Child of Manhattan (1933)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Writers:

Gertrude Purcell (screenplay)
Preston Sturges (play)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The World called her BAD because she dared to LOVE !

Plot:

Paul Vanderkill is extraordinarily wealthy because his grandfather happened to buy farmland in what was to become Midtown Manhattan...

Plot Keywords:

Baby | Divorce | Mexico | Marriage | Pregnancy

Cast

Nancy Carroll	...	Madeleine McGonegle
John Boles	...	Paul Otto Vanderkill
Buck Jones	...	Panama Kelly (as Charles 'Buck' Jones)
Jessie Ralph	...	Aunt Minnie (as Jessie Rolph)
Clara Blandick	...	Aunt Sophie Jones
Luis Alberni	...	Carlos Spumoni Bustamente
Warburton Gamble	...	Stephen Eggleston
Jane Darwell	...	Mrs. McGonegle
Garry Owen	...	Buddy McGonegle (as Gary Owen)
Betty Grable	...	Lucy McGonegle
Nat Pendleton	...	Spyrane - Dance Hall Bouncer

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Neil Hamilton played the role of "Paul Vanderkill" for the first two weeks of production; he was replaced by John Boles.

Quotes:

Aunt Minnie: You could knock me over with a fender.

Soundtrack:

Take Everything But You

Worth it for Nancy Carroll's Performance

I admit I obtained this film because I wanted to see John Boles' performance (he's always been a heart throb of mine) but it was Nancy Carroll's superb and sensitive performance of a common dance hall girl from Brooklyn with a heart of gold which kept me watching, especially considering the poor quality of the print I obtained.

With this multi-faceted performance Nancy proved she was capable of much more than silly flapper roles. Her character is not self-serving in the least, while John Boles' character Paul is indecipherable. After admitting he is totally in love with the dance hall girl he then states he doesn't want to marry her. An unexpected pregnancy forces his hand and he does the honorable thing by marrying her, but the marriage is a secret one. We are to assume it was to protect his older daughter, but since we never see this daughter we don't have much sympathy for Paul's concerns.

The audience receives a typical happy Hollywood ending in Child of Manhattan but somehow it doesn't quite fit the sum total of the film.

Watch Child Of Manhattan (if you can find it) to see Nancy Carroll at her best.

Update: TCM has recently broadcast this film in a lovely print. That's the one to see.