Valet d'argent

In the dated but epic storyline of Silver Dollar, Edward G. Robinson has so much ambition it becomes his tragic flaw. He's a poor shop owner with his hardworking wife Aline MacMahon and their baby son. They've moved from town to town whenever his ambition has gotten the better of him; one night he's been elected mayor, and the next morning everyone hates him because he owes them money. By chance, one of his hunches turns out right: He agrees to let some panhandlers renege on their grocery bill if he gets signed on as a partner if they strike the motherload. Aline is totally against it, but the men find silver and they're all rich. Once again, Eddie G is elected mayor, and he's determined to rise from there.

This rags-to-riches story is a classic cautionary tale of forgetting what's important once you have achieved what you thought was important. Eddie G prioritizes money above all else, and it changes him. He ignores his wife, doesn't have an influence in raising his son, and thinks belonging to high society is the most important thing. Of course, he values lousy people, gets corrupt inside, and even believes he's entitled to an extramarital affair. I would never condone infidelity, but if the movie was supposed to portray it as something bad, it didn't do its job. Aline doesn't act like she loves her husband, or even likes him. She never supports him, and neither make each other happy in the slightest. When Eddie G finds Bebe Daniels, he gains a new lease on life. She likes, loves, and supports him - and when he's with her, he feels intense happiness. "I love to do things for you. You enjoy it so," he drawls in their courtship phase, before giving her decolletage a lengthy glance. Bebe isn't portrayed to be a gold digger or homewrecker, but instead merely a loving alternative to the unfulfilling life he's lived so far.

I've tried to give Aline MacMahon quite a few chances, but I've never liked her style of acting. In this drama, I thought she'd finally impress me, since she was younger and finally in a meaty role. However, as Eddie G's long-suffering wife, she was melodramatic at best and lousy at worst. I'd expect better from community theater. When she and her husband have a particularly hurtful fight, she stares at him deadpan, then suddenly raises her hands to her head and screams. Had Ann Harding, Beulah Bondi, or a frumped-up Gladys George been cast in the role instead, Silver Dollar would have been a very good drama. Eddie G's talent and devotion to the role is almost enough to make us forget about Aline, but not quite. With a different actress, it could have been an A-picture listed among his best. Definitely check it out this tragedy if you're an Eddie G fan; just don't expect much from its leading lady.

The plot here, while basic in it's elements is generally weak. It mulls over important details, most characters are little more than furniture, and by all rights, it should be a lousy B move.

But Edward G. Robinson and his near unmatched talent as an actor, and his relentless effort to turn in amazing performances no matter the movie, holds this film together, making it watchable, and acceptable.

Edward G. Robinson truly holds the ability to turn Chicken Crap into Silver and Gold

Based on the life of 19th century politician Horace Tabor. Here named Yates Martin (Edward G. Robinson), he's a gold prospector who travels to the Colorado frontier with wife Aline MacMahon. He eventually becomes a rich merchant and a prime beneficiary of the Colorado silver boom, which makes him even wealthier. He uses his money to enter politics, growing ever more ambitious. However, his decision to divorce his wife for entertainer Bebe Daniels marks the beginning of his downfall.

Robinson made a number of films with this basic plot: a man starting out with nothing achieves great success through force of will, only to have his love of the wrong woman lead to his undoing. His nouveau riche tastes are also frequently a source of amusement, as they are here with his desire to build a high-class opera house, but insisting on all of the inscriptions being in "American". Robinson is good, as is MacMahon (although she's not given much to do here), but the whole thing is just a bit too routine. This does feature one of the few cinematic depictions of President Chester Arthur, though, so there's that.

Rousing story of rags to riches based on fact. Robinson pulls out all the stops as a lowly Colorado merchant who maneuvers his way into fame and fortune. He may not be physically big, but there's enough personality there to light up a stadium. Between ace production values, rapid-fire pacing, and Robinson pizazz, it's like being carried along by a roaring steam engine. It's entertaining to accompany Yates (Robinson) on his rise to wealth and national prominence, especially since he never loses his down-home ways. Interestingly, the movie's based on real life story of silver king HAW Tabor, who remains a Colorado legend to this day (I'm from there). Oddly, there're no scenes of mountains or Colorado, but credit the production for more than compensating.

Good to see Aline MacMahon get a sympathetic role as Yates' first wife and helpmate. Usually consigned to spinsterish or sinister roles, she's young here and almost pretty. Bebe Daniels, however, gets the glamor part as Yates' mistress then second wife. The movie amounts to something of a morality tale. Of course, the higher Yates climbs on the economic-social ladder the farther he has to fall. Trouble is he thinks millions from silver mining will overcome any obstacle. In short, money takes care of everything. But then, he's forgotten about the vagaries of the market, which can be an undoing. My one complaint is a rather spotty screenplay. Beneath the rapid pacing, important transitions are generally skipped over (e.g. the divorce), while there's little tracking of characters aside of Yates. Nonetheless, the results are generally impressive and definitely deserve a look-see, especially for Robinson's bravura performance.

"Silver Dollar" seemed so close to a biopic I had to look it up to see if Yates Martin (played by Edward G. Robinson) was a real person. It turns out that "Silver Dollar" was based upon the life of H. A. W. Tabor, known to his Colorado associates as Haw Tabor.

Yates Martin was a foolish man who lucked into money in "Silver Dollar." He spent money wantonly in order to be popular, much to the chagrin of his smarter, more fiscally conservative wife, Sarah Martin (Aline MacMahon). Yates was so greedy for wealth and attention that it made him a sucker. He chased one mine after another based upon the spurious words of random prospectors. It was Sarah who convinced him to open a store to cater to the prospectors as opposed to him chasing mines himself, but he couldn't even do that right. He was extending credit to EVERYONE, which made him well-liked, but broke. There was one pair of prospectors whom he waived their tab entirely in exchange for a third of what they mined. It was a dumb deal that just so happened to pan out.

Yates went on chasing wealth and fame until he chased another dame named Lily Owens (Bebe Daniels). Truthfully, she was pursuing him and she knew just what to say to get him. She stroked his ego so expertly that he left his wife and married Lily. It was just one more moronic move of the many he'd made, but don't let anyone tell you that every rich person is smart. Even idiots make money sometimes.

As much as I like Edward G. Robinson, I hated his character. He was such a clout chaser that I couldn't respect him. Then, when he left his very good and faithful wife for a shinier object who found him on the mountain top after Sarah made the climb with him, I really disliked him. Having said that, because the movie so mirrored what can be found on historycolorado,org, I can't be too mad. They faithfully followed the available information on H. A. W. Tabor, too bad he wasn't more likable.

Free on Odnoklassniki.