Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men

Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men (1933)

*** (out of 4)

Agnes "Aggie" Appleby (Wynne Gibson) is kicked out of her room when her tough guy boyfriend (William Gargan) goes to jail. Broke and out on the streets, Aggie meets the soft-spoken and kind Adoniram (Charles Farrell) who begins to fall for her but she plans to make him into a tough guy. With such an off-beat title it seems like this film would be better known to film buffs but it has pretty much been forgotten to the ages. This is too bad because it's actually a quite clever little film that has a few nice twists along the way. The film starts off as a comedy as we see Aggie trying to turn this wimp into a man. This includes getting rid of his glasses, getting him a "tough" job and then making him a fighter. She's able to turn this nice guy into the type of tough guy that she likes but things get messy once they fall in love and then her ex gets out of prison. I was really surprised by how effective the entire film was. The early scenes are full of great comedy and especially one sequence where Adoniram wins his fight by the luckiest of ways. The middle portion of the film turns into a romantic drama but this here also works thanks in large part to the two stars. Both Gibson and Farrell are so good together and so believable in their roles that you can't help but fall for both of them. Farrell was extremely impressive with the way he plays this rather soft character and he's also believable once he starts to change. Gargan is a blast as the rather dumb but tough boyfriend and Zasu Pitts is fine as the girl's best friend. I'm not going to spoil the ending but it too is something you just won't expect.

AGGIE APPLEBY, MAKER OF MEN is certainly a very fun little gem that deserves to be rediscovered.

Delightful intelligent romantic comedy. Wynne Gibson stars as the title character Aggie Appleby. Aggie marries a roughneck named Red Branahan (William Gargan). After Red is sent to prison, Aggie is left homeless and, through a comical turn of events, winds up sharing the apartment of meek wimp Adoniram Schlump (Charles Farrell). She begins to help Schlump turn his personality around, gain some confidence, and even find a job using her husband's name and reputation. But this is just the start of the story as the two fall in love right as her husband gets out of prison.

This is an undiscovered gem. A Depression-era comedy that's smart and fun, with snappy dialogue and endearing performances by all. Wynne Gibson is exceptional and I'm surprised she didn't go on to better things. My only complaint is I was hoping for a different ending but got something predictable. This time the production code can't be blamed either. Still, it's not enough to detract from an excellent film.

A brawling roughneck and a timid wimp are both whipped into shape by AGGIE APPLEBY MAKER OF MEN.

This refreshingly forthright & honest look at a Depression-era New York City female and her two problem men is a delight from start to finish. Elements both comic and tender are blended together into a very satisfying package which, whatever the situation, rings true every time. Wynne Gibson gives a remarkably unaffected performance--bold, brassy, bossy, but also unfailingly decent & loving. She doesn't waste time with either regrets or excuses, but gets on with her tough life, helping others whenever she can.

Charles Farrell, a major box office star in the early 1930's, is excellent as the diffident young fellow who changes his entire persona, thanks to Miss Gibson's efforts. Farrell lets us see how vulnerable his character still is, even after assuming his new attitude. The short scene in which he is attacked by a bully is actually painful to watch. William Gargan epitomizes the kind of loudmouthed bruiser who's actually a softy when it comes to his girl.

Wispy & almost ethereal, the enormously talented ZaSu Pitts plays the cleaning lady friend of Miss Gibson. Future consumer advocate Betty Furness portrays Farrell's surprisingly liberated hometown girlfriend, while Blanche Frederici appears as his rather frightful aunt.

Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled Jane Darwell as Miss Gibson's practical landlady.

Wynne Gibson just shines in this film. She was 35 when she starred in it, and it was one of her few starring roles. 35 isn't old now, but it was considered rounding the top of the hill in 1933. 35 year old grandmothers were common at the time. Her character is brassy and blonde and she's seen the tough side of life and doesn't let it get her down, yet she's vulnerable.

Wynne is in the title role of Aggie, and she falls for the all muscles - as in even in his head - Red Branahan (William Gargan) when he apparently stands up for her in a fight. Heck, I don't even think he knew what the fight was about, he just liked to brawl and in this case it happened to be for a worthy cause.

Next scene and the two are living together and posing as married. You couldn't get away with coming out and saying that even in the precode era, but it is implied in all kinds of ways. And then Red gets in a fist fight with the police and they take him away. Plus he forgot to grab his rent money during the fight. So Aggie is out on the street. Her friend Sybby (Zasu Pitts) is a maid in a boarding house, so she lets Aggie catch a nap in a room where the boarder is supposed to be out for a long while, but then he comes back.

They say the best sales people are those whose pitch you never see coming, and somehow Aggie angles it so that she has a permanent home in the boarder's flat plus she becomes his mentor and what you'd call a "life coach" today. . By the way, the boarder is a young man who is the opposite of what she had in Red. Weak willed, naive, gentle, well schooled but totally not street wise. He is a rich guy raised by a maiden aunt trying to make it on his own in the big city. This is a great role for Charles Farrell as "Schlumpy". His high pitched voice is not what audiences expected in the switch from silents to sound film, and it hurt his career, but that voice works for him here.

Aggie's weakness? She can't seem to figure what she wants in a man. She tries to make Schlumpy over in the image of Red, but she likes his gentleness. But then it's hard to only bake half a cake. Meanwhile, Red is not going to be in jail forever for some fist to cuffs with the police. Not in a rough part of New York City.

How does this all work out? Watch and find out. The script is interesting in concept and the best part of it are the non stop bawdy one liners that Wynne Gibson dishes out in rapid succession from beginning to end. A year later, with the production code in force she would have been left speechless by the censors. It's a shame the Warner Archive hasn't gotten around to releasing this one yet. Highly recommended.

"Aggie Appleby Maker of Men" is a rare treat. It's a film I'd never heard of and I had very low expectations--yet the film turned out to be great fun. It also clearly is an example of a Pre-Code film, as much of the plot involves two people who are not married cohabiting. Platonic or not, this would be a definite no-no in the era of the strengthened Production Code beginning in mid-1934.

When the film begins, Aggie (Wynne Gibson) is in love with the brutish Red Branahan (William Gargan). Branahan is a tough-guy--much like Bluto from the Popeye cartoons! However, he won't work and is a schemer and gambler--not the best husband material, but Aggie loves him.

Because of Red's strength, temper and stupidity, he gets himself jailed after a fight with several cops. The fight must have been pretty bad, as it seems like he was sent away for some time. In the meantime, Aggie is broke and has no place to live. So, her goofy sister (Zasu Pitts) has an idea--Aggie can sleep in one of the empty apartments in the building where she cleans. And, as long as Aggie leaves before the man who lives there arrives, no one will know. However, he returns home early and instead of being angry, Adoniram 'Schlumpy' Schlump (Charles Farrell) is very understanding of her plight and even lets her stay with him....no hanky-panky.

Schlumpy is practically the opposite of Red. Schlumpy is a mama's boy--weak and effete. However, he's also very decent and so Aggie takes it upon herself to toughen him up. Part of this toughening process is to have him pretend to be Red. After all, Red has a reputation as a tough-guy and if Schlumpy just ACTS tough, perhaps he can learn to be tough. Well, this toughening process seems to be very effective. But when happens when the real Red is unexpectedly released from jail? Tune in and see.

This film is a delightful little comedy. While it has few huge belly laughs, it's very cute and the actors did a lovely job. Farrell was great and Wynne was so good that I agree with the other reviewer who wonders why she didn't become more of a star. Perhaps she didn't have the looks Hollywood was looking for, but she did a great job. Well worth seeing.