The Woman in Red

In this drama/romance from Warner Brothers and director Robert Florey. Shelby Barret (Barbara Stanwyck) works for wealthy horse owner, widow Nicko Nicholas (Genevieve Tobin). Shelby does the riding in competitions, Nicko collects the trophies. A trophy Nicko is trying to collect all by herself is horseman Johnny Wyatt (Gene Raymond) as a husband. Johnny comes from old money that got so old it dried up and blew away. The Wyatts are tradition and name rich, cash poor.

So, Johnny upsets both his and Shelby's cash flow when he falls in love with her and proposes marriage. Shelby tries to be the voice of reason, but Johnny breaks her resolve, and they marry. Nicko takes this like the bad sport you'd expect her to be. And lots of complications ensue from a working middle class girl married to a poor man of the aristocracy.

If this film had been made two years before it could have been a terrific precode, because it is trying to be scandalous and also show the rich up to be despicable, and in 1935 in the production code era that is pretty much impossible, so it ends up pulling all of its punches. It is, however, a good example of Stanwyck rising above mediocre material.

The movie seems right out of the class-conscious 30's. Stanwyck's Shelby is a very competent show-horse rider for wealthy woman Nicko (Tobin). But when Shelby marries Johnny (Raymond) a jealous Nicko fires her. Trouble is Johnny's wealthy but now destitute family continues their snobbish airs and duly snub Shelby. Good thing the wealthy Gene (Eldridge) puts aside his love for Shelby and comes to the newly weds aid in setting up a business. But then, there's a fateful yacht party and things come to a head.

Stanwyck finally gets to show some fire near the end. Otherwise her role is fairly subdued and not one of her more memorable. It doesn't help that Raymond comes across as pretty bland and not a good match for Stanwyck. In my book, the highlight comes when an angry Shelby drops pretenses and denounces the assembled snobs. I sense that anxious 30's audiences were right up there with her. Then too, Warner's was the studio of record for that gritty period. Nonetheless, the settings are almost all gilded upper crust, and a long way from Cagney's shabby urban slums.

All in all, the parts fail to gel into any real impact, despite the dramatic elements. I suspect much of that is due to pedestrian direction (Florey) and Raymond's rather insipid performance. The latter's certainly capable of much better as his commanding role in the riveting Plunder Road (1957) shows. Too bad something like that didn't happen here.

Woman in Red, The (1935)

** (out of 4)

A horse jokey (Barbara Stanwyck) and a polo player (Gene Raymond) both make their living off of a rich woman (Genevieve Tobin) but when Stanwyck and Raymond elope it doesn't sit too well with Tobin. Soon Tobin shows up to try and steal the man since the new couple are quickly going broke. This is yet another quickie from Warner that lasts only 66-minutes but it feels much longer due to the screenplay being routine and the performances less than good. The love triangle has been done countless times but so has the going broke and looking for the rich woman routine. This film is unoriginal from start to finish and that's what eventually kills the film. Stanwyck sleepwalks through here role, which isn't the norm for her. Raymond gets credit for being one of the worst leading man I've seen from this period as he turns in a super dull performance. Tobin adds a little life to the film but she can't do much with the way her role is written. Edward Van Sloan has a brief cameo and is listed as "Ed" in the credits.

The Woman In Red is a great example of a film that Barbara Stanwyck raises in quality just being in it. She plays a show horse rider who falls for a society polo player despite Genevieve Tobin who keeps him to ride her horses and give her an occasional ride as this Code controlled picture ever so gently implies. When she loses her blond Adonis Gene Raymond, Tobin becomes the wicked witch of the west.

More good natured about losing Barbara is newly rich John Eldredge a recent arrival in the horsey set. But since his ancestry doesn't go back to the Mayflower they drink his liquor and sneer behind his back. Barbara don't miss a thing though. Eldredge has his own problems a perpetually drunk actress Dorothy Tree that he was previously seeing. When Tobin falls from Eldredge's yacht while Stanwyck is on it all the relationships are learned in a coroner's inquest. And the gossip ain't pretty.

Tobin and Tree have some really meaty roles, but Barbara still dominates this film. She really pulls it all out when tells off her in-laws what a stinking hateful bunch they are.

Raymond is bland as a polo playing hunk. His family is part of the horsey set, but have fallen on poverty and live on their gilded name. Raymond is doing the polo thing to keep them in martinis. Eldredge is in a change of pace, he's usually playing rogues on film at this time. It's not often one sees him playing a decent guy.

Reportedly Stanwyck didn't think much of the film, but I think The Woman In Red is her really elevating an average film with her performance. Bette Davis could do that also, very few others.

Barbara Stanwyck married Gene Raymond. There's money and connection in both their backgrounds, but none in their pockets. She rides other people's show horses for a living, and he's a professional guest and polo player. They go into business boarding horses, which raises the hackles of the tony set, especially widowed Genevieve Tobin. The only exception is Miss Stanwyck's old friend John Eldredge, who is extravagantly considerate, and who winds up on trial for murder.

Director Robert Florey and company certainly spare no effort in making their audience despise the rich in this one, with a gobsmacked Arthur Treacher drawling his astonishment at the idea of people actually working for a living. Within those parameters, everyone gives a good performance, although I remain as always puzzled by Gene Raymond's participation; in far too many movies in the 1930s his role consisted of being blond and not tripping over the furniture. He accomplishes both here.

The result is a well done minor movie from the year, although given these rich people, why anyone should care if one of them gets shot is beyond me.