{"id":38594,"date":"2017-03-20T13:01:28","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T20:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38594"},"modified":"2021-01-05T10:55:51","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T17:55:51","slug":"gold-diggers-of-1935-1935","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38594","title":{"rendered":"Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Another robber &#8212; the hotel is full of them!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-1935-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-1935-Poster-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-38596\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-1935-Poster-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-1935-Poster-128x99.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-1935-Poster.jpg 388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe daughter (Gloria Stuart) of a penny-pinching millionaire (Alice Brady) convinces her mother to allow her a summer of freedom and fun before marrying her stodgy older suitor (Hugh Herbert). Stuart quickly falls in love with her new &#8220;chaperone&#8221; (Dick Powell), a hotel clerk engaged to a fellow employee (Dorothy Dare) who decides to pursue Stuart&#8217;s thrice-divorced brother (Frank McHugh). Meanwhile, Brady hires a conniving Russian dance director (Adolphe Menjou) and his set designer (Joseph Cawthorn) to run her annual charity performance, and a wily stenographer (Glenda Farrell) schemes to milk Herbert of his money.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adolphe Menjou Films<\/li>\n<li>Busby Berkeley Films<\/li>\n<li>Con Artists<\/li>\n<li>Cross-Class Romance<\/li>\n<li>Dick Powell Films<\/li>\n<li>Gold Diggers<\/li>\n<li>Heiresses<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Let&#8217;s Put On a Show&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Millionaires<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nBusby Berkeley&#8217;s first full-length directorial effort was this especially cynical entry in the &#8220;Gold Diggers&#8221; series, of which Peary lists three in his <em>GFTFF<\/em>: <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26106\"><em>Gold Diggers of 1933<\/em> (1933)<\/a>, this, and <em>Gold Diggers of 1937<\/em> (1937). The storyline in this entry features more than just gold-digging young showgirls: nearly ever character (except sweet-faced Powell and Stuart) is out to earn or save a buck in any way possible &#8212; from the manager (Grant Mitchell) of the swanky Wentworth Plaza Hotel (who not only doesn&#8217;t pay wages, but &#8220;generously&#8221; doesn&#8217;t charge his employees to work there given the tips they&#8217;ll supposedly earn, and who wants a cut of every &#8220;deal&#8221; made), to stingy Mrs. Prentiss (Brady), who gives a collective dime in tips to six bellboys who have just carried all her bags to her room (and is convinced the hotel is out to fleece her at every turn). <\/p>\n<p>We also see a nefarious gold-digger (Farrell) coolly resorting to deception to achieve her goal of snaring a share of eccentric Herbert&#8217;s riches; a showman (Menjou) who openly writes the following telegraph to his friend: &#8220;HAVE HOOKED A RICH SUCKER STOP COME UP AT ONCE STOP PARDON ME FOR SENDING COLLECT&#8221;; and a woman (Dare) completely fine with her fiance (Powell) escorting a beautiful woman (Stuart) around town if it means earning money for their supposed future together. The contrived script and unsubtle performances, however, naturally take a back seat to the musical numbers in any Busby Berkeley film &#8212; and this one features several winners, beginning with a creatively filmed sequence of workers preparing to open the Plaza, and ending with the two showcase finales, which are well worth watching (see stills below). <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The Words Are In My Heart&#8221; white piano sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"542\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"542\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Pianos2-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The &#8220;Lullaby of Broadway&#8221; closing number<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"542\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby2-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"542\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Baby-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Broadway3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Broadway3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"542\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38602\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Broadway3.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Broadway3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Diggers-Lullaby-Broadway3-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but I can understand why Peary included it in his book, given the stunning musical sequences &#8212; which you can now simply check out on YouTube. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0026421\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1935\/03\/15\/archives\/gold-diggers-of-1935-the-new-warner-musical-film-at-the-strand.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/gold-diggers-of-1935\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1934busb.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagoreader.com\/chicago\/gold-diggers-of-1935\/Film?oid=1074978\">Chicago Reader Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/3555\/gold-diggers-of-1935#articles-reviews?articleId=17866\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Another robber &#8212; the hotel is full of them!&#8221; Synopsis: The daughter (Gloria Stuart) of a penny-pinching millionaire (Alice Brady) convinces her mother to allow her a summer of freedom and fun before marrying her stodgy older suitor (Hugh Herbert). Stuart quickly falls in love with her new &#8220;chaperone&#8221; (Dick Powell), a hotel clerk engaged to a fellow employee (Dorothy Dare) who decides to pursue Stuart&#8217;s thrice-divorced brother (Frank McHugh). Meanwhile, Brady hires a conniving Russian dance director (Adolphe Menjou)&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38594\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38594"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61682,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38594\/revisions\/61682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}