Five and Ten

This pre-code is very odd. Actually, very good. The first half is a naughty romantic comedy (sort of) that has the usual adorable Leslie Howard (can't help it, he's appealing as hell) and a kind of off-kilter Marion Davies. She seems a bit uncomfortable in this role -- maybe because it's an early talkie and she lisps? because it becomes dramatic and she isn't sure how to play it? Anyway, I was getting a bit annoyed with the whole thing when the movie does a real pre-code twist. Mom has an affair because mogul Dad is too busy with work. Brother has major mental health issues and suddenly takes up some very bad flying. And Heroine Marion takes on a role that reflects her own life by unrepentantly taking up with a now-married Leslie Howard. Things get...dark. So I found myself being impressed with the risks in this second movie (although I did laugh at some melodramatic moments). This movie doesn't apologize for anything. Marion is not punished for her love. Now that's new. She is defiant -- not just the character, but Marion Davies herself, I believe. I also appreciated the way it carried through its rich-man-neglecting-his-family theme to its most bitter result. This was surprisingly well done. No excuses are made for Dad's work obsession whatsoever. And Richard Bennett plays it subtly.

There are a few tremendous scenes. One involves a nocturnal visit to a rooftop. The other is a long drunken rant by the brother (Douglas Montgomery) in which he makes fun of Dad's obsession with money and success. Both of these are just lovely -- genuinely touching, I thought.

If you get a chance to see it, you should. It's an important movie in the Marion Davies pantheon, and Leslie Howard gets to be all charm. Just be patient and see where it goes.

After moving to New York City from Kansas, five-and-ten cent store heiress Marion Davies (as Jennifer Rarick) enters high society in style. Attending a charity event with her $5,000 donation from daddy, Ms. Davies is smitten with attractive architect Leslie Howard (as Bertram "Berry" Rhodes). But he is engaged to Mary Duncan (as Muriel Preston). While Davies decides to pursue Mr. Howard to the alter - even if it isn't her own - the rest of her family is falling apart. Strictly business-minded father Richard Bennett (as John G. Rarick) neglects wife Irene Rich (as Jenny). She sees more of gigolo Theodore von Eltz (as Ramon). And, nobody notices brother Kent Douglass Montgomery (as Avery Rarick) may headed for an emotional break-down...

Davies produced "Five and Ten" with director Robert Z. Leonard and, given the MGM team, delivers quality product. A bigger box office star than acknowledged during the "silent" 1920s, Davies was still popular, but not enough to cover production costs. Howard had enough star-quality to carry a film on his own, even this early in his career, but he and Davies are upstaged by others in the cast. One wonders if the original Fannie Hurst story had more involving the "Rarick" family. The effects of wealth on the characters is more interesting than the "love story" between Davies and Howard. An even distribution of resources and story might have helped "Five and Ten" recover costs. Watch for Mr. Montgomery's troubled "Avery" to steal the film.

****** Five and Ten (6/13/31) Robert Z. Leonard ~ Marion Davies, Leslie Howard, Douglass Montgomery, Richard Bennett

It is not a great pre-code film, but I gave it a 7 mostly because I enjoy Marion Davies.

I also like Leslie Howard as a rule, but in this case, I don't think he and Marion are a good fit; I can't see why she is so head over heels with his character. He does the usual priggish brush-off at one point, calling her nothing more than a cheap rich girl. Good grief, the men were prigs in a lot of these films, always lecturing and indignant, no matter how badly they had behaved up that point.

Marion has such a beautiful face, I can see why she was such a popular silent actress. As always she is dressed beautifully. And she does a good job here, her voice is good, not sign of a stutter.

I know most reviewers gave high marks to Douglass Montgomery, but I found him to be very stilted and stagey in the role of the son. Part of that is due to the lines he was forced to say, I will give him that. I found Richard Bennett to be stiff and actorly as well, but I will take into consideration the style of acting at that time, especially for the older actors who had been on the stage for many years.

All in all, a good enough drama.

Five and Ten is about a young girl (the charming Marion Davies) who is trying to deal with being New Money, a fact that's tearing her family apart, and being in love with a to-be married rotter/architect (the frankly swoon-worthy Leslie Howard).

The focus of this really ought to have been in one place or the other, or else they should have made it into a longer picture, because important parts seemed rushed. Jennifer's brother Avery, for instance, was a great character who was rather important to the way the plot revolved, but far too little screen time is given to him. This is a particular shame as Douglass Montgomery really shone in this role. Instead, time is spent lingeringly on simple romantic scenes between the young lovers. Davies and Howard's chemistry was undeniably electric, making for a few surprisingly sexy scenes, but one can't help but feel that the editors ought to have made a few more judicious cuts and the writers a few additions.

Overall, it's worth a watch, though, even if you're not particularly interested in any of the actors, because of the relative strength of both pieces, whether or not they coalesce particularly well.

The Rarick family is what you would call new money. John Rarick inherited a small five and ten from his wife (Irene Rich) when they married and he used his business sense to expand on a national level. Now, the family lives in New York where the family tries to adjust to new social conditions. Mrs. Rarick is lonely and takes up with a gigolo. Jennifer (Marion Davies) does her best to get her foot into society. Avery (Douglass Montgomery) worried about the state of his family and dreads inheriting his father's company. Jennifer falls in love with a notable playboy (Leslie Howard) who is engaged to a snobby rich girl. However, he can't help but be charmed by Jennifer's wit and does his best to seduce her.

This is a pre-code film, and an incredibly sexy one at that. Sparks fly in Howard and Davies' scenes together. When he trickles his fingers across her bare arm, you can just feel the goosebumps rising. When her big blue eyes look into his, the tension is so strong. The two actors are amazing together and make for fantastic viewing in lieu of the average storyline. Montgomery is just as impressive in his secondary role. His lines are obviously scripted, but he reads them with a naturalness that is uncommon in these early movies. Robert Z. Leonard's direction is refreshing because he does not revert to a static camera, which was prevalent in early talkies. A noteworthy film and a must-see for Howard or Davies fans, Five and Ten deserves a DVD release.