It seems that towards the end of her career Marie Dressler was playing the roles of a woman sacrificing herself for her child. She did so in "Minn and Bill" (1930), "Reducing" (1931), "Tugboat Annie" (1933), and again in this movie "Prosperity." In "Prosperity" she starred opposite Polly Moran. This was the second movie in which they starred, and the fourth movie they did together. Their schtick is always the same: they are frenemies.
In "Prosperity," the two play Maggie Warren and Lizzie Praskins. Maggie Warren (Marie Dressler) was the president of a community bank. She stepped down to retire and handed the bank over to her son John Warren (Norman Foster). Lizzie Praskins (Polly Moran) was no more than a customer of the bank, but she was also the mother of Helen Paskins (Anita Page), John Warren's wife: which made Maggie and Lizzie mothers-in-law.
As always, Marie and Polly were passive aggressive towards each other. And per normal, Polly's character was the more disagreeable and unlikable of the two. If they weren't already thrust together through their children's marriage, they were put into closer proximity when Maggie's bank had to close its doors because her son gambled with the bonds used to secure everybody's funds. Maggie (Marie Dressler) and John (Norman Foster) were bankrupted and had to move into Lizzie's smaller home and tough it out there as long as they could. It wouldn't be too long, because Lizzie (Polly Moran) made the home insufferable for both Maggie and John.
Maggie was willing to swallow her pride and forgo any notions of dignity in order to make the arrangement work, just to keep peace in the house, and to keep John and Helen together. The last thing she wanted was to play a role in destroying John and Helen's wonderful marriage. Lizzie, on the other hand, had no problem denigrating John, and or Maggie, whenever she felt the need or whenever she saw the opportunity--especially the opportunity--to make herself morally superior.
"Prosperity" had a few twists and turns to make it far more dramatic than I even anticipated. It began quite comical, but took a very serious turn when the bank had to close. It remained on that track to the very end. Maggie, throughout the movie, was a saint and she was even a martyr when it came to sacrificing for her son.
I like "Prosperity" because of how it was bold enough to go beyond the surface. The plot was deeper than the surface issues they initially showed us. It required a risky solution, and it required a bold solution which both Maggie and John were in their own ways trying to accomplish.
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In "Prosperity," the two play Maggie Warren and Lizzie Praskins. Maggie Warren (Marie Dressler) was the president of a community bank. She stepped down to retire and handed the bank over to her son John Warren (Norman Foster). Lizzie Praskins (Polly Moran) was no more than a customer of the bank, but she was also the mother of Helen Paskins (Anita Page), John Warren's wife: which made Maggie and Lizzie mothers-in-law.
As always, Marie and Polly were passive aggressive towards each other. And per normal, Polly's character was the more disagreeable and unlikable of the two. If they weren't already thrust together through their children's marriage, they were put into closer proximity when Maggie's bank had to close its doors because her son gambled with the bonds used to secure everybody's funds. Maggie (Marie Dressler) and John (Norman Foster) were bankrupted and had to move into Lizzie's smaller home and tough it out there as long as they could. It wouldn't be too long, because Lizzie (Polly Moran) made the home insufferable for both Maggie and John.
Maggie was willing to swallow her pride and forgo any notions of dignity in order to make the arrangement work, just to keep peace in the house, and to keep John and Helen together. The last thing she wanted was to play a role in destroying John and Helen's wonderful marriage. Lizzie, on the other hand, had no problem denigrating John, and or Maggie, whenever she felt the need or whenever she saw the opportunity--especially the opportunity--to make herself morally superior.
"Prosperity" had a few twists and turns to make it far more dramatic than I even anticipated. It began quite comical, but took a very serious turn when the bank had to close. It remained on that track to the very end. Maggie, throughout the movie, was a saint and she was even a martyr when it came to sacrificing for her son.
I like "Prosperity" because of how it was bold enough to go beyond the surface. The plot was deeper than the surface issues they initially showed us. It required a risky solution, and it required a bold solution which both Maggie and John were in their own ways trying to accomplish.
Free on Odnoklassniki.