Spring Fever

Poor Jack Kelly (William Haines) is a lowly stock clerk--but a wonderful golfer. Through circumstances to inane to get into he gets into a posh country club, becomes a top golfer and acts like a rich man. He meets beautiful rich Allie Monte (Joan Crawford) and falls in love. However he can't marry her and will have to eventually return to his poor life. What to do?

To be truthful this picture is a yawner. The situations and characters are boringly predictable and the 2008 "restored" version is in utterly dreadful shape. Lousy music score too. But this is one of the few chances to see Haines and Crawford together. Haines was the top box office draw of the late 1920s. He was tall, VERY handsome and a good actor. Crawford was very young, beautiful and also a good actor. Her and Haines were best friends. Haines career was destroyed due to homophobia--he refused to dump his male lover and was fired. But Crawford and him remained life long friends and you can see here how they really clicked together and worked well. They both play opposite each other easily and their good looks and acting carry them through. The film is seriously one big snooze--but worth catching for Haines and Crawford. I give it a 6.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film which had far more drama than comedy although there were some funny scenes.

At its core, Spring Fever is a very believable romance. Watching a young Joan Crawford hone her skills was amazing. She steals scene after scene with her expressive eyes.

If you're interested in the silent era, this is a great movie to see.

Mr. Waters is a frustrated golf enthusiast. Jack Kelly works for him as a shipping clerk. He gets angry when Mr. Waters fires his father and drives a golf ball through a window. Instead of being mad, Mr. Waters is taken with his golf swing and invites him to a country club. At the club, he is taken with Allie Monte (Joan Crawford) but she sees right through him.

Joan Crawford is quite young here and almost unrecognizable since I've never seen her as a young woman. I'm also struck by the fact that silent film era comedies don't really work without being broad slapstick. The man had to drop trousers to get close to a laugh. It's a matter of timing. Comedy needs the verbal timing and there's nowhere for a silent film to deliver that. As for the romance, it's pretty standard. This has some good misunderstandings and hurdles. This is fine.

Joan Crawford and William Haines star as flaming youths circling

each other on a country club golf course. I wouldn't recommend

this film as highly as Haines' "Show People", but if you like 20s

films, this one certainly has its moments. Haines and Crawford

have nice chemistry together. I'm not much of a golfer, so I can't

comment on that aspect of the film, but fashion buffs will certainly

find things of interest here. Especially charming is the scene

where a newly married couple confronts the sudden reality of a

wedding night! All their previous bravado melts away (and the

viewer is reminded of how much some things have changed, for

better or worse).

This was my first crawford film. it was also the first time i watched a silent picture. mayb it was the golf, mayb the title. in any case, i loved it.