Upperworld

Within the context of B-dramedies, this is undoubtedly a great movie, but within the overall context of movies as a whole, it falls just short. While it utilizes an "A" cast, led by the superb Warren William, the plot just loses too much steam at the end to really feel like it meets its potential. The build-up in the movie, especially the sharp dialogue that is given to the aforementioned William, makes the movie feel even shorter than its hour-plus running time. It certainly never drags, and the grey characterization given to the various roles even makes the film food for analytical fodder. Unfortunately, the trial and cop-out yacht cruise ending come so fast and non-furious that even the most accepting of viewers will feel at least a bit cheated. Nonetheless, if you ever stumble upon this on TCM and have a little time to spare, it is more than worth your while, and is remarkably non-dated.

You'll think, when you start this movie, that it's a silly Ginger Rogers comedy. It does start out that way, but before long, it turns into a pretty heavy drama with twists and turns that will shock you. For a pre-Fred Ginger, and the star who no doubt hated Melvyn Douglas's success, Warren William, check out this romantic drama, Upper World.

Warren is a famous millionaire with a beautiful house, beautiful wife Mary Astor, and adorable and playful son Dickie Moore. He's completely satisfied, except for the small disagreement that Mary likes hosting high-society parties and he doesn't. Then, a random occurrence on his yacht connects him with burlesque dancer Ginger Rogers. He rescues her from drowning, then accompanies her back to her apartment, then stays and cooks breakfast with her. Before long, he's buying her twelve thousand dollar diamond bracelets and sitting in the front row during her very risqué dance numbers. Ginger's boyfriend, J. Carrol Naish, finds out about the affair and hopes to blackmail Warren, but his plans go awry.

This isn't the most dramatic movie out there, and it probably won't be your favorite, but it's worth watching if it appeals to you. There are so many movies from the 1930s that have been forgotten about, and many of them are quite good.

The Upperworld of railroad tycoon Warren William almost crashes into a show girl rather abruptly with his speeding power boat nearly running down a swimming Ginger Rogers.

Now more than likely she would have picked herself up, dusted herself off and started all over again as she did in a song she sung in a later film normally. But Warren William's marriage to Mary Astor is running into some rough seas itself. She's too busy being a socialite to have time for her husband and son, little Dickie Moore. Consequently William is ripe for a relationship with Rogers. One that her sleazy boyfriend J. Carrol Naish is ready to take advantage of.

One of the things I found fascinating with Upperworld is the rather rigid roles for the sexes that are defined. William is king of his castle and the wife is their for him. Astor is condemned for wanting something more than being the dutiful wife and mother, a career of her own is not even mentioned as a possibility. She's condemned for being social butterfly and later is properly repentant when tragedy strikes.

As for Rogers even though she gets into this quite by accident, she's still a homewrecker and a person in a not quite respectable profession of showgirl.

Upperworld is a story of tragedy and scandal and the leads are given a good group of supporting players fitting comfortably into roles they've all played before. Please make note of Andy Devine as the chauffeur and Robert Grieg as the butler to William and Astor. Both serve as confidantes at various times of the film to William. Also note Sidney Toler as the beat cop and righteous voice of working class America determined to bring Warren William down. His deductions are worthy of Charlie Chan.

This view of the mores of high society is what we get from Upperworld, a most typical product of the working class studio that was Warner Brothers back in the day.

I read another review and thought I would offer what I thought were the good points of this film. The film was a typical period B film of man finds girl when wife doesn't pay attention to him. The music is great and was later used as backdrop for short films. Also, we get to see Sidney Toler(who later became Charlie Chan) playing a Chan-like policeman; J. Carrol Naish, who starred as a gangster in many later films; Mary Astor, a star of "The Maltese Falcon", who showed some of the great facials she did in that film; and of course, and early Ginger Rogers. The dialogue is snappy and the direction more than adequate. Enjoy this one, it certainly isn't the greatest ever made, but it never claimed to be - just a film of the times. I gave it a 7 out of 10 for its overall against similar films.

(Some Spoilers) On the verge of closing the biggest railroad merger in US history railroad tycoon Alx Stream, Warren Williams, is on his yacht cruising the open waters when he notices a young girl in distress. Saving the girl from drowning Alex offers her a lift back home in the city and during a chit chat with her finds out that she's Lilly Linda, Ginger Rogers, a showgirl at a local burlesque theater.

Alex has been happily married to his socialite wife Hettie, Mary Astor, but he's been going through a change of life lately. Now running into Lilly he feels that she's just what he needs to put him back on track. Showering Lilly with gifts and sending her very personal letters and photos has the working girl falling in love with the multi-millionaire rail-man. Alex keeps the relationship between him and Lilly platonic treating Lilly more like a friend then a lover which is more then fine with her; since she realizes that he really has genuine affection for her and is not interested in having her go to bed with him.

Back at the theater Lilly's manager Lou Colima, J. Carrol Naish, notices that Lilly is in loved with the big railroad magnet Alex Stream and his scheming mind come up with a plan to blackmail him. What he needs of the affair is proof and the letters and photos that Alex sent Lilly over time are the perfect blackmail items but Colima has only one problem: will Lilly go along with his plan.

Fair motion picture about greed as well as cheating on one's spouse. As well as a person who's noble intentions are used to destroy his character and extort his money that leads to a double murder that he ends up being framed for.

Both Mary Astor and Ginger Rogers are at their best, Mary at her stateliest and Ginger at her most glamorous, in this very earlier movie in their film careers. Look out for a very slim Andy Divine as Alex's chauffeur Oscar and future movie Charlie Chan actor Sidney Toler as officer Moron, an Irish/Chinese New York City Cop in the 1930's. There's also Dickie Moore who was a member of the Little Rascules as Alex's young 8 year-old son Tommy. J. Carrol Naish as the Burlesque theater manager is as usual the bad guy in the movie but he isn't too bright either. Colima lets Alex know what he planing for him and Lilly and even tells him that he not only knows about the incriminating letters that he sent Lilly but that he also has them on his person.

The movie has Alex on the brink of ruin as he stands trail for murder and his railroad empire left in shamble but in the end his good deeds more then made up from his momentarily loss of control as well as his very innocent but foolish indiscretion that he had with Lilly.