Manhandled (1924) User Reviews

A former Mack Sennett employee demonstrates what she learned at Keystone

[wmorrow59 · 8/10 · 2 September 2007]

This rarely shown film is a delightful surprise, still fresh and amusing after 80 years. Manhandled is a saucy comedy which concerns the struggles of an ambitious working girl in New York. The biggest surprise is the identity of the leading lady: it isn't Colleen Moore or Clara Bow, who made careers out of doing this sort of thing, but Gloria Swanson, who in 1924 was best known for playing patrician beauties in high-class romantic comedies or soap operas. Gloria is surprisingly believable here in the unlikely role of Tessie McGuire, a lowly clerk in a department store, who commutes on the subway, lives in an apartment the size of a tool-shed, and struggles to make ends meet. What's more, Swanson is genuinely funny! I've seen a few of the two-reel comedies she made for Mack Sennett early in her career, but in those shorts she was usually relegated to playing straight woman (or Damsel in Distress) while the male clowns were entrusted with the gags. In Manhandled, however, Swanson is the star comedian, and her comic abilities are given free reign in scene after scene. I was fortunate enough to see this movie at Film Forum in NYC, where it was greeted with waves of laughter throughout; a passerby outside might have assumed we were watching Harold Lloyd.

The story is introduced with a wordy but intriguing title card: "The world lets a girl think that its pleasures and luxuries may be hers without cost—that's chivalry. But if she claims them on this basis, it sends her a bill in full, with no discount—that's reality." Based on that intro alone a viewer might expect the sort of light comedy of manners Swanson had been making for director Cecil B. DeMille a few years earlier (the moralistic prose certainly smacks of DeMille) but the opening scenes make it clear that we're in for something earthier and more fun. Tessie McGuire is a gum-chewing gal who wears a silly hat adorned with fake fruit—the kind of hat Gloria Swanson, legendary clothes-horse, wouldn't have been caught dead wearing in reality, but somehow she doesn't come off as patronizing in this role. Within a few moments we adjust and accept her as a hard-working clerk from Thorndyke's department store, weary and footsore after a long day's shift on the job. After leaving the store our bleary-eyed heroine heads for the subway, and the sequence that follows is a classic: the petite Tessie is shoved every which way as she crams herself into the train, squeezes uncomfortably between two large men, and even gets hoisted into the air, accidentally, as she attempts to retrieve the contents of her dropped purse. Adding insult to injury, a gross looking guy winks at her, and she can't even get out easily when the train reaches her station, as mobs of incoming commuters repeatedly force her back in. This sequence scored a particular hit at the recent Film Forum screening, earning big laughs from New Yorkers who deal with this stuff every day!

The subway scene is deservedly famous, but the movie is just getting started. We learn that Tessie has a boyfriend named Jimmy (Tom Moore), a garage mechanic who is convinced that his car-related invention will make a fortune, enabling them to get married and live well. Tessie is supportive, but frustrated that Jim's heavy work schedule doesn't allow them much time together. When circumstances permit her to go to a swanky party with a girlfriend, she goes, and this is where things really take off. Tessie scores a hit with the swells, although it's clear (in another comic highlight) that she's baffled by the pretentious party chat flying back and forth. Guests include a number of wealthy and powerful people along with prominent artists and performers; among the latter is real-life Ziegfeld Follies star Ann Pennington, who dances with her stage partner Brooke Johns. Tessie—who has had a drink or two—performs her own version of the dance, loses her drawers, and takes a tumble, but somehow charms a handsome artist (Ian Keith) who engages her as a model and then dresses her in a wacky pseudo-Asian outfit that looks like a parody of Betty Blythe's Queen of Sheba. When the modeling gig doesn't work out, Tessie is engaged by the owner of a Park Avenue salon who hires her to pose as an exiled Russian countess and lend his establishment a touch of exotic class. Tessie's new employer is portrayed by Frank Morgan, already playing roués at age 34, and looking very much as he would throughout his entire career. (At the screening I attended I overheard a young woman exclaim: "Wow, the Wizard of Oz as an old lech!") Tessie's new job is certainly a step up from the department store, but her disguise is threatened when she is confronted by an actual Russian exile; her escape from exposure is ingenious and amusing.

