The Florodora Girl (1930)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Harry Beaumont

Writers:

Gene Markey (story)
Ralph Spence (additional dialogue) ...

Release Date:

30 May 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A chorus girl (Marion Davies) gets bad advice from her fellow chorines in handling a rich suitor (Lawrence Gray) who assumes she is a gold-digger...

Plot Keywords:

Chorus Girl | Theater | Gold Digger | Vaudeville | Wager

Cast

Marion Davies	...	Daisy Dell
Lawrence Gray	...	Jack Vibart
Walter Catlett	...	De Boer
Louis John Bartels	...	Oliver Hemingway
Ilka Chase	...	Fanny
Vivien Oakland	...	Maud
Jed Prouty	...	Old Man Dell
Claud Allister	...	Lord Rumblesham
Sam Hardy	...	Harry Fontaine
Nance O'Neil	...	Mrs. Vibart
Robert Bolder	...	Commodore Caraway
Jane Keithley	...	Constance
Maude Turner Gordon	...	Mrs. Caraway
George Chandler	...	Georgie Smith
Anita Louise	...	Vibart Child

Also Known As:

The Gay Nineties (UK)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Company:

Cosmopolitan Productions

Trivia:

This was the first film which opened the famous Pantages Theater at Hollywood and Vine.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the beach scenes, one shot begins with the clapper boy crossing the set with clapper in hand.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away

Davies Shines in Gay Nineties' Romp

While not one of her most entertaining outings, "The Florodora Girl" has much to recommend it, especially in its musical interludes which a provide a feast of 1890's songs. Just about all these are well rendered by Miss Davies and chorus. Mr Gray, "who sings better than he talks" (as Mordaunt Hall aptly commented), has only the one number and irritatingly not only fails to join in singing the climactic, real Florodora hit, "Tell Me, Pretty Maiden", but actually louses it up. This is the way of the plot which tends to hamper the movie at every turn of its routine screws.

Some poorly contrived humorous interludes with over-enthusiastic Walter Catlett, and Harry Beaumont's rather routine, static and uninspired direction do little to help; but fortunately the movie offers plenty of visual compensations by way of its lavish sets and costumes, in addition to the aural appeal of its music score.