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To Please a Lady (1950)

Amazingly, this is from post-war America. It feels like a movie from the 1930s, both technically and the way the story is told. Even the stars, though both obviously alive and still working, are better known for their earlier work.

I'm speaking of Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. And they have a certain degree of good chemistry on screen, though the story is so "constructed" (I'm avoiding the better word "contrived") you don't always feel what they are feeling, as characters. The one scene that does this best is an extended dinner at a club where a string orchestra is playing and they fall in love and then seem to fall out of love quickly. It's really beautiful and romantic (and the strings are as lush as any string section has sounded, and I mean it).

Because of all these things this ends up being both a great fun movie and a bit of a throwback that doesn't quite take off. The director, Clarence Brown, is also known best for much earlier movies (like the award winning pre-code "A Free Soul" which is fabulous). He's good, the acting is good, and the story is, well, pretty good. It's serviceable, but a little too packaged and somewhat thin going.

Another factor here is the racing itself, the Indianapolis 500. Some of the footage is clearly from real races (probably the 1949 or 1950 race...this movie was released in the fall of 1950). There are lots of scenes--too many, unless you are car racing fan--of cars zooming around the track. Credit goes to the cinematographer, Harold Rosson, who is a bit legendary because he helped with "Wizard of Oz" and did several other classics like "Asphalt Jungle" and "The Bad Seed." The photography matters more than usual here because it's "just" car racing, and it's made exciting and visually intense. Closeups of Gable in the car are of course constructed in the studio, but seemalessly. Great visuals throughout.

See this? You bet, but remember it's really an entertainment, and it has little complexity or depth, and it has lots and lots of race track stuff that doesn't propel the plot, just the immediate energy. It's no classic, but it has classic qualities and faces, for sure, and I liked it. And in the end, without giving a thing away, the woman (Stanwyck) stays strong and keeps her independence, a rare thing in 1950s movies.

Car racing may not be my thing or my first choice of what to watch on a regular basis, but classic film of all genres most definitely is. Both Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck were cinematic screen legends and while both of them had hit and miss film choices they were always worth watching (with a slight preference for Stanwyck). Clarence Brown is not a favourite director of mine but he did make a lot of above average to great films with few misfires.

Once one gets past the lousy and rather misleading title, 'To Please a Lady' is not one of those misfires and is above average in execution. It may be wanting in the story and script departments and both Gable and Stanwyck did better films before and since, especially before (no iconic stuff here). But neither bring the side down and neither does Brown in the director's chair. Even non-car racing fans should find some worth in 'To Please a Lady' as will those that are fans.

'To Please a Lady' does have a good deal done well. Gable's tough charisma and Stanwyck's steel really shine through, as do their wit and crackling chemistry. Have always gotten a lot of enjoyment out of Adolphe Menjou, he was often seen in one particularly recognisable role but he played that so well that it doesn't matter and this is no exception. All the cast do well. The racing does thrill and excite and one does get very nostalgic over seeing and recognising all the different cars. Brown's direction is lively and distinguished enough.

Although the production values are not perfect, the photography is nicely framed and slick throughout. Bronislau Kaper was a gifted composer with a number of fine scores, his one for 'To Please a Lady' is not one of his best but it fits and doesn't overbear at least. The script has some wit and the film isn't dull at least.

Having said that the story is very thin and often rather contrived, while the racing thrills some of the non-racing aspects of the story could have done with more juice. Some wit aside, the script flows rather awkwardly, can be rather trite and some lines did make me cringe.

Would have liked more development to the romance, which was convincing in chemistry but development-wise it felt unrealistically rushed. Character motivations also could have been elaborated upon more and while the photography is fine the back projection and splicing can be obvious at times.

Concluding, above average but not great. 6/10

Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck star in "To Please a Lady," a 1950 film directed by Clarence Brown. Adolphe Menjou also stars.

It took Gable's career a while to get back on track - excuse the pun - after World War II. He was older than the other matinée idols, he was a grieving widower when he returned from the war, and the indelible image he had created as Rhett Butler would haunt him. It wasn't until the mid-fifties that he really found his groove with some very good films.

This is one of the ordinary type films Gable made during this period, and here he's joined by Barbara Stanwyck as a sharp columnist. She is critical of midget car racer Gable when, during a race, another driver is killed, and he was part of the collision. She basically destroys his career in midget car racing. After some stunt driving, he earns enough to buy a car to enter the big car races. Feeling at first guilty about hurting his career, Stanwyck seeks him out while he's stunt driving; they fall for one another, but she can't get past his ruthlessness in competition.