As Tessie's strange career lurches along she comes into conflict with Jimmy, and unfortunately the story takes a brief sentimental turn towards the end, but I think it goes without saying that romantic comedies like this one always end happily once the misunderstandings are ironed out. Manhandled is not a plot-driven film, and a simple scene-by-scene description of what happens in it really doesn't do it justice. This movie is driven by Gloria Swanson's beautifully calibrated performance: it's her priceless facial expressions as she's chewed-out by her boss at the department store, her tipsy maneuvering at the party, her Pola Negri send-up when she masquerades as a Russian countess. She's terrific, and seeing this film makes me wish she'd appeared in more comedies, and that this one could be more readily accessible for modern viewers. Swanson could do a lot more than play crazy Norma Desmond, and this film is ample and highly enjoyable proof of that.

Swanson shows what it takes to be a star!

[sryder-1 · 8/10 · 19 May 2005]

As one reviewer noted, the high spots are not evenly dispersed within the film. Also, my copy is also abridged, which probably accounts for the lack of transitions between many scenes. However, the seller seems to have had access to a fairly clear print. For me, the subway scene by itself was worth buying the tape. Swanson had a real gift for comedy, as seen in her varied expressions as she is shoved, loses her hat, and has to edge her way both onto and out of the subway car. Undoubtedly, the director deliberately chose tall or burly men for the scene, since they contrast so sharply with Swanson's diminutive stature. I happen to have viewed this film only a coupole of weeks after having seen Sadie Thompson. In my review of that film, I noted that she managed to infuse even the shady character of Sadie with some humor. The plot of Manhandled is, of course, much weaker, and it is difficult to remember any of the other performances. Swanson was a true star, one who could shine even in the midst of a mediocre plot, as she does here. If we think of "Bette Davis eyes", we can also think of the "Gloria Swanson facial expression" that she could vary to meet a diversity of emotions. As one who knew her first from Sunset Boulevard, it is interesting to note in her silent films, the anticipation of her performance there, with its wide range of emotions required from the star. When Norma Desmond laments the loss of faces in sound film, Swanson must ruefully have her own experience in mind. Without her, the stale plot of Manhandled would have gone the way of all B-flicks. That's what a star does.

A brilliant Swanson in a lightweight picture

[MissSimonetta · 8/10 · 28 July 2022]

The actual story and direction merit more of a 7 out of 10 (the plot is more a series of vignettes than a structured plot), but Gloria Swanson's comic performance elevates the whole movie. Her peppy, irreverent characterization is just fantastic. If SADIE THOMPSON is Swanson's best dramatic performance, then MANHANDLED has her at the top of her comic game.

Swanson in a Subway

[drednm · 24 July 2005]

Gloria Swanson did everything in films from Mack Sennett comedies with Charlie Chaplin to the high drama of Queen Kelly and Sunset Boulevard. Manhandled is a drama with comedy. Shop girl Swanson works at a department store and lives in the same tenement as boyfriend Tom Moore, a mechanic with big ideas. By chance she is spotted by the store owner (Arthur Housman) and invited to a party along with pal (Lilyan Tashman). A chorus girl (Ann Pennington) does a snazzy dance so Swanson does her impersonation of it, losing her underwear. Later she impersonates a Russian Countess. The owner of a ritzy store (Frank Morgan) offers her a job as a fake Countess to lure customers and Swanson is on her way to big money and big parties. She poses for a famous artist (Ian Keith) but he gets fresh and she keeps getting "manhandled." Meanwhile the boyfriend has gone off to Detroit to sell his new engine part. There is a happy ending.

Swanson is just wonderful as the gum-chewing shop girl, especially in the amazing subway scene. The print I saw did NOT include her famous impersonation of Chaplin (the inspiration for her similar scene in Sunset Boulevard), so that was a disappointment. But it's still a nice little morality tale. And Swanson was an excellent comic actress. It's easy to picture Marion Davies or Carole Lombard in this same role. The male co-stars are all OK but nothing special. Real-life showgirl Ann Pennington appears as herself in the party scene with Brooke Johns.

