Movies of the Week: Chained (1934), Forsaking All Others (1934) and Love on the Run (1936)

This week, since it’s Valentine’s Day week, we’re lovin’ it up around here with a triple dose of 1930’s Clark Gable and Joan Crawford: Chained (1934), Forsaking All Others (1934) and Love on the Run (1936).

I like all three of these films; they all fit the bill for typical 1930’s rom-coms.

Chained (1934)

The Love Story:  Gable is Mike Bradley, a South American rancher who falls for the glamorous Diana (Crawford) on a cruise ship. Diana falls for Mike too, despite the fact that she is romantically involved with a married Manhattan businessman, Richard (Otto Kruger), whose wife refuses to leave him. She decides to leave Richard for Mike but, upon her return home, Richard tells her his wife has finally agreed to a divorce. Diana feels obligated to marry Richard and Mike is heartbroken.

The Obstacle: Joan’s relationship with Otto–she is “chained” to him because she promised him they’d get married and must follow through so breaks up with Clark. And oh my goodness, the frigid society wife who refuses to give a divorce to her wealthy estranged husband was a tired old record repeatedly played in 1930’s movies. Seems tired already in 1934!

Clark’s Sidekick: His buddy Johnnie (Stuart Erwin), who is a typical wisecrackin’ background to Clark’s foreground.

Clark’s Sappy Line:  “Are you trying to turn the sun–our sun–into a firecracker? It can’t be done, Dinah!”

What’s Silly: Joan’s devotion to Otto is rather farfetched. He’s ten years older than her but looks even older than that and they just don’t make a convincing couple. Maybe that’s the point, so we root for Joan and Clark?

What’s Good: Clark and Joan’s chemistry is very crackly at this point. The film is mostly Joan’s really, but she’s suffering oh so mightily.

What’s Bad: The ending is stupid, as Otto just gives Joan up in one second flat as he sees how in love she is with this random guy he just met. What? After pining for her the whole film? And we’re supposed to just believe that? Also, the film tries to reassure us that this is what was best for Otto as well, throwing in a line at the end that he has reunited with his children.

Worth Noting:  When Clark and Joan first meet, she is in the cruise ship’s bar, drinking a “sherry flip,”her and Otto’s sentimental drink, which apparently was considered “old fashioned” even in 1934. Clark says, “They serve that in old people’s homes on Christmas!” What’s in it? Well…
1 1/2 oz cream sherry
2 tsp light cream
1 tsp powdered sugar
1 whole egg
nutmeg
Shake all ingredients (except nutmeg) with ice and strain into a whiskey sour glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top and serve.
YUCK! That sounds disgusting! An entire raw egg?

Also…a then-unknown Mickey Rooney had a small appearance as one of the kids splashing around in the pool.

Nutshell review is here

Full review is here

Forsaking All Others (1934)

The Love Story: Clark is Jeffrey Williams, who still harbors a childhood crush on Mary Clay (Crawford). Upon returning from a two year jaunt in Spain, he has plans to finally propose to her until he learns that she is set to marry his best friend, Dillon “Dill” Todd (Bob Montgomery), the next day. He swallows his feelings and agrees to give the bride away. Dill gets an unexpected visit from an old flame, Connie Barnes (Francis Drake), and ends up running off to marry her, sending Mary a telegram explaining and apologizing. Heartbroken, Mary retreats to a cabin to nurse her wounds. She decides to come back to town with encouragement from Jeff and after receiving an invitation from Connie to attend her and Dill’s dinner party. At the party, Dill realizes he is still in love with Mary and soon after they begin seeing each other again, behind Connie’s back. Jeff is Mary’s voice of reason, trying to tell her that Dill will only break her heart again and she is leaving herself vulnerable, all the while hiding his feelings.

