You Can't Buy Everything (1934)

Hannah is so tight with her money that she takes her son, Donnie, to the charity ward a week after he hurts his leg. But she has always hoarded her money since her late husband wasted most ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Reisner

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (original screenplay), Lamar Trotti (original screenplay),

Stars:

May Robson, Jean Parker, Lewis Stone

Cast

Complete credited cast:
May Robson	...	Mrs. Hannah Bell
Jean Parker	...	Elizabeth 'Beth' Burton Bell
Lewis Stone	...	John Burton
Mary Forbes	...	Kate Farley
Reginald Mason	...	Dr. Lorimer
William Bakewell	...	Donny 'Don' Bell as a man
Tad Alexander	...	Donny Bell as a boy
Walter Walker	...	Josiah Flagg
Reginald Barlow	...	Mr. Tom Sparks
Claude Gillingwater	...	Banker Asa Cabot

Storyline

Hannah is so tight with her money that she takes her son, Donnie, to the charity ward a week after he hurts his leg. But she has always hoarded her money since her late husband wasted most of it and now she plans to save it for Donnie. But when Donnie graduates from Princeton, he does not want to go into banking at Hannah's bank, he wants to be a writer, which upsets Hannah. But the greatest blow of all comes when Donnie meets the daughter of the man who jilted Hannah 30 years before.

---

Plot Keywords:

money | charity | grudge | surgeon | manhattan new york city | 

---

Taglines:

"Lady for a Day" Becomes QUEEN OF WALL STREET

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

26 January 1934 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cosmopolitan Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The preview running time was listed in Daily Variety as 90 minutes, indicating that some cuts were made before release. That may account for some actors not being seen in the movie.

---

Quotes

[last lines]
Mrs. Hannah Bell: Whose pneumonia is this? Yours or mine?

---

Soundtracks

"Jingle Bells"
(1857) (uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Played in the score during the first scene

User Reviews

Based, somewhat, on a real lady!

May Robson plays Hannah Bell--the cheapest and nastiest woman in Manhattan. The film begins with her taking her son to a charity ward--and you soon learn she is one of the richest women in Manhattan and is just too cheap to get the boy better treatment! You also see that she's not just cheap but amazingly bitter and just plain nasty. Much of the film consists of watching this horrible lady treat those around her with contempt. Why she is so bitter and how her ex-fiancé relates to this is an interesting thing you learn late in the film. You also see how tough it is to be the son of this wretched woman, as her son (now grown) is miserable because of her nasty ways. All in all, a fascinating portrait--especially because it's based on a real woman--the infamous Hetty Green. Green did several of the things you see Robson do in the film (such as seeking her boy treatment at a clinic for indigent patients) and was, by all accounts, a horrible old miser. But, being a Hollywood film, the film also tacks on a redemption and happy ending--something that did NOT happen to Green. All in all, a fascinating film and a dandy acting job for Robson who is in top form playing a cranky old prune. Worth seeing.