Love Is a Racket (1932)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Rian James (novel)
Courtney Terrett (adaptation)

Release Date:

18 June 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Jimmy writes the 'Up and Down Broadway' column for the New York Globe, and he is head over heels for Mary...

Plot Keywords:

New York | Thief | Penthouse | Gangster | Hot Foot

Cast

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	...	James 'Jimmy' Russell
Ann Dvorak	...	Sally Condon
Frances Dee	...	Mary Wodehouse
Lee Tracy	...	Stanley Fiske
Lyle Talbot	...	Edw. Griswold 'Eddie' Shaw
Warren Hymer	...	Bernie Olds
André Luguet	...	Max Boncour (as Andre Luguet)
Cecil Cunningham	...	Aunt Hattie Donovan
Terrance Ray	...	Seeley
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Burress	...	Ollie (scenes deleted)
George Raft	...	Sneaky (scenes deleted)
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones	...	Elevator Operator (as Snowflake)

Also Known As:

Such Things Happen (UK)

Runtime:

72 min | USA:71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

First National Pictures

Movie Connections:

Alternate language version of L'athlète incomplet (1932)

Soundtrack:

Too Many Tears

Decent

Love is a Racket (1932)

** (out of 4)

Boring melodrama about a gossip writer (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) who falls in love with a struggling actress (Frances Dee) but she might be two timing him with a gangster (Lyle Talbot). William A. Wellman must have fallen asleep in the director's chair because there's not an ounce of energy in this film. Even by 1932 standards the film seems dated and rather routine. There's really not a single thing going for it as we sit there waiting for something to happen yet it never does. Fairbanks is very bland and boring in his role. At the end he gets a big speech about love, which comes off very silly. Frances Dee is good in her role but she doesn't have too much to do. Lee Tracy and Ann Dvorak co-star.