Fast and Loose

Nothing pleased Depression Era audiences more than when working class people like chauffeurs and chorus girls got to date the rich sons and daughters of those with lots of money to waste. 99% of the audience fantasized it would be them as the rich son or daughter's new companion, because 99% of them were poor. Of course, they had no such change in real life. But for an hour or so, they could at least dream. I will take Carole Lombard over Miriam Hopkins for overall effect. The plot of the film is pretty original; as original as a copying machine. Don't bother watching this turkey unless you want to see an early Lombard performance.

Despite some heavyweight writing credits -- Avery Hopwood co-wrote the play, and Preston Sturges contributed dialogue to the movie -- and some fine performers -- Frank Morgan, Miriam Hopkins, Carole Lombard, and Ilka Chase in the best role in the movie -- I was not impressed. It starts out with Miss Hopkins engaged to David Hutcheson. It's a marriage of desire; he desires her family fortune, and Miss Hopkins' mother, played for the stage by Winnifred Harris, desires a title for her daughter. Meanwhile, Miss Hopkins' brother, played callowly by Henry Wadsworth, wants to marry Miss Lombard. This all falls apart when Miss Lombard spots Charles Starrett swimming in the moonlight. She pursues him, only to discover he's the auto mechanic daddy Morgan has hired. She wants him nonetheless, but he isn't going to marry her because she has too much money. Meanwhile, the parents find out, and start measures to end these unsuitable matches.

It all culminates in a very funny scene in a roadhouse, where Miss Chase steals everyone's thunder. But there's a long summing up, ending in the conclusion that too much unearned money is dead weight on the recipient's character. True enough, but this show fails by not following this line to its logical conclusion. In the end it's a romantic comedy that in a few years would have been a fine little screwball farce. It's pleasant enough in spots, but far too conventional.

Not the most original of plots, capricious heiress promised to a British lord falls for mechanic, while her equally spoiled heavy-drinking brother wants to marry a chorus girl. While the ending is no big surprise, the way to reach it is rather more original, as the pleasant and unhurried script finally reaches the more exciting climax it has been preparing. Good acting wins the day, though admirers of Miriam Hopkins will feel more satisfied than those of Carole Lombard, who inherits the fairly small and not so endearing part of the serious chorus girl with admirably strong morals. Still this is very much a pre-code movie, as can be seen in the night beach scene when the heiress and the rather uptight mechanic wonder whether they are both thinking about the same thing as Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden - and conclude it would be more advisable for them to go swimming...

An amusing trifle from the early sound period, "Fast and Loose" concerns the wealthy Lenox family of Long Island, whose two spoiled adult children have fallen for a mechanic and a chorus girl, both decidedly lower class and unsuitable to marry into the family. Based on a play, the short film is stagy and static; director Fred C. Newmeyer, obviously constrained by the new sound-recording process, rarely moves the camera, and his framing is invariably mid-shot, no close-ups at all. The story is predictable fluff, and some of the dated dialogue will have feminists howling. However, with Preston Sturges credited for writing the dialogue, the lines are often quite good, and the film moves at an entertaining pace.

Fortunately, the cast is superior to the flimsy story, with Miriam Hopkins outstanding as Marion Lenox, the multi-engaged young woman, who falls for handsome Henry Morgan, played by future western star, Charles Starrett, in his first credited role. After a moonlight swim together in the ocean, Marion has obviously admired Henry in his bathing suit, because she overlooks his misogynist remarks about women and motor cars and submits to his male dominance. Meanwhile, Marion's inebriated brother, Bertie, played by good-looking Henry Wadsworth, is engaged to showgirl Alice O'Neill, played by a young and lovely Carole Lombard. Lombard is years before emerging into stardom, and she is pleasant, if unremarkable, herein. Frank Morgan and Winifred Harris are fun as the elder Lenoxes, however, Ilka Chase and Barry O'Moore steal their scenes as Alice's wild roommate and Marion's stuffy uncle. Chase's pursuit of O'Moore is quite funny and lightens the film considerably.

Despite a dated script and pedestrian direction, "Fast and Loose" overcomes its flaws with the aid of a fine cast. While no great classic, the film is modestly entertaining and showcases Miriam Hopkins and Ilka Chase, as well as giving early evidence of the talent to come in Preston Sturges and Carole Lombard.

Marion (Miriam Hopkins) is engaged to Rockingham (David Hutcheson). She does not love him and you know that their relationship isn't going to work out. It doesn't. She calls it off so that she can spend her time with Henry (Charles Starrett), a mechanic. This is too much for Marion's mother, Carrie (Winifred Harris) who is a socially aspiring nightmare of a woman. Carrie is dealt another blow when her son, Bertie (Henry Wadsworth) announces his intention to marry a chorus girl Alice (Carole Lombard). Marion's father, Bronson (Frank Morgan) plays the voice of reason and engineers a happy ending.

This film belongs to Miriam Hopkins. Whenever she is on screen you are never far from a quality insult, especially in the scenes with Charles Starrett when they go swimming at night. She effortlessly insults him and it's great fun to watch. Unfortunately, he is a bit of a lughead and comes nowhere near the level of acting competency or talent that is demonstrated by Hopkins. He is just a big, stupid guy who likes cars. Carole Lombard hardly has a thing to do and is upstaged by her companion, Millie (Ilka Chase). The film is funny and moves at a good pace. It's the usual boy v girl story where we know what is going to happen and it's fun to watch how they get there.