Larry Hall (James Stewart) and Eddie Burgess (Lew Ayres) are best friends and skating partners. When Larry's girlfriend Mary McKay (Joan Crawford) gets fired due to her poor skating, he quits in solidarity and the two get married. He can't hold down a job as he keeps trying to include her in his act. Due to a fender bender, she meets studio head Tolliver and she gets a job as a contract actress. Eddie becomes a third wheel and ends his partnership with Larry. The studio changes Mary's name to Sandra Lee. As her stardom grows, Larry's skating act fades. Then he runs into Eddie at producer Mort Hodges' office. Soon, he regains his success but the couple struggles to find time together.
It's missing the meet cute. This relationship needs a better setup. In fact, the start is a bit abrupt. The chemistry needs to be build up before the audience can truly get involved in their journey. The ice skating scenes become more like lulls to break up the story. I can't tell if the three actors actually skated. Crawford not skating is actually a good joke. The story isn't that much although the actors do their best to make it work like the couple trying to make their marriage work. It's a lot of ups and downs without the tension. The last 14 minutes are in color with a lot skating. This has more in common with those big dancing musical extravaganzas. I guess the skating is compelling for people who love watching ice dancing. Overall, it has some jokes, some drama, and some skating.
It's missing the meet cute. This relationship needs a better setup. In fact, the start is a bit abrupt. The chemistry needs to be build up before the audience can truly get involved in their journey. The ice skating scenes become more like lulls to break up the story. I can't tell if the three actors actually skated. Crawford not skating is actually a good joke. The story isn't that much although the actors do their best to make it work like the couple trying to make their marriage work. It's a lot of ups and downs without the tension. The last 14 minutes are in color with a lot skating. This has more in common with those big dancing musical extravaganzas. I guess the skating is compelling for people who love watching ice dancing. Overall, it has some jokes, some drama, and some skating.