Both stars are very good. Stanwyck did these cold businesswomen well. She's moving here into older women roles, her wonderful figure intact.

There is a lot of speedway racing in this film.

This movie is pleasant enough, but it would have been nice if stars of this stature could have been given a really top-notch script and production values.

I couldn't care less about the story line, though it's not too bad to sit through. But the authentic open-wheel midget and Indy-car racing footage is worth every minute of Clark and Barbara's banal banter. There's even a montage of a racing engine being machined and assembled, some nice race car closeups, and pit stop action. To top it all off, there is a couple of minutes of what looks to be authentic footage of Joie Chitwood's famous stunt car show. This is a real sleeper and highly recommended for vintage race fans.

A decent film of its era, with a very formulaic story arc between the two main characters. I had only watched this because Barbara Stanwyck was starring in it. I had no idea that it was a racing movie. But as a racing fan, it was a lot of fun to see the vintage racing footage. Even though Clark Gable was mostly acting in front of a projection screen for the racing closeups, they spliced it all together very well. And even though auto racing is dangerous now, wow, they raced open top cars with no seat belts at all, no roll bar, no fire suit, pretty much nothing at all to protect a driver except a partial helmet and goggles. Also fun to see the pit stops with a lever for a jack, and hammers to remove and replace the main tire nuts. Apparently, a lot of footage from the 1950 Indianapolis 500 was used and it was something to see.

This movie was basically made to boast Clark Gable's macho image but it was a flop at the box office. I can see why. Both Gable and Barbara Stanwyck do a good job but the script isn't very good and the direction isn't very good either. Watch something else instead.

Clark Gable plays a racecar driver and Barbara Stanwyck is a radio gossip columnist. They come from very different worlds (hers is glamorous and deals with the stylish elite, and his is strictly blue collar), but each appears to be ruthless in his/her profession.

Half of the story is about their relationship and the other half is about the world of competitive racing. Each feels shortchanged. The film could use more time to add complexity and depth to the relationship. Still, the writing is good at providing tension between the two characters. And their improbable attraction is close to being believable. A lesson in humanity lacks the gravity it would have if the characters were better developed.

The action on the track is easy to follow, if simplistic.

The vibrancy of color film might have added to the excitement of the races and the feel of luxury in the high-fashion world of Miss Stanwyck.

Gable and Stanwyck did one other film together at the beginning of talking pictures. It was called Night Nurse and Barbara was the lead and Gable an up and coming supporting player.

A generation later and they're both screen legends. I would have hoped that MGM would have given them something better. It's not that it's a bad film, the racing sequences are quite good and exciting. But To Please A Lady was definitely a B picture.

I have a theory that Gable wanted to do this for pleasure. After World War II, Gable and Stanwyck's husband Robert Taylor both took up racing; motorbikes, automobiles, you name it. MGM put a stop to it, not wanting to have two of its most expensive properties out risking their necks for fun. That's why we have stunt men. It took the decline of the studio system before a newer generation of stars like James Garner, Paul Newman and most of all Steve McQueen could pursue racing without studio interference.

Gable is the race car driver and Barbara Stanwyck is the Dorothy Thompson type columnist who at first dislikes him and then falls for him big time. Lots of similarities in their relationship to Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in Woman of the Year. No comedic moments in this one though.

Both Gable and Stanwyck deserved something more memorable than To Please A Lady.

When I saw this movie, I was amazed just how boring this movie was--and that hardly seems possible for a Clark Gable film. He and Barbara Stanwyck limp through a slow and unexciting script. In addition to these powerhouse actors, the script is about auto racing---and STILL it was ponderous. So, considering all the strengths behind it, it is so amazing the film isn't more exciting. The racing sequences are obviously faked, but even the effort to make them appear real seems minimal. Since there are so many better films of this era, don't watch it unless you are a die-hard fan. It isn't that the film is so bad, it's just that it's like eating an entire meal made of meringue--absolutely no substance behind it.

Dreary day in Auckland New Zealand, October 2005 and TCM has "To Please a Lady " on twice in the one day. Between mowing the lawns, I watch it twice. Sludge overkill? If it had been about a football star I wouldn't have watched it. The story line is as thin as Gable's moustache. But the automotive background, 55 years old, is priceless. Some of the "action" scenes are stagey, but you can tell that Gable does some of the close up, high speed driving - you don't get wind buffet on cheeks and arms from driving at 30mph! To see an Offy' motor being stripped, to see inside what looked like a genuine 1950 racing shop and to see Mauri Rose in the legendary Novi was incredible. Not for everyone, but for classic motor racing enthusiasts this movie is a hidden treasure. You get the feeling that Gable must have been a motor racing fan.

