Fast and Loose

An amusing trifle from the early sound period, "Fast and Loose" concerns the wealthy Lenox family of Long Island, whose two spoiled adult children have fallen for a mechanic and a chorus girl, both decidedly lower class and unsuitable to marry into the family. Based on a play, the short film is stagy and static; director Fred C. Newmeyer, obviously constrained by the new sound-recording process, rarely moves the camera, and his framing is invariably mid-shot, no close-ups at all. The story is predictable fluff, and some of the dated dialogue will have feminists howling. However, with Preston Sturges credited for writing the dialogue, the lines are often quite good, and the film moves at an entertaining pace.

Fortunately, the cast is superior to the flimsy story, with Miriam Hopkins outstanding as Marion Lenox, the multi-engaged young woman, who falls for handsome Henry Morgan, played by future western star, Charles Starrett, in his first credited role. After a moonlight swim together in the ocean, Marion has obviously admired Henry in his bathing suit, because she overlooks his misogynist remarks about women and motor cars and submits to his male dominance. Meanwhile, Marion's inebriated brother, Bertie, played by good-looking Henry Wadsworth, is engaged to showgirl Alice O'Neill, played by a young and lovely Carole Lombard. Lombard is years before emerging into stardom, and she is pleasant, if unremarkable, herein. Frank Morgan and Winifred Harris are fun as the elder Lenoxes, however, Ilka Chase and Barry O'Moore steal their scenes as Alice's wild roommate and Marion's stuffy uncle. Chase's pursuit of O'Moore is quite funny and lightens the film considerably.

Despite a dated script and pedestrian direction, "Fast and Loose" overcomes its flaws with the aid of a fine cast. While no great classic, the film is modestly entertaining and showcases Miriam Hopkins and Ilka Chase, as well as giving early evidence of the talent to come in Preston Sturges and Carole Lombard.

Not the most original of plots, capricious heiress promised to a British lord falls for mechanic, while her equally spoiled heavy-drinking brother wants to marry a chorus girl. While the ending is no big surprise, the way to reach it is rather more original, as the pleasant and unhurried script finally reaches the more exciting climax it has been preparing. Good acting wins the day, though admirers of Miriam Hopkins will feel more satisfied than those of Carole Lombard, who inherits the fairly small and not so endearing part of the serious chorus girl with admirably strong morals. Still this is very much a pre-code movie, as can be seen in the night beach scene when the heiress and the rather uptight mechanic wonder whether they are both thinking about the same thing as Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden - and conclude it would be more advisable for them to go swimming...

Considering that this was adapted from a play (by nailing a camera to the end of the stage), you'd think the characters would have been more rounded. Shallow one-dimensional characters and a tiresome cliched story isn't the best combination for an entertaining movie.

The most disappointing aspect of this picture is that it doesn't convey any of the atmosphere you often get in a film from 1930. Maybe that's because of its stagey origin or maybe it's because it's based on a stuffy play from the early twenties? The plot has been done a million times and usually done a lot better than this. The acting is fine - not naturalistic but ok for 1930. Miriam Hopkins, in her first talkie is the most impressive and almost believable but the rest are just a bunch of actors reading lines from a script they've seemingly just been handed. It's not their fault but they're just poorly written parts.

We have stock stereotypes: stuffy, entitled and snobbish parents, spoilt, entitled and irresponsible youngsters and pure as the driven snow salt of the earth types. It's one of those lazily written films where the rich are all horrible and the poor are perfect. Not perhaps an obvious theme from Paramount considering their typical audience demographic but the rich eventually and predictably become unfeasibly lovey, lovely people so that willing appease their consciences.

I've seen worse but I'll not be searching out any more films from Fred Newmayer.

Marion (Miriam Hopkins) is engaged to Rockingham (David Hutcheson). She does not love him and you know that their relationship isn't going to work out. It doesn't. She calls it off so that she can spend her time with Henry (Charles Starrett), a mechanic. This is too much for Marion's mother, Carrie (Winifred Harris) who is a socially aspiring nightmare of a woman. Carrie is dealt another blow when her son, Bertie (Henry Wadsworth) announces his intention to marry a chorus girl Alice (Carole Lombard). Marion's father, Bronson (Frank Morgan) plays the voice of reason and engineers a happy ending.

This film belongs to Miriam Hopkins. Whenever she is on screen you are never far from a quality insult, especially in the scenes with Charles Starrett when they go swimming at night. She effortlessly insults him and it's great fun to watch. Unfortunately, he is a bit of a lughead and comes nowhere near the level of acting competency or talent that is demonstrated by Hopkins. He is just a big, stupid guy who likes cars. Carole Lombard hardly has a thing to do and is upstaged by her companion, Millie (Ilka Chase). The film is funny and moves at a good pace. It's the usual boy v girl story where we know what is going to happen and it's fun to watch how they get there.

This, the second cinematic version of THE BEST PEOPLE, a play by Avery Hopwood and David Gray that was first staged in 1924 and filmed in 1925, is a period piece that glides over the best efforts of time, its serio-comic point of view intact, a smartly paced affair presenting a strong opportunity for role development beneath its frothy Roaring Twenties backdrop. Paramount casts new contractee Miriam Hopkins for her film debut as wealthy Marian Lenox, along with Charles Starrett as her chauffeur and beau, Carole Lombard ( the "e" was added by a title scribbler for this film), Frank Morgan and whimsical Ilka Chase, all in top form, whilst Preston Sturges reconditions an already witty storyline. The setting is Long Island, where the Lenox clan resides, and where agitation reigns due to prospects of the family's adult son and daughter marrying below their station (to a chauffeur and a chorus girl), culminating with the entire family unintentionally meeting at a roadhouse speakeasy, whereupon a police raid adds to the growing embarrassment and consternation for two generations of Lenox family members. The film is smartly directed, and acted with verve by all cast members, Hopkins a lively delight and reliable Morgan as solid as ever, although it is Broadway standout Chase who steals acting honours with her uninhibited performance, each benefiting from the pungent dialogue of Sturges that maintains an airy tone for a sophisticated romp, this version topping its silent screen predecessor in all elements except for Warner Baxter's memorable playing of the prideful and lovelorn chauffeur.