Sadie McKee (1934)

A working girl's fortunes improve when she marries into money, but happiness is not so easily won.

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

John Meehan (screen play), Viña Delmar (based on a story by)

Stars:

Joan Crawford, Gene Raymond, Franchot Tone

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Crawford	...	Sadie
Gene Raymond	...	Tommy
Franchot Tone	...	Michael
Edward Arnold	...	Brennan
Esther Ralston	...	Dolly
Earl Oxford	...	Stooge
Jean Dixon	...	Opal
Leo G. Carroll	...	Phelps (as Leo Carroll)
Akim Tamiroff	...	Riccori
Zelda Sears	...	Mrs. Craney
Helen Ware	...	Mrs. McKee
Gene Austin	...	Cafe Entertainer
Candy Candido	...	Cafe Entertainer (as Candy and Coco)
Otto Heimel	...	Cafe Entertainer (as Candy and Coco)

Storyline

The life of Sadie McKee takes many twists and turns. She starts as the daughter of the cook for the well off Alderson family. Lawyer Michael Alderson likes Sadie but she runs off to New York City with boyfriend Tommy to get married. Before they get married, