Possessed (1931)

Ambitious factory Girl Marion Martin meets a handsome well-to-do, but he's interested in her as a mistress, not a wife.

Writers:

Edgar Selwyn (from the play by: "The Mirage"), Lenore J. Coffee (adaptation)

Stars:

Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Wallace Ford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Crawford	...	Marian
Clark Gable	...	Mark Whitney
Wallace Ford	...	Al Manning
Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher	...	Wally (as Skeets Gallagher)
Frank Conroy	...	Travers
Marjorie White	...	Vernice
John Miljan	...	John Driscoll
Clara Blandick	...	Mother

Storyline

Marion is a factory worker who hopes to trade the assembly line, for a beautiful penthouse apartment. Mark Whitney, a wealthy and influential lawyer can make her dreams come true, but there is only one problem, he will give her everything but a marriage proposal. Will this affair ever lead to marriage?

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Plot Keywords:

mistress | factory | factory worker | lawyer | governor | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

21 November 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Verkaufte Liebe

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlotte Greenwood was signed as a cast member, but she was not seen in the movie. News items mentioned several performers during production, but some did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These include Florence Lake, Virginia Sale and Francis Ford.

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Quotes

Marian Martin, aka Mrs. Moreland: When a woman sings with the heart, the language is unimportant.

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Connections

Referenced in The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980)

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Soundtracks

"A Hot Time in the Old Town"
(1896) (uncredited)
Music by Theo. A. Metz
Played during an electioneering scene

User Reviews

Interesting, but...

I hesitate to criticize this movie because it was made in 1931, and, really, what more do you want? Clark Gable and Joan Crawford for crying out loud!

But it's way too short for what it's trying to do. Much of the interesting action is missing. Also, after the first 20 minutes or so it gets very stagey and static - with one exception where Crawford skulks around in the study. She's great and has a real flair for being hurtful when it suits her. Unfortunately, Gable is not a terrific actor to begin with, and when his character has no affectations he can fall back on, like in Mogambo or It Happened One Night, he's quite stiff.

Overall, I'd recommend this movie just as I'd recommend almost all movies made before 1939 that have made it this far.