Simply A Masterpiece

Don't Believe the Hype

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is a fairly engaging story about a rich playboy and his troubled life, in part due to his own drinking. Beautiful Helen (Jean Muir) and "grease monkey" Kate (Laraine Day) are sisters that "love" the same man, Robert Cummings (the playboy). Billie Burke plays their mother.When Kate subs for Helen at a party to keep up appearances, Cummings falls for her only to be infatuated once again with Helen on the next social occasion. After that outing, however, Cummings gets drunk. Helen won't ride with him, so he follows her in his car. When he stops and passes out, she drives and accidentally kills an old man on a bike. She freaks out and flees the scene on foot, leaving him to take the rap for hit-and-run murder. Though Kate discovers her deception, he is unbelievably compelled to plead guilty anyway and is sentenced to 5 years.However, Kate won't let Helen forget her crime, which drives Helen, into an unwanted marriage with a "hanger on" who's about to depart on a 6 month trip, to escape. Cummings provides for the dead man's family such that, with Kate's help, they write the Governor requesting a pardon. When it is granted, Helen is there to meet him when he's released. Cummings tells her the truth about herself, says his love is for Kate, and the film ends with him proposing to Kate in the back of a vegetable truck!There is some less than stellar acting which includes Laraine Day's lips moving when she confronts Jean Muir's character about evidence, which implicates her in the accident, that she had hidden. Arthur O'Connell appears uncredited.

Apparently a B movie ...B must stand for Better acting and a Better message than we get in big budget "A" pictures today. Modern-day movies aimed at young women, surely aren't designed to encourage depth of character over shallow self-serving behavior... or increase the self-esteem of young girls who don't conform to "feminine" standards. (After all, criticizing the fake and flashy, like this movie does, ain't gonna help sell more products that depend on girls *not* being satisfied with their natural attributes or inner beauty.) Laraine Day is lovable as a mechanically inclined tomboy who "bounds" into rooms and confesses to an inability to flirt. She bonds with Robert Cummings due to similar interests, a shared sense of humour, and her honesty, loyalty and good friendship, which he gradually comes to value over the superficial "charms" of her selfish glamour-girl sister (who only brings out his own selfish, reckless playboy tendencies).Although Laraine is outwardly beautiful as well, it's refreshing to see inner beauty valued more, and the depiction of true friendship leading to the most fulfilling romantic relationship. I wish young girls (and guys) were getting this kind of down-to-earth message today.Maybe if Hollywood returns to making "B" movies again, with modest budgets, and tries to be content with modest profits... what am I saying? Sacrificing the blockbuster mentality to create something sincere on a smaller-scale, would be like expecting a guy to give up the shallow sexpot for a sweet girl who really cares about him. That's crazy talk.Please, somebody invent a time machine already! I belong in 1940.I'd rate this movie higher, but the ending is a bit too abrupt, and perhaps lacked sufficient indication of Robert Cummings' change of heart. (I like the fact that B movies are short & snappy, not bloated & self-indulgent, but this one might've needed more than 70 minutes.) Also found it somewhat unrealistic that a widow and young children would be so unaffected by a sudden death in their family...or be so forgiving of the one who caused it. I mean, I guess it's *nice*, but a little more grieving or bitterness would've been only natural. Maybe a deliberate choice to make this family act lighthearted about their loss, to lessen the impact of the tragedy and make sure *we* forgive those involved in the death - since it's just a plot device anyway, not the real point of the film. Still strange though.

Had no idea what I was going to experience viewing this old film from 1940. However, I always enjoy viewing Laraine Day, (Katie Lattimer) who plays the role as a younger sister to Jean Muir, (Helen Lattimer) and also their mother, Billie Burke, (Mrs. Julia Lattimer). Thought I was going to be bored with the story of two sister's and a mother who is overly protective of her daughters until they meet up with Robert Cummings, (Ridley Crane) who has the reputation of being a millionaire playboy who has plenty of gals and is a heavy drinker who parties all the time. One night, Helen Lattimer goes on a date with Ridley and he proceeds to get bombed out of his mind and simply cannot drive his car. It is at this point in the film when this becomes a drama and changes the complete direction of this film which will definitely hold your attention right to the very end of the film.

This is a pretty decent 1940s B-movie--one with a lesser cast and lower production values. A very similar plot was used years later in the Italian film "Muerte de un ciclista" ("Death of a Cyclist"), but this later film was a bit more interesting and well made. So, many of you who have seen the Italian film will sure see a lot of similarities.Bob Cummings is a hard drinking playboy and two high-society sisters are in love with him. The older one is considered more "chic" but the younger one (played by Laraine Day) seems to be the one with much greater depth of personality and character.One night, Cummings is out with the older sister and he's stinking drunk. Against everyone's advice, he drives home but the older sister won't get in the car with him. Later, though, as she's walking home, he drives up and soon passes out in front of her. The sister then gets in the car to drive him home. Unfortunately, on the way home she accidentally hits and kills a bicylist but leaves the scene. No one knows she was driving and the next day Cummings is arrested for the crime. The sister, being a weasel, says nothing and is very happy to have him take the rap.While the concept was very interesting and kept my interest, what happened next was a bit hard to take--in particular, Cummings' reaction as well as the sister's. Both seemed very unreal in how they dealt with the crime and the final portion, instead of ending with a bang seemed to just fizzle. Overall, it's a good time passer that SHOULD have been a lot better given the concept.