The Working Man

Interesting story of a sly old fox (George Arliss), owner of the Reeves Shoe Company, who seems like he'd rather be fishing with his pal in Maine than running the business, so heads off for a fishing holiday, leaving his conceited nephew in charge of biz. While out fishing, he accidentally meets up with the son and daughter of Hartland, his recently deceased one-time friend and biggest rival in the shoe business. Giving them a fake name, the two youths have no idea he is rival Reeves, but they are really more interested in contacting bootleggers, throwing drunken parties, and running through their inheritance anyway. After heading back home with these two to get an "inside look" at the workings of their shoe factory and make an offer to buy the company, Reeves sees that the company is being run into the ground and decides he would rather help these Hartlands out instead - see, he was once in love with their mother, not to mention his swollen-headed nephew thinks he's too old to run a business anymore - he'll show the young whippersnapper! So he gets the Hartland's to make him their new trustee/guardian (and they do it 'cause they think he is just a simple "old fisherman" who will give them all the money they want to run wild with), then takes a firm hold of the running of the company and the young Hartlands!

Really good film with excellent script and performances all around. George Arliss is an old charmer, really endearing in this film - he makes you really want to root for him. Bette Davis looks real cute in this, and does a great job, as always, in her part. The story is lots of fun to watch, and left me with a smile at the end - credit for this film really belongs to George Arliss who dominates the film and makes it a good one.

I'd never seen this film before today, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Parenthetically, I never saw either of its predecessors, either, which may be why I was surprised at this delightful film. George Arliss and Bette Davis absolutely charm here. The "farce" approach of this picture adds a tingle of excitement with every near-discovery of the real identities of the characters and their relationships to one another. While many TCM patrons and film enthusiasts will enjoy this for the pleasurable experience that classic films bring, I'd suggest that it be shared with folks who are relatively new to this area as an introduction to how wonderful classic films can be. The only gripe I have w/the construction of the film is the way the ending is so quickly and neatly tied up. There was an abrupt resolution without a gradual denouement to allow the audience to enjoy the conclusion longer. Other than that detail, I enjoyed everything else immensely. I recommend this wholeheartedly to both old viewers and new ones.

New York shoe tycoon George Arliss (as John Reeves) clashes with nephew Hardie Albright (as Benjamin Burnett) over managing the family business. To show how the company will do without him, Mr. Arliss goes off on an extended vacation. While fishing, Arliss meets young swimmers Bette Davis and Theodore Newton (as Jenny and Tommy Hartland), inheritors of his deceased rival's shoe company. Arliss is immediately taken with Ms. Davis and Mr. Newton; he once courted their mother, also now deceased...

But the young duo party while manager Gordon Westcott (as Fred Pettison) runs their business into the ground...

Arliss decides to teach all the youngsters a lesson by assuming the identity of "John Walton" and taking over the rival shoe company. With a typically masterful performance, Arliss makes this lightweight story work beautifully. The younger players glow in his presence; this was acknowledged by Davis, who would eventually possess a similar magical screen presence. Arliss and director John G. Adolfi obviously work very well together, and with the cast. An Arliss picture had to be great experience for the actor.

******** The Working Man (4/20/33) John G. Adolfi ~ George Arliss, Bette Davis, Theodore Newton, Hardie Albright

THE WORKING MAN appointed to watch over the inheritance of a couple of young wastrels, unbeknownst to them, is actually the old tycoon once in love with their late mother.

This is a very well produced little comedy from Vitaphone/Warner Bros., featuring another splendid performance from the old master of character acting, Mr. George Arliss. This was an actor who could fascinate an audience merely by sitting still, letting his face act for him. Here, playing a great shoe manufacturer, Arliss is tremendous fun, whether haranguing his salesmen, or, switching sides, working for his own biggest competitor with equal gusto. It is doubtful that Arliss ever gave anything less than an entertaining cinematic performance. It is a shame that this wonderful actor is nearly forgotten today.

Arliss is given good support by a trio of young actors: Hardie Albright as his stuffy, conceited nephew - ‘The Young Napoleon of Shoes;' as well as Theodore Newton and a very pert & pretty Bette Davis as the spendthrift offspring of his late rival. Miss Davis always credited Mr. Arliss for giving her an important hands-up at this early stage in her screen career.

J. Farrell MacDonald is very down-to-earth as Arliss' fishing buddy in Maine; Edward Van Sloan appears briefly, but effectively, as Arliss' company auditor.

You know as soon as you hear Leo Forbstein's opening music from 42nd Street that this is going to give you that warm, slightly edgy but comfy high you only get from a Warner Brothers pre-code movie. This one's witty, it's upbeat but maybe a bit too 'nice.' Some reviewers seem to love this more than life itself - I thought it was ok.

It's got a nice vibe about it and although it's not at all sentimental it does have one of those 'let's celebrate the human spirit' types of moral message. The grown-up story and script however are cleverly written so its Capra-like message is delivered in a non-preachy way without ramming any of it down your throat. Like one of Capra's late 30s films, this also leaves you quite uplifted and inexplicably pleased with yourself for being one of those nice humans! If you're feeling a bit down, you'll feel better about life when you've watched this.

The one thing which lets this down is the acting - we're talking extras in FLASH GORDON skill levels here! During the early thirties, director John Adolfi was synonymous with George Arliss - he directed Mr Arliss quite well but he seemed to have ignored the rest of his cast. Being a silent film director, he didn't seem to notice how dreadful and totally unnatural the rest of the actors are. There doesn't seem any consistency in the characterisations - some are blustering with gestures like a villain from a Chaplin film whereas others just seem bored. One person does stand out - Theodore Newton gives one of the worst acting performances ever: you feel embarrassed for him. Obviously Bette Davis is predictably and annoyingly perfect actor but as for the rest of them, including George Arliss, it all seems a bit under-rehearsed. Coming from Warner Brothers, that's probably true - the whole thing was shot in just over a fortnight so maybe if they'd devoted a little more time to this it could have been less amateurish. I'm thinking it was the timescale because Adolfi did CENTRAL PARK with Joan Blondell a year earlier and the acting in that was perfectly fine.

Overall it's surprisingly more entertaining than you think it's going to be. It's a happy film - and an intelligently written film too. I'm not sure I'd call it a comedy though.