The Obstacle: Joan’s rather naïve love of Bob. You want to shake her the whole time. Bob leaves her at the altar, humiliating her in front of everyone,  breaks her heart, then tries to manipulate her into sleeping with him behind his wife’s back! But Joan blindly loves him, all the while ignoring the obvious crush Clark is harboring for her.

Clark’s Sidekick: The hilarious Charles Butterworth, who shares a bed half-naked with Clark and is his byline in many a joke.

Clark’s Sappy Line: “You’re an idiot. A spoiled, silly brat that needs a hairbrush every now and then.” Well that’s not sappy is it. But you know women back in 1934 would have lined up to have Clark Gable call them an idiot and spank them with a hairbrush!

What’s Silly: Bob’s character is outright ridiculous–you’re not sure if you are supposed to hate him or laugh at him. He just up and leaves Joan at the altar and marries another woman, then spends most of the film trying to manipulate Joan into bed with him. What a guy! After she ends up with Clark, are they still friends with Bob? Let bygones be bygones on all that, really?

What’s Good: The supporting cast is splendid, with the always twittering Billie Burke, Charles Butterworth, Francis Drake as Bob’s coldhearted wife and even a then-unknown Rosalind Russell in a small role as one of Joan’s bridesmaids.

What’s Bad: Everyone in this movie is absurdly wealthy. I understand that films of this era tended to portray carefree rich people as a bit of escapism to the Depression audiences, but it seems rather ludicrous for people to sympathize with rich girl Joan getting left at the altar by Bob while being chased by Clark. Oh, what problems!

What is especially bad is this laughable pre-photoshop job the prop department did on this photo, trying to portray Bob, Clark and Joan as children! Clark looks like Eddie Munster…

Worth Noting: This one is definitely the most fun of the three; the script is hilarious, it’s fast paced and the cast is spot on. Such an enjoyable 1930’s romp.

Nutshell review is here

Full review is here

Love on the Run (1936)

The Love Story: Gable is Mike Anthony, a newspaper reporter always in competition with his college buddy, Barnabus “Barney” Pell (Franchot Tone) who works for a rival paper. When Mike attends the wedding of socialite Sally Parker (Crawford) to a European prince, he becomes her confidante and helps her escape the nuptials. With Barney hot on their trail, Mike and Sally steal a spy’s plane and head across Europe. The spy wants his plane back (and his secret plans) and Barney wants his piece of the story, keeping them on the run, of course falling in love along the way.
The Obstacle: Well, there’s Franchot trying to steal Clark’s scoop every step of the way, foreign spies kidnapping Joan, and Clark lying to Joan about him being a reporter…for starters.

Clark’s Sidekick: Poor Franchot is pushed around, ignored, avoided, lied to, manipulated and tied to a chair blindfolded by Clark. If that’s friendship, I’d hate to see how Clark’s character treats his friends!
Clark’s Sappy Line: “You’re the only girl this side of the moon.”
What’s Silly: The whole film is silly, really. Clark somehow manages to fly a plane from New York to Paris. They hitch a ride with livestock. They run around Europe, spend the night in a castle where the caretaker (and his invisible dog) think they’re ghosts.
What’s Good: Clark and Joan always have good chemistry and the script is funny.
What’s Bad: This film unabashedly takes elements from It Happened One Night, which is a far superior film. This one is just amusing and that’s all there is to say about it.

Worth Noting: At the beginning of his career, Clark was paired with Joan to play second fiddle to her stardom–Dance Fools Dance, Laughing Sinners, Possessed–but now the tables had turned. Clark was riding high on hit after hit and Joan’s career was on the decline. She was coming off a big turkey–The Gorgeous Hussy–and her last big hit had been her last pairing with Clark in Forsaking All Others.

Clark and Joan were no longer lovers, as Joan and Franchot had been married less than a year. Franchot and Clark had become buddies the previous year while filming Mutiny on the Bounty and there was no animosity between them. The only fighting on the set was between Mr. and Mrs. Tone.

Nutshell review is here

Full review is here

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