Sublime Pecado

A screwball comedy with a British accent, Man of the Moment takes an original premise that is darkly realistic and carries it through to a madcap if predictable conclusion that satisfies more than anything because of the fine acting of its leads.

Mary,(Laura La Plante) is a secretary whose crush on her boss comes to a horrible end when he demotes her so he can promote a girl he's dating. Despondent, she resolves to throw herself in the Thames River. Along comes Tony, (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) to rescue her on the eve of his wedding . He now feels responsible for her and takes her home. She is still determined to end it all, so he can't let her out of his sight. Did I mentioned that he was getting married?

It's all predictable, but the acting of the leads and the comedy of the supporting cast make it enjoyable.

Fairbanks is, of course, charmingly dashing and sincerely devil-may-care, He is the perfect straight man for an assortment of comic characters. La Plante is a delightful surprise. She plays a kind of multiple personality that is part poor working girl and part elfin sprite. Her energy makes the improbable story probable. She even does a passable boy when she dresses in drag to crash Tony's stag party.

The rest of the cast - Claude Hulbert as a goofy friend in love with Tony's fiancé; Margaret Lockwood as a devious fiancé who cries at the slightest provocation and Peter Gawthorne as her long-suffering father carry the screwball element with something of a music-hall touch.

All in all a frothy bubbly harmless way to enjoy an hour or so.

From 1923 to 1930 Laura LaPlante was the Queen of Universal Studios. She was a delightful comedienne and a fine dramatic actress. She was outstanding in the part-talkie epic "Showboat"(1929) though the film itself in its current form is mediocre at best. She left Universal in 1930 after two musical flops but found considerable success in England starring in half a dozen comedies for Warner Brothers-Teddington Studios. "The Man of the Moment"(Warner Bros, 1935) made its U.S. debut last night and proved once and for all that LaPlante should have had a great talkie career in the kind of films she excelled in the silent twenties. SHe makes a delightful pairing with the handsome young Douglas Fairbanks Jr.. The film is given a glossy Hollywood-style sheen, the script and direction is excellent, but it is these 2 stars at their charismatic best that makes this constant fun. Why Warner Brothers did not re-team these two is a mystery....The film never got a U.S. release though Fairbanks was a major star at the time. LaPlante's career was going into eclipse but she was still widely known by the public.

"Man of the Moment" stars one of my favorite actors, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Laura LaPlante. I can just hear my mother now if I told her I saw a film with Laura LaPlante. "LAURA LAPLANTE?" indicating that it's an ancient name. I guess it is, since she was a silent film star and pretty much quit films in 1935.

LaPlante plays Mary, a secretary who is in love with her boss. After another employee basically tells her she has nothing to look forward to in life except an expanding waistline and an old face, she finds out that her boss is having an affair with another coworker.

Mary leaves the office and throws herself in the river. To her dismay, she's rescued by Tony (Fairbanks) who insists upon bringing her back to his place to dry off. She has nothing to fear from him, he says. He's getting married tomorrow. His bride-to-be is Vera, played by Margaret Lockwood.

Mary doesn't want to stay but her attempt to sneak out fails, and then there's a big engagement party. She disguises herself as a waiter by slicking down her hair but she falls asleep on the couch. The next morning, Vera sees her in the house and breaks off her engagement.

Tony is now as miserable as Mary. He's completely broke. He decides to go to Monte Carlo to win some money, and he wants her to come along. He makes a deal with her. If he doesn't win, he'll jump into the river with her. She agrees.

Cute comedy with good acting by all involved, but it's nothing special. LaPlante's role was definitely a natural for Claudette Colbert or Marion Davies. LaPlante, however, acquitted herself well. Fairbanks, as the dashing and sophisticated Tony, is wonderful. He was an underrated actor, in my opinion, and today, when many performances no longer hold up, his do.

LaPlante made the transition to talkies but by 1935, she was sick of movie-making. She had a 51-year marriage to producer Irving Asher. It turned out to be a nice life. She died at 92 from Alzheimer's disease.

This is a good showcase for her talent. Recommended for the performances.

This film concerns a poor man named Douglas Fairbanks Jr., engage to an heiress, ( Margaret Lockwood, and one day he saves a woman (Laura La Plante) from drowning and falls in love with her. Douglas Fairbanks becomes deeply involved with Laura La Plante and finds himself hiding her in his apartment as a male servant. Douglas Fairbanks friends tease poor Laura La Plante and even threaten to hairbrush him/her and things get pretty upsetting. The men also want Laura La Plante to take off her/his clothes. There is plenty of great scenes and outstanding photography for a great classic film starring two great veteran actors. However, you must remember this is a very old English B Film and not filmed very often in the United States. If you like Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and like his early films, this is a film you will definitely enjoy.

We owe Turner Classic Movies yet another debt for showing, for the first time in 2007 a remastered version of this fine screwball comedy from Warner Brothers. I didn't know that screwballs were made in England during their heyday in the United States. The film is a little light on laughs, but it is pleasant throughout, and the acting is exceptional. Here are 29-year-old Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and 31-year-old Laura La Plante playing roles that would expect from, say, Melvin Douglas and Jean Arthur. Laura was at the end of her 87-movie career, and her performance in this film reveals what an excellent actress she was. I'm saving the film for my collection, as an example of how good even "B" films could be in the golden age of movies.