Fiebre de primavera

William Haines (as Jack Kelly) is a shipping clerk, and an avid golfer; he is much more interested in the hobby than the livelihood. Mr. Haines' golfing prowess earns him a two week membership in the ritzy "Oakmont Country Club", where he meets fetching young Joan Crawford (as Allie Monte). Of course, Ms. Crawford assumes the dashing Haines is a well-heeled member of the "golf set". Will she still love him if she finds out he is poor?

Haines' wardrobe is remarkably ill fitting in the opening scenes; and, as a result, he rather badly tears the right sleeve of his jacket. It's quite noticeable after he enters the workplace, following the initial golfing scene. Also, watch for Haines to tap another man's derrière, very quickly, as he passes the man, after entering the shipping company.

Haines and Crawford are a great screen team; especially, their rapport is evident when he shows her how to improve her golf game - which develops into a courtship. But, overall, "Spring Fever" is fairly routine. There are a few witty title cards, and scenes. George K. Arthur (as Eustace Tewksbury) stands out among the fine supporting cast. Considering the situation and cast, the film is a letdown. It might have been improved by more directly involving Haines and Mr. Arthur in some more comic interplay (on the golf course).

**** Spring Fever (10/18/27) Edward Sedgwick ~ William Haines, Joan Crawford, George K. Arthur

I wouldn't be lying if I told you that you shouldn't bother with a large amount of Joan Crawford's silent pictures. They're not //bad//, they're just unremarkable. Although it's a bit of a welcome shock to see her so young, especially if you're used to the Joan of the 1950s and 1960s. Even without sound, her eagerness and charm that she had in every role in this era shine though, and she's darn fun to watch! The story is better than usual, for a silent comedy (not dissing silent comedy).

William Haines is a poor guy who yearns to rise above his station. One day, when he is supposed to be working, he discovers that he can play golf, and his boss, who is nuts about golf but not exactly very good, urges him to spend his time at a swanky country club. While there, he is seen by the rich, and he beats the best golfer in the club, leading people to believe that he's very good. (He is very good). He also meets and tries to woo a rich socialite (Joan Crawford), with slapstick results. Seems like every comedy in the silent era had a large amount of slapstick, but I don't mind. Some of the intertitles are also quite funny (every time Haines flirts with Crawford, for example).

Haines and Crawford have good chemistry- they were friends in real life, and even though Haines was homosexual, he and Crawford make a believable couple. The sets are nice, and Crawford has a couple of pretty gowns that she wears. The story may be slight, and it's not exactly the funniest comedy any of these actors ever appeared in. This film was made before Joan Crawford became THE Joan Crawford, and so she hadn't been shuffled into any formula yet.

Haines and Crawford made another silent comedy called West Point, but haven't heard good reviews for that one, so might skip it. Sure, it's not amazing, but it's a fun watch.

If you like the two stars, check this one out right away.

Liked this? Try The Unknown (1927) or Our Dancing Daughters (1928) for better Crawford silents. Must find more William Haines flicks, he is an engaging screen presence and I think I like him. 👍

Off the top of my head, "Caddyshack" is the funniest movie where so much of the movie is about golf. "Caddyshack" it ain't, but it's a pretty good movie, although William Haines' movies of the time were pretty much formulaic. Haines' character, Jack Kelly, is a naturally talented golfer. His boss, Mr. Waters (George Fawcett - I wonder if Fawcett's last name was the reason for his character's name) is a golf nut - the movie opens with him making a hole-in-one. In reality, he's not a good golfer - at least it appears that way when he can't come close to the hole on the putting green in his study.

When Jack finally gets to work (after playing golf), his father (Bert Woodruff) tells Jack that Mr. Waters is looking for him and is very angry. Jack find Waters - as Waters stomps through the building, Jack is following him (Jack's making faces, imitating Waters, etc.). Pop Kelly accidentally knocks over a vase and Waters fires him on the spot. Jack hits something (it looked almost like a baseball) with a cane and knocks out a window. Waters is impressed with Jack's golfing ability (at least his ability to hit something with a cane and get it through a window) and asks Jack to help him with his swing. For helping Mr. Waters, Jack is given a 2-week membership at the exclusive Oakmont Country Club.

It's a Oakmont where Jack first sees Allie Monte (Joan Crawford). Jack reads Allie's signature when he checks in right after her and tries to act like they've met before. Possibly at Mary Brown's party? Jack says yes - Allie says she doesn't know a Mary Brown.

Out on the golf course, Jack tries to get as close as he can to Allie, which irritates some of the men at the club. By the time the 2 weeks are up, Jack beats the course record, and, true to the formula of Haines' movies, he becomes even more arrogant than before. His father came to get him - Jack seems mad that Pop ever showed up. Jack decides that he's going to quit his job, stay at Oakmont, and marry for money.

As per the Haines' formula, he gets knocked down a bit, and still comes out on top. There are a few twists and turns before ending on a happy note. Unfortunately, this film is somewhat damaged and that damage can be a bit distracting at points. It appears that this film might have been saved in the nick of time. This version has a 2008 copyright by Turner Entertainment Co. and a new score by Darrell Raby.

This was my first crawford film. it was also the first time i watched a silent picture. mayb it was the golf, mayb the title. in any case, i loved it.

SPRING FEVER is a silent comedy that plods along with too many dull scenes on a golf course, occasionally enlightened by some good comic glances from WILLIAM HAINES and some nice reaction shots from the wealthy golf set, including a very young JOAN CRAWFORD (without the thick eyebrows and overpainted mouth).

But the story is formula stuff, much like other Haines comedies that I've seen, whereby he struggles to prove himself (all for the sake of winning the girl) and goes through a series of Harold Lloyd-like situations before the clinch in the final reel.

TCM's print shows quite a bit of film damage, so apparently they saved this one for restoration just in time. Some of the title cards are quite amusing but the background score imposed on the film is pretty tiresome before it's over.

The best that can be said for this vehicle is that it shows Haines had the makings of a very good romantic leading man (in the Cary Grant vein when it comes to comedy), and his chemistry with Joan Crawford is evident from their first scene. In real life, they were great friends--and she helped him when the studios had to drop him because he refused to silence his homosexual lifestyle--whereby Crawford remained friends and gave him permission to design her new home which led to a new career for Haines in Hollywood.

As for the film itself, it was hardly worth saving--very thin on plot and not a comfortable viewing experience due to the often poor quality of the print.