Originally 75 minutes, but it seems the longest version to survive runs about 69 minutes and is missing that Chaplin impersonation.

Disappointing comedy with glowing Swanson performance.

[David-240 · 6/10 · 29 May 1999]

Not much plot here as Gloria, the shop girl, attempts to enter high society, only to discover that high society men want only one thing.

Swanson's performance is the only remarkable thing about this ordinary morality tale. She shines - especially in the justifiably renowned subway scene (where she is manhandled in a very different way) and when she impersonates a Russian countess. Gloria learnt more with Mack Sennett than she may have thought - her comic abilities are very strong.

My comments here are based on viewing a very poor print, with a terrible music score, from Nostalgia Family Video. It only ran 50 minutes so I suspect it was cut. Are there better prints around?

Outdated and regressive, or unexpectedly shrewd and forward-thinking? You decide.

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 16 April 2024]

One of two things is true about this movie. The first possibility is that it is an example of early cinema, existing in a time of different norms and values, that looks very different by the standards of modern life. The second possibility is that it is a much more rare example of early cinema that underhandedly rebukes contemporary society, and is actually way ahead of its time in both its sly approach to its narrative and themes, and to the progressive, feminist perspective with which a modern viewer will sit to watch. Not least given the very name, 'Manhandled,' it's possible that the latter is true, and all those involved were fully cognizant of the power a feature might have to speak critically to the cultural demands, expectations, and mores placed on women, the poor treatment they receive that in turn goes unremarked, and the exploitation to which they might be subjected. Indeed, as the length goes on and the story becomes more dour, it does seem more and more that the title is currying sympathy for our protagonist instead of the anticipated disapproval. At the same time, if 'Manhandled' really is so forward-thinking, then it deliberately rides an impossibly thin line all the while - all but indistinguishable from the alternative - and after all, we're making a lot of assumptions about the filmmaker, writers, cast, and crew if we're to believe that this flick really was earnestly representative of a culture several decades beyond its own existence. I think it's more likely that this is something that is just perceived very, very differently now than was intended upon release, but to be honest, I also don't think that in any way diminishes its lasting value.

In a film with a premise seemingly primed for expression of old-fashioned, conservative values, with the idea of a woman descending into wicked ways, it's striking to me that the very first sight to greet us after the opening credits is a ruminative intertitle that speaks directly to the hypocritical double-standard that women live with every day. It's considered virtuous to treat a woman well, the picture tells us, as if she deserves the world - but if she dares to act in a manner so as to stake her claim and seize the day, well, that's just sinful and she deserves to be treated accordingly! The scenes to follow spotlight the brusque indifference with which protagonist Tessie gets treated, the modest, hard-working lifestyle in which she lives, and the smallness of her world and of other women around her; one hundred years later none of these come off the way that they were probably meant to in 1924. The first is intended for comedy after the fashion of Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd, but to me reflects quietly cruel drama more closely resembling horror; the latter two are, I believe, intended to show us the impatience and selfishness of Tessie, especially contrasted with neighboring instances of humility and home-making, but instead I see a character who asks for only the rare nicety or special occasion and is casually denied them by a boyfriend who is too wrapped up in his own business to attend to her. And so it goes, as her vivid, recalcitrant, determined personality, a symbol of individuality, is meant to be interpreted as shamefully self-centered and inconsiderate. I'm not saying that Tessie is without fault, but what I am saying is that whereas the contemporary culture presumably wants us to see a portrait of a good woman sliding into immorality, I discern a glimpse at a young lady seizing an opportunity and getting backlash for it from all corners no matter what she does, with big doses of condescending, manipulative, patriarchal dominance on top.