Popular columnist Regina Forbes (Barbara Stanwyck) decides to do her next story on successful race car driver Mike Brannan (Clark Gable). It's not a good first impression. It doesn't help that she accuses him of causing a crash and killing another driver. After she writes her scathing story, he can't race anywhere.

There is plenty of heat, but I don't buy the romance. He needs to do something to win her or she needs to discover something from his past. They need an intervening event between that story and their first kiss. They basically skip a step and I'm left trying to catch up emotionally for the rest of the movie. These two Hollywood legends should be a great pairing.

The sexism behind Stanwyck's enjoyment of being physically assaulted by Gable is merely the most odious part of this none too good film. There's Clarence Brown, for starters. I cannot think of a director less suited to the action/romance genre than this stiff, earnest fellow. It's kind of like asking Angela Merkel to do stand up. And the dialogue by Barre "I love a pseudonym" Lyndon and Marge Decker is at one with Brown's heavy handedness. Let this "romantic" exchange between the two leads serve as an example of the general awfulness of the writing: "You're no one till someone loves you" (Babs). "I never thought about it like that" (Gable). Throw in dull race car footage and you can see why it only rates a five and would have been lower had it not been for Stanwyck, who never ever phones it in no matter how convenient the telephone booth Solid C.

PS...Adolphe Menjou and Will Geer together in a film made at the height of HUAC? Hmm. Wonder if they even acknowledged each other offscreen?

A fabulous film tour of dirt and asphalt oval tracks around the country. Forget the story! A treat to see the days when you could tour the country making a living in a race car,by yourself and a small crew of dedicated sponsors and friends. A must see for any race fan. All you lefty artists will only see it as

a sleeping pill. Pearls before swine. As a racer that ran at various tracks in the film,it cant be overstated how

nostalgic a trip it is to see men and race machinery the way it was in the old days; incredible doses of fun,danger and adventure. I read about these days and heard stories, but you can see in the filming that the crews and drivers

are a snapshot of true racing history in this country. Mark my words,in twenty years they are going to worship films like this one. Enjoy it now and show a friend the way it was....

Hello, I really like Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck, but this movie must have been accepted by them as a pay cheque while they waited for something better. Both had very superior films before and after in their careers. It's about the only movie of either one I have ever turned off. The change from hard nose reporter, to love struck person in one scene (with no previous character development), was the just too much and the turning point in the movie. If a slap and one kiss could have that much affect on a human, then there's no hope for any intelligent mind on this earth. However, I have to be honest, the approach can be realistic and emotionally true depending on your value system. The causation of love is difficult to determine. Overall, maybe the plots, scripts, acting and perceptions were better at an earlier time. I think so.

Bye, Bill

So, in 1950's "To Please A Lady" (TPAL, for short), I'm being told that in order for the irresistible Mike Brannan to win over any woman (yes, even super-bitch, Regina Forbes), all that he has to do is, first, slap her face (good & hard), and, then (without missing a beat), forcefully plant a big, wet, lovable kiss, smack-dab, on her eagerly waiting lips.

And, with that done, you can be sure that any dame (in her right mind, of course) would be more than willing to follow Mike to the very ends of the Earth, and beyond. (Yes. Even that all-time castrator, Regina Forbes).... Ha! Yeah. As if!

Well, here's one thing positive that I can say about TPAL - Thank goodness Clark Gable had enough "star-power" clout to keep Barbara Stanwyck completely out of at least some of the scenes in this predictable and petty, little "Chick Flick" - 'Cause, otherwise, Stanwyck would've literally chewed up this picture to absolute shreds with her over-bearing and detestable character portrayal.

At least when Gable was on screen (at first, anyways) the focus was on his character racing midget-cars. But, alas, once he planted that first, fateful kiss on Stanwyck's lips, this film's story fizzled right out, big-time, and turned into a totally demented romance-from-hell that bored me to tears.

The very best moments in this picture were when daredevil drivers were entertaining all of the excited thrill-seekers under the big top at the circus. But these scenes just didn't last long enough for my liking.

It's like I said earlier - The best scenes in this super-trite romance story were when Stanwyck's character was completely out of the picture.

To say that Stanwyck just about ruined this potentially promising picture would truly be an understatement. At least Gable (in all of his arrogance) was somewhat likable.

