Reducing

When I like an actor or actress I will try to watch as many of their movies as possible. I like Marie Dressler, so I'm trying to see all the films she put out. I watched a couple of her silent films in which she played Tillie and they were wonderful.

In the movie "Reducing" Marie Dressler plays opposite Polly Moran. The two go back to 1927 when they were in the movie "The Callahans and the Murphys" together. "Reducing" was their fifth project together.

Marie Dressler plays Marie Truffle, a woman who is down on her luck, but is extended a helping hand from her sister, Pauline 'Polly' Roche (Polly Moran). Polly sent Marie $200 for her to move her family from South Bend, Indiana to New York City, where Pauline ran a thriving and successful spa. I believe they called it a reducing spa, or reducing business, which was to say she was there to help people lose weight.

Marie and her family moved into Polly's home, which was occupied by her, her daughter Joyce (Sally Ellers), and her help. You could tell right away that the two sisters had a loving yet contentious relationship. Polly was not above subtly, and not so subtly, reminding Marie of the helping hands she's given her. Marie was big enough to swallow her pride for the sake of her family, but the things came to a head when the two sisters argued about their daughters, Vivian Truffle (Anita Page) and Joyce Rochay (Sally Ellers). The two seem to both be the object of the same man, and Joyce had him first, so naturally she saw Vivian as a foreign invader. Vivian, for her part, was largely innocent. She had no eyes on Joyce's man, John Beasley (William Collier Jr.), but Johnny had eyes on her.

This movie didn't speak to me. Besides the comically bittersweet relationship between Marie and Polly, there was the love triangle, so to speak, with Johnny, Joyce, and Vivian-- and I hate love triangles and romantic affairs. What started out as a comedy ended up being quite serious, and although Marie played the hero in this movie, it was having to do with love, infatuation, and desire between two young and naïve women, and one young and naïve playboy, and that just did not interest me.

Free on Odnoklassniki.

... was no more togetherness and roses than it is today, especially when one part of the family was prosperous (Polly Moran as Polly Rochay) and the other part was struggling (Marie Dressler as Marie Truffle). This great old precode comedy has a warmth to it too, which is most evident in the final few scenes on Thanksgiving.

Marie Truffle has three children and an unemployed husband, so she accepts her sister Polly's invitation to take the train to where she lives and stay with her awhile until they get back on their feet. Polly even offers Marie a job in her beauty salon. Through a series of well-intended mistakes, Marie makes a wreck of the parlor. Through a series of snide remarks, Polly makes sure Marie and her family take note of every bite of food they have at her expense. On top of that, the two grown female cousins, Joyce Roche (Sally Eilers) and Vivian Truffle (Anita Page), aren't getting along either. Vivian decides to take Joyce down a peg or two by dating Joyce's boyfriend, just to make her jealous. The two sisters take up for their respective daughters, and pretty soon it's a full blown comical family feud.

MGM was never that proficient at comedy, and where they try to force the laughs here the movie falters, but whenever it's Polly Moran and Marie Dressler together, the comedy is something so pure that not even MGM could mess it up. These two always did a great job of playing women who obviously love each other no matter how fierce the disagreement that's taking place on the surface. Highly recommended.

Suffering hard times in South Bend, hefty Marie Dressler (as Marie Truffle) moves her poverty-stricken family to New York. There, she moves in with her generous, more well-to-do sister Polly Moran (as Polly Rochay). Ms. Dressler joins Ms. Moran at work in her "Beauty Parlor" and "Reducing" salon, with calamitous results. Dressler is frequently funny, and Moran mostly so; but, the comedy suffers whenever the focus becomes their respective daughters' love story. Dressler and Moran squabble over the younger women's interest in the same man, which becomes an issue about class. Still, Dressler is terrific, especially in the first half. And, capable daughters Anita Page (as Vivian Truffle) and Sally Eilers (as Joyce Rochay) strengthen the weaker parts.

***** Reducing (1/3/31) Charles Reisner ~ Marie Dressler, Polly Moran, Anita Page

A Midwestern housewife comes to New York City to help her social-climbing sister run a fancy beauty salon & REDUCING parlor.

Marie Dressler shines in this movie vehicle tailored especially for her. With simple dignity & genuineness - and a crazy sense of humor - she captures the viewer's attention from her very first scene. Whether intimidating a ticket seller, attempting to climb into an upper berth, creating havoc in the salon, or prying an egg out of her little boy's mouth, she amply provides illustration why she was Hollywood's greatest & most beloved star in the early 1930's. There's never been another like her; she was completely unique & irreplaceable.

Receiving equal billing with Dressler is her frequent partner in mirth, the ubiquitous Polly Moran. This short, shrill, buxom comedienne could hold her own with the inimitable Dressler in the field of slapstick. Whether wallowing in a mud bath or trapped in a steam room, Moran is great fun as Marie's foil.

Anita Page & Lucien Littlefield have some good moments as Dressler's daughter & husband; but with Dressler & Moran on the loose, they're up against severe screen competition.

Movie mavens will recognize the unbilled Roscoe Ates as the stuttering railway ticket agent who has the misfortune to find Marie in his line.

It is important to note that the large glass swastika in the salon, which Marie inadvertently smashes, has nothing whatsoever to do with the Nazis. Rather it was an ancient symbol, even used by some Native American tribes, and was not infrequently seen as a trendy design or decoration.

Marie Dressler stars as a woman from South Bend, IN who comes east to visit her sister (Polly Moran) who runs a fancy beauty salon. Each sister has a beautiful daughter: Dressler has Anita Page; Moran has snooty Sally Eilers. Dressler has has 2 boys and a failed husband (Lucien Littlefield). The cousins begin scrapping over "catch" William Collier, Jr., while another beau (William Bakewell) mopes around. Before long the sisters are quarreling too. Roscoe Ates is the ticket seller. Sitcom comedy/drama but worth a look for the Dressler-Moran pairing as well as the nice deco sets or Moran's home and salon. This film takes an interesting turn at the end.

Funniest bit is probably Dressler trying to buy train tickets from the stuttering Ates while the long line of people behind Dressler look on. Ates asks her where she wants to go. She finally says New York. Ates asks, "Do you want to go by Buffalo?" After a perfect comedic pause and a few facial twitches she responds, "No, I want to go by train."

And oh, the little boy (the one who gets his foot caught in a spittoon), Jay Ward, grew up to create Rocky and Bullwinkle.