Don't Believe the Hype

A Brilliant Conflict

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The best thing about this Fox programmer is the multitude of pre-code stars all doing what they do best. There's Greta Nissen, most famously the star of "Hell's Angels" when it was conceived as a silent, when it was scrapped and Greta's heavy Norwegian accent couldn't really convince as an English bar maid, Jean Harlow won the role. Minna Gombell, always great as a toughie whether her heart was of flint or gold, Alan Dinehart, purveyor of oily smarm, Sally Blane, just as pretty as sister Loretta but not really having the steeliness to pursue a career, Louise Beavers - any film is better for her being in it, Hedda Hopper etc. Even the director, Kenneth MacKenna may not have had many directorial credits but at the time he was married to Kay Francis!!Male lead John Boles, in 1931, was floundering. He had been bought to Hollywood in the first flurry of early musicals but now musicals were almost a dirty word and Boles hadn't yet found his niche as the stalwart, wooden type although this film was a help. In fact the only non star had the lead - Linda Watkins. She was pretty but just didn't have that special something (personality perhaps?) to separate her from the ingénue crowd. Being a Fox film it had a distinctly Continental look to it and even though a lowly programmer it contained special camera features, especially in introducing the night club sequences.Marilyn is married to "Mr. Perfect" she thinks but Rex (surprise, surprise - it's Alan Dinehart) is anything but, in fact his business trip to Paris is only an opportunity to lavish gifts on his mistress. Marilyn and her mother decide to rent a Park Avenue apartment for 3 months (who knows why??) only to find that the occupant who has made an unexpected dash to Paris is Rex's lover!!! Instead of calling a divorce lawyer, Marilyn, now known as Sylvia Smith, takes the apartment hoping, with September's ((Beavers) help to get the low down on what makes "other women" tick!!Now we are in familiar pre-code territory - "this ain't no sweetheart's underwear, this is a wife's underwear" with Sylvia surrounded by "back street babes" (Gombell, Blane, even Joyce Compton) who talk about "pearls as big as mothballs" and are eager to show their new pal some New York high spots. While at a party she meets Boyce Cameron (Boles), a gold mine owner who keeps gold diggers away with lots of technical engineering talk. He can see Sylvia is different and wants to take her away from her low companions and give her a normal life but when he presents her with a Park Avenue apartment .....she thinks he is like all the rest!!! - not that she would know what "all the rest" are like!! Suddenly Rex comes home broke or "financially embarrassed" after spending too much money on his petulant mistress (Nissen) but Marilyn has since found her backbone and the stage is set for a splendid showdown in Nissen's apartment. With September to back her up sparks fly!!!With so many solid players the standard of this programmer is exceptionally high and it is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered!!

A happy married life for Marilyn Parker (Linda Watkins) turn sour when she finds out her husband (Alan Dinehart) is on his way to Europe on a three month business trip with his mistress Peggy Bums (Greta Nissen) on board. Mrs. Parker mother, played by Hedda Hopper, does her best to console her daughter and encourages her to get a divorce. But the wife wants answers to some of the questions that bothers her: how come her husband has an mistress? What caused him to go behind her back with so many lies? The mother comments that these are questions many wives would like answers to. The Mistress is a true gold digger and wants money and things to keep her happy. Her girlfriends are equally so and happily leads a life of being kept by rich men in an underworld of partying and boozing. So Marilyn Parker decides to mingle among these women and rents the apartment and maid (Louise Beavers) of her husbands mistress. She changes her name and hides her real identity. Out to find some answers on her own she is forced to lower her moral standards among some eager searching women. The real scene stealer of this film is actually the maid played by Louise Beaver. She has some wise cracking ideas for how to keep a rich man coming back for more and eagerly encourage Marilyn Parker to go out there and find one. Against her intention she meets the bachelor millionaire Boyce Cameron, played by John Boles, and is captivated by his charm and style. But as a faithful wife she keeps her distance and rejects his advances. Upon return from his journey to Europe, with his mistress in tow, he tells his wife that business is bad and they are about to loose their fortune. Loyalty ridden Marilyn decides not to confront him with the mistress, but to help him out financially by selling some of her property. But before making an end to this story she decides to visit the mistress and make a final confrontation. She finds her husband there and heartbroken decides enough is enough and leaves her husband for good. On her way out of town she is pursued by the man who loves her, Boyce Cameron. Some how an happy ending."Good Sport" is an interesting pre-code film. There are plenty of scenes revealing bare shoulders and ladies in underwear. There are some excellent night club scenes with great jazz and blues music. Some of the films dialog is a bit dull. Making Marilyn Parker a somehow stiff and old fashion wife. Linda Watkins does well in her role and most of the cast members add style to a somehow ordinary film. It was an odd casting to see Linda Watkins as wife to Alan Dinehart, who early on seem to be less of an gentlemen (more like a brute) compared to the sophisticated style of his wife. Which makes the style of debonair Boyce Cameron the real man for Marilyn Parker.The highlite in "Good Sport" is definitely Louise Beavers as the wisecracking maid. She has dialog and personality enough to carry her own film. Greta Nissen as the mistress only appears towards the end of the film, unfortunately. After such promising career start during the silent era she surprisingly ended up with second female roles as gold diggers and mistresses in many Fox Film of the early 30's. Linda Watkins had a long career in Hollywood and "Good Sport" is one of the few films where she appeared in the leading female role. "Good Sport" leaves no long lasting impressions, but a definite film to see for all Louise Beavers fans.