At the worst point of the Great Depression, Barbara Stanwyck, a nightclub singer with a past, is the main squeeze of bootlegger Lyle Talbot, being wooed by upper class Don Leslie, whose father disapproves. After he ditches her and she has already dumped Talbot, who is "screwy" about her, she flees to Elk's Crossing, North Dakota, as a mail order bribe, taking the place of her maid with a $100 bribe. Her marriage to a hard-working farmer, George Brent, is the essence of this involving tale of the virtue of simple country life versus the fast life of the city. The awkward romance of these two strangers incurs our sympathetic concern, especially when Talbot shows up. Can they find their way out of poverty? Can love conquer all? A fine job by Director "Wild Bill" Wellman.
Review of The Purchase Price
