Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Back when talkie movies were just getting under way in the early Thirties, it seems to me that they would have offered up a lot of story ideas that would be original for audiences of the era. Even with that, it seems to me you could have seen where this film was going from a mile away; you couldn't have telegraphed it any better. That would have been OK here if the principals had even an ounce of charisma between them. I had to look up Clark Gable's film credits to see how many movies he made before this one, (and they were considerable), because it seems like he was giving a rookie performance. As for Marion Davies, this was my first look at her in any picture, and though adequate, there wasn't anything really inspiring in her performance.The treat for this viewer had to do with some quickie references to characters that would be essentially unrecognizable today, especially to younger movie fans. The first had to do with that sideshow in which the Smith Brothers of cough drop fame happened to show up. Back when I was a kid taking them for a sore throat I never gave it a second thought that the Smiths might have been a real pair of brothers. So that was cool.There was also a remark made by Larry Cain's (Gable) manager Pop Walters (William Collier Sr.) after the newspaper headlines began touting the Cain/Mabel romance. He said that Cain was 'so wild Frank Buck couldn't bring him back'. That would have been a neat reference to big game hunter Frank Buck who's trademark motto was 'Bring 'em Back Alive'. So again, a nifty reminder of one of my childhood memories.The thing that floored me though was how elaborate that set was for the romantic stage number featuring a 'Thousand Love Songs'. It even had a canal with a boat floating around on it! For what looked like a fairly slap-dash put together picture, that seemed to be quite the expensive proposition. Earlier, the Coney Island dance routine between Mabel O'Dare (Davies) and Sammy White looked pretty entertaining with some unusual moves. I'll give them credit for that.Nominally a boxing picture, given that Gable's character was the World Heavyweight Champion, the story didn't venture much into the ring until the final reel. When it did, I couldn't believe they'd have Larry Cain lose the belt in such an awkward manner, even for the sake of true love. I guess it was about the time Dodo Allen Jenkins threw in the towel that I did the same.

The story has been done before and since, many times. Two headliners need their careers rehabilitated and decide to join forces for mutual help. They hate each other at first, but then, of course....Of course. Nothing new here. But what separates this picture from other comedies is the staggering amount of one-liners found throughout the story. Virtually every other line of dialogue is a one-line joke. Some are funny, some not so, some corny, some dated. You get on a 'roll', laughter-wise, and it doesn't let up for 90 minutes. This really isn't a screwball comedy but it is funnier than most of them, or any other kind of 30's comedy for that matter.Gable and Davies were very photogenic and very glamorous and I guess that helped to put the picture over at the time. Truth be told, he was better than she was. Marion Davies was a very unnatural actress with an unmodulated voice and a reviewer above hit the nail on the head by saying she was no Carole Lombard. Walter Catlett, Roscoe Karns and, especially, Ruth Donnelly, helped out immensely, as did the excellent musical score. Lots of good songs in the big production number toward the end of the picture."Cain And Mabel" is a forgotten gem nowadays, and I can't figure out why. If you haven't seen it and you've read this far, you should. Otherwise you would miss the best 30's comedy that hardly anyone knows about.

I have to respectfully disagree with the reviewer regarding his take that Marion Davies showed no discernible talent for comedy! Doing comedy was the prime talent that she excelled in. Even if this movie was not particularly memorable, Davies does quite well, particularly in the number with Sammy White--if anything, she's at her whimsical best. Marion Davies has always been underrated in her films, often by those who have not seen enough of her performances. Among those usually seen on TCM are Going' HOLLYWOOD(1933) and PEG O'MY HEART (1932), both pretty decent showcases for her. Her best features are more elusive, those produced during the silent era. Of these, one of the more available is SHOW PEOPLE (1928), one of her most highly regarded films. Her natural flair for comedy is in full force, and should put to rest any doubts about her so-called lack of comedic skills.

This movie is a must see for anyone who is a screwball comedy fan. I found it to be very very funny. Why it is not on video, I don't know. It is something that can could be seen multiple times. It is packed full of one liners, glamour (Marion and Clark), humorous story line and a few rather interesting show numbers. I would rate it right up there with "Red Dust" and "Idiot's Delight".