This is a terrific movie for fans of car racing. There's live footage of real car races that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Clark Gable, is the tough ridden driver Mike, who seems to live under a cloud of doubt and blame which columnist Regina (Stanwyck) at first holds against him, deeming him the cause of another driver's death. But in time they work through their rough beginnings and then they find more understanding and acceptance. Both are strong-willed so it's an interesting match.

Adolphe Menjou also adds his abilities in a supportive role, always well done. I'm not a sports fan but did enjoy seeing these fine actors perform. I wasn't aware of this film until today when I saw it on tv, so it was a nice surprise. Very good entertainment.

Surprisingly unexciting race car drama with two top stars. Clark Gable plays a war hero turned successful race car driver. He wins races but not friends, with his gruff demeanor and recklessness on the track. When Gable's tactics during a race cause another driver's death, reporter Barbara Stanwyck writes a scathing piece on him that gets him banned from racing. The two then enter into a ridiculous and implausible romance.

Black & white helps the aging Gable. Stanwyck's character is completely unlikable. Ho-hum, predictable, and formulaic. A waste of two top talents, even if they are past their prime. Awful title, too.

I love this movie. It's one of my all time top ten favorites. The actual story line about racing is fairly accurate, with a little of Hollywood thrown in. It's a love story and a racing movie all rolled up into one. What more can you ask for. Clark Gable's subtle sex appeal just comes steaming off the screen and the chemistry between him and Barbara Stanwyck is the way you dream that love can happen. They are 2 different personalities, they have nothing in common, but you can feel the underlying animal magnetism that draws them together. If you are a real racing fan, you'll love seeing the the old midget racing footage, much of it is real footage, so for a real fan it's great. And so is the Indy 500 footage! It depicts the way racing really was back in the day. They raced midget's 7 nights a week and if you were good enough and got the right breaks, you headed for the Indy 500. Love and racing, it doesn't get any better!

I've gotta be honest. I never cared for racing films till I saw Cornel Wilde's "Devil's Hairpin" at a Saturday matinée a long time ago. It seemed like the start of 'modern' racing to me, where cars looked like cars and not bathtubs on wheels, and guys like Newman and Garner and McQueen were behind the wheel. Stuff made before that seemed too old and dated and creaky. So it was with some trepidation that I stayed up to watch this Gable/Stanwyck vehicle race around my TV screen for the first time. God knows it had to be creaky. They were making it while I was being conceived, and showing it in theaters while I was learning about baby formula! Yeah, there's a similar theme of drivers killing drivers like in "Devil's Hairpin", but there's Stanwyck going from being too hard-nose to sappy in love just a little too fast, Gable knocks her over way too quickly with no reason shown why he's even attracted to her, and the stars of the film look like they should have made this movie ten years earlier. But then, these stars were at the top of their game. When Stanwyck's assistant swoons over Clark Gable, she should. He's still the king! There were still plenty of women in the audience who would. And let's face it, Gable just had to dig Stanwyck because she was the best tough cookie with a soft center to come out of Hollywood ever. Gable slapping her, and some lines of dialogue stand out, especially Stanwyck saying, "You're nobody till somebody loves you," which had to predate Dean Martin's first recording of that by five years! There are lots of scenes of auto racing history for fans who appreciate that sort of thing to enjoy, but there's also the stars themselves to enjoy. Unlike today, there was a time when faces and personalities meant more to a film than the story itself, and it's watching these two stars go through the motions that really make this film worth watching even after all these years have passed.

This film is a typical star vehicle for Gable. He strides through it with his usual confidence, the cocked eyebrow and sly grin making the odd worthwhile appearance. What makes it unique is that it's the only teaming of Gable and Stanwyk. That's a real shame. Their chemistry and spark makes every scene they have together worthwhile, screen images and their characters clash wonderfully. A fantastic screen pairing. Barbara shines,proving again to be at home in any genre, matching it with any leading man. Gable, for his part sparkles too,deftly shading the darker elements of Mike Brannan with experienced ease. The perfect answer to a night at home or a rainy day.

I was 9 or 10 years old I saw To Please a Lady at the Ioka Theater in Exeter, NH, and a big fan of Barbara Stanwyck and Clark Gable. It is an exciting race car movie with of course a romantic angle between the two stars. The biggie was the line Gable uttered that even at the age of 9 or 10 made me wince a bit. I have not seen the film since and a half century later I can still remember it. It went: "Listen, baby, your just another dame to me. I can handle you," or "listen baby, I can handle you. You're just another dame to me." If you're a Stanwyck fan you can imagine her facial expression after the line was delivered. The film has been on TV.