I'm sure amongst the few people reading this review that some have heard the sophomoric saying, "Bros before hos." It's crude, I know, but it conveys its meaning fairly well. I wonder though, what's the female equivalent? "Chicks before..." nevermind. Regardless if there's a female counterpart to it, Blondie McClune (Marion Davies) and Lottie Callahan aka Lurline Cavanaugh (Billie Dove) should've adopted it. Blondie did try though.
Blondie and Lottie were friends from childhood and they weren't afraid to physically go at each other if one of them was getting salty. Lottie left her working class uptown home for the stage and Park Avenue. When she came back to the neighborhood months later she came back with a stuffy proper accent and airs. She was a total snob.
She brought Blondie back to her new digs (probably to show off) and that's when Larry (Robert Montgomery) saw Blondie.
Larry Belmont was Lottie's boyfriend/sugar daddy and when he spent just a few minutes with Blondie he was done for. Blondie reciprocated the affection because she was about as sharp as a basketball. She couldn't plainly see that Lottie was into Larry and it took Lottie breaking down into tears for her to make Blondie understand she loved Larry.
By that time it was too late. Larry was head over heels for Blondie and was totally through with Lottie. Blondie agreed not to see Larry anymore, but it was going to take a lot to shake him off.
Naturally, this caused a serious rift between Lottie and Blondie, but Larry or no Larry, Blondie got a taste of the good life and she wanted in. She joined the follies with Lottie and that wasn't all.
I like Marion Davies. She has an effervescence that not many of the other actresses had at that time. She was willing to be silly and unrefined when it seemed like every other woman was playing the dainty, proper, society role. Davies was the only bright spot in this movie. The rest of it and the actors were pretty stale. Robert Montgomery played the typical handsome, charming suit who stars opposite the female romantic interest. No matter how hard she resists him, if at all, he wins her over in the end even if he has to tell her that they'll be together forever (another common theme was men telling--not asking--the women they're going to marry them and she would demurely consent). And just about every movie back then included some sort of romantic quagmire involving three or more people.
TLDR; Marion, I like you, but I'll take a pass on this movie.
Blondie and Lottie were friends from childhood and they weren't afraid to physically go at each other if one of them was getting salty. Lottie left her working class uptown home for the stage and Park Avenue. When she came back to the neighborhood months later she came back with a stuffy proper accent and airs. She was a total snob.
She brought Blondie back to her new digs (probably to show off) and that's when Larry (Robert Montgomery) saw Blondie.
Larry Belmont was Lottie's boyfriend/sugar daddy and when he spent just a few minutes with Blondie he was done for. Blondie reciprocated the affection because she was about as sharp as a basketball. She couldn't plainly see that Lottie was into Larry and it took Lottie breaking down into tears for her to make Blondie understand she loved Larry.
By that time it was too late. Larry was head over heels for Blondie and was totally through with Lottie. Blondie agreed not to see Larry anymore, but it was going to take a lot to shake him off.
Naturally, this caused a serious rift between Lottie and Blondie, but Larry or no Larry, Blondie got a taste of the good life and she wanted in. She joined the follies with Lottie and that wasn't all.
I like Marion Davies. She has an effervescence that not many of the other actresses had at that time. She was willing to be silly and unrefined when it seemed like every other woman was playing the dainty, proper, society role. Davies was the only bright spot in this movie. The rest of it and the actors were pretty stale. Robert Montgomery played the typical handsome, charming suit who stars opposite the female romantic interest. No matter how hard she resists him, if at all, he wins her over in the end even if he has to tell her that they'll be together forever (another common theme was men telling--not asking--the women they're going to marry them and she would demurely consent). And just about every movie back then included some sort of romantic quagmire involving three or more people.
TLDR; Marion, I like you, but I'll take a pass on this movie.