Five and Ten

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

Ambitious John Rarick (Richard Bennet) is a shining example of the American Dream going from a "mom and pop" to mega chain store owner in the heady prosperous era of the Roaring Twenties. Moving from Kansas to New York he installs his once tight family into the lap of luxury and unintentionally off his radar screen. The attention starved wife (Irene Rich) begins to step out with other men while his son Avery (Kent Douglass) masking incestuous feelings begins to feel alienated and takes to self destruction. Sis Jenniffer ( Marion Davies) is upbeat but smitten with Berry (Leslie Howard) who is engaged to Muriel who seems to enjoy hurting Jen than being in love with Berry. It seems that success has brought with it its own set of problems.

There's an amoral attitude in Five and Ten that gives it a mature sophisticated feel. The wife has callers drop by the mansion, Jen shows little compunction about pursuing the spoken for Berry , Avery makes no bones about how he yearns for the days of when he was closer to mom and sis while pop meanwhile devotes his energies to profit margin. What could make for an absorbing depiction of a wealthy family in free fall ala Magnificent Ambersons (without the Welles touch of course) takes a back seat however to the the mawkishly stilted romance between Davies and Leslie Howard and the film suffers immeasurably as the two, especially Howard, chew scenery when they go to the clinches. Irene Rich and especially Kent Douglass contribute strong performances but it remains a Davies vehicle and with Howard as her driving partner they grind gears and mood most of the ride.

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.

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.

Five and Ten (1931)

** (out of 4)

Extremely boring melodrama has the owner of a chain of Five and Dime stores moving his family to New York City and it doesn't take long for his daughter (Marion Davies) to get involved with society. There she meets a young man (Leslie Howard) who she thinks is for her but soon one problem after another hampers their relationship. Having watched this just minutes after Davies' earlier film THE FLORODORA GIRL, it's quite apparent that this must have been a production that William Randolph Hearst had his hands in. Unlike the previous film that took drama and mixed in great comedy, a strength of Davies, this film here just milks everything so dry by trying to be so dramatic and serious by the time the ending comes you're either going to be asleep or simply not caring what happens. This is an incredibly dry and boring melodrama that each second seems to be screaming out at the viewer to be "impressed" with what's going on. Each scene is just presented in such a "proper" and "serious" manor that you have to wonder if these people ever have any fun. Davies does what she can with the role but this here certainly isn't a highlight of her career. Howard appears smothered by everything and the two really don't have much chemistry. FIVE AND DIME remains mildly entertaining thanks to the stars but at the same time you know you're just watching fluff.