Cain e Mabel

In what would be her second to last film, Marion Davies stars as a waitress who lands a job as a lead dancer in an expensive Broadway show. The only problem is she is not an established star and cannot draw many people to see the show. Her managers concoct a plan to keep her name in the papers by linking her romantically with a famous prize fighter, thereby creating publicity for the show, but unfortunately they can't stand each other. However, when the fighter (Clark Gable) learns she is really down to earth, and was once a waitress, his opinion of her changes and they decide to be married (quite abruptly). The publicity people keep getting in the way and end up turning them against each other for the sake of publicity, until in the end both decide to throw their big careers in the bucket and get married.

The plot is sort of silly, but not entirely phony. I sort of like the idea of presenting two famous, successful people who both willingly give up their careers for love (and not just the woman giving up her career). It was a novel approach. It a rare example of equality between the sexes for its time.

The publicity angle is also good. Here we have two people torn apart and brought back together by media lies. It happened then, and is still relevant today, when "don't believe everything you read" is as true as ever.

Ultimately, the movie is not completely successful, although it satisfies to an extent. The casting of Marion Davies, who was by all means a huge star of the day, in a leading role of this nature seems all wrong. Her strong points are her charm and comedic abilities, neither of which is shown much to her advantage in CAIN AND MABEL. She is pretty and likable throughout, but she is never an authentic film presence, nor does she display any genuine or deep emotion. It is all surface, but the surface is where she excels, and she would have shone in any number of supporting roles as a character actress, or in a stronger comedy as a lead. Here, she is not given much to do besides pose, whimper, and smile, which she does charmingly but not convincingly. She might have fared better if given more to do.

Her role, and the film in general, was reminiscent of DANCING LADY, another story of a showgirl who makes it big and has man trouble. Where that film was perhaps more formulaic in its conclusion, it was also twice as convincing, perhaps because the lead was played by the dynamic Joan Crawford. This is not to say Davies is a lesser actress than Crawford, but each had their strengths, and this type of role was more suited to the emotionally available Crawford.

The whole film feels somewhat dated, as if it was filmed in 1932, not 1936. The story you have seen before, and in superior films. Both the lead actors have given better performances. Gable's performance was adequate and likable, but it felt like one of his earlier performances, and not a performance drawing from his experience. It's hard to believe, while watching the film that it is a product of so much talent, or of movie stars at the height of their careers. With so much going into it, not limited to an expensive budget rivaling any number of Shearer or Garbo films, but also fantastic musical numbers, how could the result be so utterly underwhelming?

The film should have been a comeback for Davies. It should have been a very modern vehicle to showcase Gable at the top of his game, and reintroduce Davies as a formidable rival to the other screen queens of the era. Instead, we end up wondering what Clark Gable is doing in a Marion Davies movie, and by then Davies' image was dated and she would have benefited more by starring in a Clark Gable film.

CAIN AND MABEL could have been an important, ground-breaking film starring two great stars. Instead it is an empty vanity project, in which Gable is used for window dressing, Davies is not allowed to exercise any of her talents, and the plot was a formulaic re-hash of something from five years earlier (done better the first time).

It is a curiosity piece, though, and a must for fans of the stars, or for people who enjoy pleasant entertainment which demands little from the viewer.

This movie is a must see for anyone who is a screwball comedy fan. I found it to be very very funny. Why it is not on video, I don't know. It is something that can could be seen multiple times. It is packed full of one liners, glamour (Marion and Clark), humorous story line and a few rather interesting show numbers. I would rate it right up there with "Red Dust" and "Idiot's Delight".

I have to respectfully disagree with the reviewer regarding his take that Marion Davies showed no discernible talent for comedy! Doing comedy was the prime talent that she excelled in. Even if this movie was not particularly memorable, Davies does quite well, particularly in the number with Sammy White--if anything, she's at her whimsical best. Marion Davies has always been underrated in her films, often by those who have not seen enough of her performances. Among those usually seen on TCM are Going' HOLLYWOOD(1933) and PEG O'MY HEART (1932), both pretty decent showcases for her. Her best features are more elusive, those produced during the silent era. Of these, one of the more available is SHOW PEOPLE (1928), one of her most highly regarded films. Her natural flair for comedy is in full force, and should put to rest any doubts about her so-called lack of comedic skills.

Marion Davies and Clark Gable star together in a second film (they had co-starred in POLLY OF THE CIRCUS) as a Broadway star and a prize fighter who get tricked into a phony publicity romance to increase their box office draw.

Lots of snappy lines here as the two stars go through their paces, accompanied by a solid supporting cast. Davies gets doused with a bucket of water. She gets even, dousing Gable with water in a hallway. They trade insults

Davies gets to star is two lavish production numbers. The "Coney Island" romp is fun with Davies singing and dancing with Sammy White. The "Thousand Love Songs" number is built on a huge stage (biggest ever, the roof was raised 35 ft to accommodate the massive sets) and includes a human pipe organ, a Venetian canal, and even a white wedding, with Davies as the centerpiece in all of them. Davies cracked a rib during a dance number. Too bad the dance double is badly done. Still a lot of fun all round.

Ruth Donnelly, William Collier, Allen Jenkins, Pert Kelton, Robert Paige (billed as David Carlyle), Hobart Cavanaugh, Marie Prevost, E.E. Clive, Walter Catlett, and Roscoe Karns co-star. Sammy White is terrific in the "Coney Island" number, following up a great turn in SHOW BOAT with Irene Dunne. Jane Wyman is one of the chorus girls.

Davies would make only one more film after CAIN AND MABEL.

Cain and Mabel (1936)

** (out of 4)

Extremely flat comedy-musical about a heavyweight boxer (Clark Gable) and a Broadway star (Marion Davies) who hate one another but agree to a "relationship" to boost their career. The publicity of their relationship gets more people to come watch their business but soon the two enemies start to really fall in love, which just sets off more problems. It's rather amazing that at this point in her career Davies was still getting top-billing and even over Gable who had won an Oscar two years earlier and was one of the biggest box-office draws in the world. With that said, the two might be legends but there isn't a pinch of chemistry between the two and the screenplay is do downright lame that you wish it would end shortly after it started. The screenplay is a real mess as the story is so predictable that you can't help but feel bored but what's even worse is that the "story" of the two enemies dating doesn't happen until nearly the 50-minute mark. Everything leading up to the story starting are a bunch of scenes that really don't add up to anything including the incredibly bland opening sequence where Davies is a waitress who gets fired and then accidentally ends up in the Broadway show. What was the point of this? I'm going to guess that someone wanted more comedy sequences so this was thrown in but not a single frame of it is funny. There are a lot of comic moments in the film but sadly the majority of them fall flat on their face. The only saving grace are a couple good one-liners from the supporting players like Allen Jenkins and Roscoe Karns. Gable, as you'd expect, delivers a pretty good performance as he has no trouble pulling off the tough boxer role. Davies, on the other hand, is miscast and never fits the role. The comedy type here just isn't her thing so she kills the majority of the jokes and even worse is that the entire film is built around here character and she simply can't carry things. Her and Gable seem like brothers and sisters and never really seem comfortable with one another. Another head-scratcher is that there are some gigantic musical numbers that are downright horrid and stop the film in its tracks. I'm really not sure what the point of all of these were unless, again, someone wanted to show her off as a singer. Yeah, it seems someone had a boyfriend who really forced this film all around.