Daring Daughters (1933) User Reviews

Not Really Daring - Only Misunderstood!!

[kidboots · 7/10 · 7 June 2014]

In 1931 Marian Marsh's film future looked very bright. She had caught the eye of John Barrymore who used her (to great fan fare) in his "Svengali" and also his follow up "The Mad Genius" and apparently Charlie Chaplin was very keen to use her in "City Lights" after becoming disenchanted with Virginia Cherrill but nothing came of it. But in 1932 with the big flop "Under 18" suddenly Warners were not that keen on her anymore and by 1933 she was on poverty row and, who knows, may have prolonged her career by appearing in some varied films throughout the thirties. She was given some pretty risqué titles like "Notorious But Nice" and "Daring Daughters" but poor Marian was never asked to be very naughty, only misunderstood.

Comparing this film to "Marked Woman" is a tall order - apart from the general theme of sophisticated Marian trying to keep gullible sister on the straight and narrow, it is nothing like the hard hitting Bette Davis film. Kenneth Thomson again plays a persistent Casanova, a role he had been perfecting since "The Broadway Melody". Here he is giving Terry (M.M.) a hard time, trying to convince her to accept his offer of a Park Avenue penthouse - with no strings attached of course!! (sure!!). He still finds time to romance Betty (Jean Marsh), Terry's naïve and gullible sister and is finding it much easier to convince her that he is a good guy. Streetwise Terry is finding it a full time job to keep Betty on the straight and narrow and Jean Marsh really shows her acting limitations, first playing Betty as a dopey fool, then when she really lets fly, as a tough talking tramp!! There is no light and shade!!

When Terry accepts a lift from Edgar (Allan Vincent) she writes him off as just another wolf but he is sincere and smitten and Terry comes to believe in him as well. Now the shoe is on the other foot as Edgar's uncle feels that she is only after what she can get - especially when he sees them out at a swanky restaurant. There is a lot of talk about Terry - "only out for what she can get" and "taking a guy to the cleaners and leaving him flat" but there is no evidence of this in the movie - she spends all her time refusing dinner dates and parties!!

Things come to a head when Betty, fed up with Terry's restricting rules and boyfriend Roy's persistent overtime, impulsively goes to a penthouse party where things get a bit out of hand. It is Terry to the rescue once again and when Roy, Betty's long suffering boy friend, comes to Terry with a plan to buy his own garage, she puts her "invisible grandma" to the test (a ploy she uses to get rid of pesky suitors) and appeals to Edgar for money to send "grandma to a sanatorium"!!! In a novel twist the money she thinks Edgar has so easily come by, has really been stolen from petty cash....

Again, Allan Vincent proved why he wasn't star material and Charlotte Merriam gives the movie it's only real drama as a battered neighbour who uses the sister's flat as a refuge from her drunken husband. Tower Pictures may have thought it a novelty starring Marian and Joan as sisters, seeing their last name was Marsh but they were not related. Marian's real name was Morgan and Joan was the daughter of cameraman Charles Rosher.

Enter Sam Newfield!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 10 December 2013]

From 1926 to 1931, Sam Newfield directed shorts. Wishing to break into features, he asked his brother, Sigmund Neufeld, to give him an assignment as an assistant director. Thus we find Sam in this role on "Daring Daughters" which was directed by Christy Cabanne – not exactly the greatest teacher in the world if you were looking for stylish innovation, but a master at rapidly shooting movie scenes that the editor could assemble quickly and efficiently. This one has a humdrum story but a feisty cast led by Marian Marsh (as the elder Cummings girl) and the equally lovely Joan Marsh (no relation to Marian) as the new arrival on the block. Kenneth Thomson has an unusual role as the hero, while Bert Roach does his usual turn as a drunken busybody. Also on the credit side of the ledger is the excellent photography by Harry Forbes. Needless to say, even a movie as mild as this one failed to gain a certificate from Hollywood's revamped censor, so I eyed it as a curiosity now that Alpha have brought it back into circulation on a good DVD.

Sisters, sister, there were never such devoted sisters....

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 4 June 2015]

Life in the big city takes a twist for the more experienced older sister (Marian Marsh) who is helping her younger sister (Joan Marsh, apparently no relation) adjust to life in the big apple. Every man Marian dates is attracted to Joan's innocence, and as a result, Marian goes through a lot of men. When Joan starts assisting her sister at the convenience stand Marian works at, she attracts the attention of handsome Kenneth Thomson who works with his wealthy uncle at the office across the corridor. But the uncle thinks that Joan is nothing more than just another big city vixen and does everything he can to break them up. Sisters fight, but after Marian gets drunk and is almost taken advantage of, they make up and are determined to face Joan's romantic crisis together.

Interesting pre-code poverty row drama has strong performances by the two young leading ladies (only 19 and 20 at the time) and flow along nicely. The prohibition liquor is flowing, all sorts of sexual insinuations are dropped, and even though the innocent Joan finally stands up to Marian and demands that she let her have her own life, they prove that indeed, like the old Irving Berlin song, that "Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister". Briskly directed by Christy Cabanne, this moves along at a pleasant pace, and features many fine character performances. A brief subplot, focusing on an obviously abused housewife next door to where the two girls live, is never fully developed or wrapped up and seems almost like an oversight. But for the most part, this is an enjoyable drama and well worth seeing.

"Wise" Girl

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 14 November 2023]

Terry Cummings (Marian Marsh) was a "wise" girl. To men that meant she was good at using them for their money, but what it really meant was that she was wise to their game. Sure, she'd accept gifts and things of value from some men, but they weren't getting her in return. They hated that.

Terry's sister Betty (Joan Marsh) was far from wise. She was pretty naive. She was receptive to any man that said something nice, which made her a perfect sucker. She was close to being Alan Preston's plaything twice. Good thing she had Terry to protect her though; and protect her she did.

Terry claimed that all men were alike and they were all after one thing. We all know what that means. It's a tired old foreshadow that was overused even in the '30's. It meant that Terry would surely find a decent man and surely fall in love (see "Our Blushing Brides" and "Loose Ankles")

Terry met Edgar Barrett (Allen Vincent), a new employee in the building where she worked. Edgar was sweet on Terry from day one. Terry saw him as another man looking to score. She would keep him away like she did all the others by telling him about her sick grandmother at home, which meant they couldn't enter.

Edgar was warned by his boss who was also his uncle Mr. Lawton (Richard Tucker) to stay away from Terry. She was a "wise girl" he told him, but Edgar was hearing none of it. I could sort of see where the movie was going--in broad strokes anyway, but I didn't expect something Edgar did.

Edgar stole $1000 from his uncle's business to give to Terry for her sick grandmother. This was baffling, criminal, and plain stupid.

1.) He'd never even seen Terry's grandmother and didn't know if she was sick or if she even had a grandmother.

2.) Even if Terry did have a grandmother, he barely knew her. He'd known her for a few days and he was already committing crimes for her!?!

In the writers' efforts to establish Edgar as a genuine good guy worthy of Terry's love, they churned out a dolt. So the only good guys are simple fools???

Of course, it all worked out. Edgar was right in assuming that Terry was not "one of those types of girls" and Terry was wrong in assuming that Edgar was "like all the other guys." Even Terry's sister Betty got married to a decent guy.

I only partially liked the plot of the movie because I'd seen the concept a few times before. Had it been more original I would've liked it more. Not only that, Marian Marsh isn't very convincing as a street wise girl; more believable would've been a Joan Blondell, Ruth Chatterton, or Joan Crawford. Marian has too young and soft of a look. She was perfect for "Beauty and the Boss," but not quite hard, edgy, or tough enough as Terry Cummings.

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