True, it's possible that my own knowledge and experiences are informing an opinion more cynical and jaded than is befitting for 'Manhandled.' Through to the end, though, I believe that however it was designed in the Roaring Twenties, one can just as easily receive the movie as a backhanded retort to the most stodgy notions of where a woman belongs in the world, or as affirmation of them. Before all is said and done Tessie recognizes that her new acquaintances are all equally seedy and taking advantage of her. While boyfriend Jim chastises her for her recent behavior and indicated "indiscretions," the plain truth - visualized very plainly for us - is that Tessie's affections have never wavered; she was only reacting in the moment, and then simply trying to make her way in the world just as Jim was trying to make his, only her effort didn't meet with the same success. The expected thing for me to do would be to dismiss the flick out of hand for its antiquated values, and maybe that it indeed what it deserves. Yet like marginalized groups reclaiming words or symbols that have previously employed to harass, abuse, and target them, I believe it's also possible to consider these sixty minutes as something that may have been built with one intention, but which in another time can be viewed to opposite yet greater ends. I don't know what precisely this means for the quality of the screenplay, or the final product otherwise; all I know is that I have seen in the picture just what I've said, and I like it.

All the while this is well made by all the standards of silent cinema. The costume design is gorgeous, and the hair and makeup just as commendable, the sets are rather detailed and fetching. Between filmmaker Allan Dwan and cinematographer Harold Rosson some shots are particularly splendid, and Dwan's direction keeps the proceedings on steady, impactful dramatic footing. Scribe Frank Tuttle penned some gratifyingly strong scenes as the compelling narrative advances. Above all, while the cast turn in fine performances generally, Gloria Swanson definitely stands out with the lively, emotive acting she treats us to as Tessie. All these years later Swanson is almost known more for Billy Wilder's 'Sunset Boulevard' than for the primary years of her career, yet this piece is apt demonstration that it's not for nothing the star was regarded so well over time. Ultimately I don't know if I'd say that 'Manhandled' is a must-see, and furthermore one might wryly observe that discussion of the finer points of its themes and story ideas, and of trends in sociopolitical values over time, looms larger than the feature itself. One way or another, however, I find this both interesting and enjoyable in its way; not least for those who appreciate the silent era, this remains worth checking out on its own merits. Usually I might suggest one enter with awareness of the nature of the tale, or of the values on display; in this case I may be inclined to instead give an extra boost to a recommendation with a mind for seeing how others interpret the whole. Take that as you will.

Swanson plays a Russian countess who can't even speak Russian

[RKO-Komyathy · 5/10 · 3 August 2022]

Gloria Swanson tries to be amusing in this: she gets her bag emptied in the subway, loses her petticoat at a party, falls down multiple times, etc.

Swanon fans call this film great and her performance winning. There are no real happenings in this film, however. And the plot begs credulity: Frank Morgan's rich character, when he sees Swanson in a fancy dress "performing" at a party asks her if they have met before, maybe "in Petrograd?" Later he hires her to impersonate a Russian countess to serve rich lady customers tea at his exclusive dress salon. Soon thereafter a customer speaks to Swanson's character in Russian, which Swanson's character doesn't speak. Morgan's character then tells the customers not to bring up Russia to Swanson as it traumatizes her (this film was made not long after Lenin's Bolsheviks took over Russia, had the Russian Tsar machine gunned to death and then destroyed all other opponents in the Russian Civil War).

Why this film has Russian angle at all, however, befuddles me. Something more creative could have been used as a plot scenario to give Swanson's character a job. Besides, Morgan's character is shown to be an ace businessman so it is nonsensical that he would have hired a non-Russian speaker to impersonate a Russian.

Tom Moore is the male lead in this (and if you count how many films he made and how many his brothers Owen, Matt, and Joe, made it would be about 700 films!)

What happens to Moore's character or Swanson's in this, though, is never made intriguing; so that the viewer (unless a die-hard Swanson fan) is never made to care about these characters.

Gloria nearly falls prey to society men

[chrisjaymes · 8 March 2001]

I just saw this film at the Silent Movie theater in LA. The print was original, from 1924 and in remarkable shape. The music was live organ played by a man who has been accompanying silents for more than 70 years. It was fantastic. Not only does Gloria Swanson really shine, but Alan Dwan makes a hilarious picture out of a paper thin plot. Every character is shown to the fullest, each moment is packed with nuance (usually by Swanson) but also for the other characters. You can't help but feel the director at work there, sculpting each scene until it plays just so, a laugh a minute, but also so human. Terrific.

ABE LEVY