The Golden Fleecing (1940)

Director:

Leslie Fenton

Writers:

S.J. Perelman (screen play), Laura Perelman (screen play),

Stars:

Lew Ayres, Rita Johnson, Lloyd Nolan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lew Ayres	...	Henry Twinkle
Rita Johnson	...	Mary Blake
Lloyd Nolan	...	Gus Fender
Virginia Grey	...	Lila Hanley
Leon Errol	...	Uncle Waldo Burke
Nat Pendleton	...	'Fatso' Werner
George Lessey	...	Buckley Sloan
Richard Carle	...	Pattington
Ralph Byrd	...	Larry Kelly
Marc Lawrence	...	'Happy' Dugan
Thurston Hall	...	Charles Engel
James Burke	...	Sibley
Spencer Charters	...	Justice of Peace
William Demarest	...	Swallow

Storyline

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Taglines:

One Kiss TURNED HIM FROM A MOUSE INTO A RAGING LION! (1940 Australian poster - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor Entre Arrufos

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Twinkle, Twinkle, little star quality: VERY little.

The funniest thing in this movie is its title. 'The Golden Fleecing' has a similar premise to Danny Kaye's unfunny comedy 'The Man from the Diner's Club': a gormless hero, on behalf of his employer, extends financial obligation to a gangster, then must imperil himself implausibly in order to undo the damage. But 'Diner's Club', as dire as it was, managed to be much more plausible than 'The Golden Fleecing'.

Lew Ayres was a slightly talented dramatic actor with no flair for comedy; his success in a supporting role in the comedy 'Holiday' was down to Ayres's willingness to give a passive performance for a firm-handed director while allowing much more talented actors to play off him. Here, in 'The Golden Fleecing', Ayres plays a schlub insurance salesman named Henry Twinkle: I guess that this name is meant to be funny, but somehow I'm not laughing. (When I said he was a schlub insurance salesman, I didn't mean he sells schlub insurance: I meant he's a schlub who has a job as an insurance salesman.) Henry is engaged to Lila (the attractive but untalented actress Virginia Grey), and they hope to get married if only Henry sells a few insurance policies.

Henry sells a life-insurance policy to a man named Gus Fender (played by Lloyd Nolan, whose face does indeed resemble a bashed fender). Henry is pleased with the sale ... until he learns that Fender is a gangster, and rival gangsters have put a price on Fender's head. If this were real life, Henry's boss could just cancel the insurance policy on a technicality. But this is a movie, so ... exit credibility, upstage left, while implausibility runs riot.

In order to keep Fender from getting killed, Henry gets involved in some criminal schemes which become increasingly felonious and decreasingly plausible. Meanwhile, Lila can't figure out why Henry is acting so weird, and of course he can't tell her. Listen, sister: when you decided to marry a guy named Twinkle, you should have been prepared.

Part of the problem with 'The Golden Fleecing' is that Fender is so unlikeable, we actually want him to get killed off ... even though this would mean ruination for Henry. Lloyd Nolan was a very talented actor (more so than Ayres) whose unpleasant physiognomy kept him typecast nearly always as crooks or unsympathetic heroes.

There are some good supporting performances here. The trim and muscular Nat Pendleton (a former Olympic athlete) plays a guy named Fatso. Leon Errol plays a character named Uncle Waldo: just the idea of Leon Errol playing somebody named Uncle Waldo is funny, but Errol has little to do in the role. Spencer Charters, Ralph Byrd and the great William Demarest are excellent in small roles. It's nice to see Ralph Byrd playing a role that isn't Dick Tracy. I'll rate this weak movie 4 out of 10.