A Successful Failure

William Collier Sr. is getting on, and has troubles at work and at home. His age and poor eyesight are about to get him fired. His family certainly doesn't respect him. Daughter Gloria Shea is dating a rich man and about to fall; his elder son, William Janney, is a loafer who spouts unfiltered Communist propaganda; his wife, Lucille Gleason, is a nattering nitwit. They all think he lacks gumption and should ask for a raise. Only younger son George Breakston and fellow reporter Russell Hopton admire him. When Collier is finally fired, Hopton quits and they set out to try to get Collier's proposed column of aphorisms sold.

I've seen far too many cheap B movies from this era and judging by the others, this movie is far better than it has any right to be. I attribute this excellence to a fine, well-chosen cast and director Arthur Lubin pushing the plot points at a speed that keeps the movie humming along, yet allows the performers to work at their own speed, with some nice warm humor. Certainly he was a comedy specialist, and would direct commercially successful movies with Abbott & Costello and Francis the Talking Mule. Collier's slow-talking, folksy character might not seem his meat, but he certainly gets a fine performance out of the man.

Charming suburban comedy with a social and moral message for 'depression era' audiences who would have related to this family feature well. Solid well decorated sets and a friendly wink to the audience via the humorous script allow this lovely little Monogram feature from 1934 to be undemanding and effective without being preachy. Some pre Andy Hardy type family situations and ideas add to the familiar family drama. The casting of the parents seems a generation to wide for later audiences, they actually look the kids grandparents, but the actors of Mom and Pop: William Collier Sr and Lucile Gleason are excellent characters with charming easy delivery of whimsical dialog. There is a few real laughs and some good looking night time suburban street scenes. It is almost a Blondie and Dagwood script before either that series or the Hardy Family turned up. These pre 1935 Monogram pix are really interesting productions to me, as the studio was successfully gaining a good reputation and their developing image is evident especially by 1934..... A SUCCESSFUL FAILURE is typical of their solid small film style with good cast roles and interesting sets and design. You can see how other studios copied this formula and suburban style about tired Dad and his teenage family dramas. The young teen actor in this one is George Breakston and he is particularly effective, both in modern look and easy realistic style.

This pleasant, low-key B-comedy is a bit trite at times, but worth watching. William Collier plays a character full of homespun wisdom who is nevertheless under-appreciated by his family, who care only about his salary, and by his boss, who sees only that he is growing older. The story that follows is quite simple, and sometimes moves too slowly, but it has its moments and is mostly upbeat, so it is worth seeing how things play out. The Monogram production is strictly routine, so there isn't anything especially impressive about it, but it is probably worth a look for fans of old low-budget comedies.

Edgar Kennedy made a total later career playing a P-whipped character like this. A guy whose family treats him like dirt. The big difference is Kennedy was actually funny.

This is a very slow moving film that is nothing special. It's OK, but if you can find ANY Edgar Kennedy film, you'd be better served. In fact, in the 40s Kennedy lifted this entire plot for a two reeler. It was WAY funnier.

The plot of this

Ellery Cushing is full of catchy sayings and old-fashioned wisdom. But all that his family cares about is how much money he makes, and all that his boss at the newspaper sees is that Cushing is getting too old to keep up with his work. So his loyal co-worker Phil decides to see what he can do to help everyone see what his friend has to offer.

"A Successful Failure (1934) is a gentle and enjoyable smaller-budget film from the middle of the Great Depression that peels back the curtains for a view into a household of a middle-aged mom and dad with three children from about 11 or 12 years of age to just above 20, give or take. The two older kids are somewhat in the doldrums over how their immediate prospects for substantially increased spending money is unlikely, what with the father having a modestly-paying job and no one else working, not to mention the constraints imposed by the Depression-era times they are in. They are both also wrestling with burgeoning temptations and youthful naive idealism. Twelve-year old (or thereabouts) Tommy is still young enough to admire the down-to-earth gentle-natured wisdom of his Dad, having not yet been stirred by the need to be contrary and restless on the world stage like his older siblings. The homemaker mother would like a little more income flow, too, and lets her wishes for Dad to bring home a higher paycheck be known daily. But she keeps her best-face forward and serves as the glue that holds the family together. She is proudly content in her role of mother to all of them, Dad included. The question that needs to be answered by movie's end is if wisdom-based family values will prevail or at least color the future direction of this family, or if the temptations and idealism of youth will win out and the family move along on a path of possibly being irrevocably splintered. The acting in this film is relaxed and the dialog delivered naturally. The time spent with the characters zips on by. If one is reading these reviews because one has an interest in films about family during the Great Depression, or in any era, I say by all means dive in, as it likely will be worth your while!