Lucky on stage, Unlucky in love
Rockabye is both the title of this film and the title of a play that society writer Joel McCrea wants Constance Bennett to star in. She's a hit in the play, the movie left a bit to be desired.
This movie is strictly Connie's show and she has three men panting after her. First is Walter Pidgeon who is a political fixer of sorts who is on trial for bribery. Her relationship with him causes her to be subpoenaed as a witness by District Attorney Charles Middleton. Though Pidgeon is acquitted both their reputations have suffered. As a result the baby she has adopted is taken from here by the blue noses who run the Bureau of Child Welfare. What this crowd might have done with Angelina Jolie or Madonna today is something to contemplate.
Her second man is agent Paul Lukas who suggests a nice long European trip till the scandal talk dies down which she does and where she meets McCrea. His character seems to be based on that real society playwright George Kelly, uncle of Grace. He writes a play that proves to be her biggest hit.
Connie's lucky in her career on stage, but singularly unlucky in love. The rest of Rockabye will show that should one care to view it.
Bennett and McCrea were a screen team of sorts doing four films including this one in the early Thirties. According to Tony Thomas in the films of Joel McCrea and THE authority on such matters Robert Osborne, the film was originally shot with Phillips Holmes in Joel's role, but Connie got George Cukor the director to re-shoot her scenes with McCrea. Personally in this somewhat maudlin film I think that Phillips Holmes might have been done the real favor.
George Cukor who usually had such a good touch in these 'women's' pictures went off the mark in this early work of his.
This movie is strictly Connie's show and she has three men panting after her. First is Walter Pidgeon who is a political fixer of sorts who is on trial for bribery. Her relationship with him causes her to be subpoenaed as a witness by District Attorney Charles Middleton. Though Pidgeon is acquitted both their reputations have suffered. As a result the baby she has adopted is taken from here by the blue noses who run the Bureau of Child Welfare. What this crowd might have done with Angelina Jolie or Madonna today is something to contemplate.
Her second man is agent Paul Lukas who suggests a nice long European trip till the scandal talk dies down which she does and where she meets McCrea. His character seems to be based on that real society playwright George Kelly, uncle of Grace. He writes a play that proves to be her biggest hit.
Connie's lucky in her career on stage, but singularly unlucky in love. The rest of Rockabye will show that should one care to view it.
Bennett and McCrea were a screen team of sorts doing four films including this one in the early Thirties. According to Tony Thomas in the films of Joel McCrea and THE authority on such matters Robert Osborne, the film was originally shot with Phillips Holmes in Joel's role, but Connie got George Cukor the director to re-shoot her scenes with McCrea. Personally in this somewhat maudlin film I think that Phillips Holmes might have been done the real favor.
George Cukor who usually had such a good touch in these 'women's' pictures went off the mark in this early work of his.
- bkoganbing
- May 16, 2012