.  Mary Astor's character, Lily, disappears for most of the end of the movie, and one wonders why she would leave her now-blind husband even with the danger of a ensuing flood.

We did enjoy this early James Cagney appearance. His characterization of Eddie was a delight - from his first appearance atop a railroad car to the scene where he meets his girl friend at a fancy club in work clothes - then proceeds to strip down to the tux he had donned underneath.  Add to that a little dance step of joy, and you can't help but smile at the man who will launch to "overnight" success as Tom Powers in only two months. He was an amazing dancer; it's a shame he didn't get to do more of it, but it does make what we have even more to be appreciated.

The juxtaposition of the beginning and ending scenes, both set in the same cafe, really gave you a good look at the development of Grant Wither's Bill White.  A nice advantage of seeing these on DVD is the ability to go back and compare the two scenes. 

Here's a brief scene with Mary Astor and Grant Withers:


Next week, on to The Purchase Price.