Deserves a higher average rating - this is a very entertaining pre-Code film, with meaningful Depression content, a strong female character in the role of a gangster boss, snappy dialogue, and the effervescent (and underrated!) Joan Blondell.
Blondell is a self-made woman who rises out of poverty through her intelligence and grit, hardened by a boss who harassed her, and after getting no relief for her ailing mother, turns to crime in her desperation. She's tough but she's also playful and has a heart, and Blondell plays the part with great range, elevating the film.
The film has some nice pre-Code elements, the biggest of which is course Blondell at the top of an organized crime operation (just a year later, such a role would not be possible). A gangster (Chester Morris) is drawn to her, and one of her friends bluntly asks her why she doesn't "give him a tumble," but she says "business before pleasure," determined to be a self-made woman. There are also some smaller bits. Blondell alludes to having had a sister who got pregnant as a teenager, and then unable to get a doctor, died, making us think of a back-alley abortion. In supporting roles, there is an interracial couple that is simply accepted, and the Asian-American actress (Toshia Mori) speaks non-stereotypical lines.
The film does not have the same ruthless edge that other gangster films have from the period. Blondell makes it clear she's out to earn money and she doesn't mind conning the system that has betrayed her, revealing the age's deep cynicism. In another one of the film's small moments, however, her character shows an underlying sweetness when Morris gives her an expensive bracelet, and she says that even if it had come from the ten cent store she would have liked it, because of "the fact that you did get it, and were considerate of my feelings." What a lovely little line that is. The film has some silly bits (e.g. how improbably Blondell dupes a jury into getting Allen Jenkins off) and the ending is a little syrupy, but overall it was refreshing to see this take on the genre.
1933 was a great year on average for films, and this was a great period for Joan Blondell as well - the films Blonde Crazy (1931), The Public Enemy (1931), Union Depot (1932), Three on a Match (1932), Footlight Parade (1933), and Gold Diggers of 1933 all come to mind. I don't know if this is better than any of those, but it's in their category, and must-see for Blondell fans.
Blondell is a self-made woman who rises out of poverty through her intelligence and grit, hardened by a boss who harassed her, and after getting no relief for her ailing mother, turns to crime in her desperation. She's tough but she's also playful and has a heart, and Blondell plays the part with great range, elevating the film.
The film has some nice pre-Code elements, the biggest of which is course Blondell at the top of an organized crime operation (just a year later, such a role would not be possible). A gangster (Chester Morris) is drawn to her, and one of her friends bluntly asks her why she doesn't "give him a tumble," but she says "business before pleasure," determined to be a self-made woman. There are also some smaller bits. Blondell alludes to having had a sister who got pregnant as a teenager, and then unable to get a doctor, died, making us think of a back-alley abortion. In supporting roles, there is an interracial couple that is simply accepted, and the Asian-American actress (Toshia Mori) speaks non-stereotypical lines.
The film does not have the same ruthless edge that other gangster films have from the period. Blondell makes it clear she's out to earn money and she doesn't mind conning the system that has betrayed her, revealing the age's deep cynicism. In another one of the film's small moments, however, her character shows an underlying sweetness when Morris gives her an expensive bracelet, and she says that even if it had come from the ten cent store she would have liked it, because of "the fact that you did get it, and were considerate of my feelings." What a lovely little line that is. The film has some silly bits (e.g. how improbably Blondell dupes a jury into getting Allen Jenkins off) and the ending is a little syrupy, but overall it was refreshing to see this take on the genre.
1933 was a great year on average for films, and this was a great period for Joan Blondell as well - the films Blonde Crazy (1931), The Public Enemy (1931), Union Depot (1932), Three on a Match (1932), Footlight Parade (1933), and Gold Diggers of 1933 all come to mind. I don't know if this is better than any of those, but it's in their category, and must-see for Blondell fans.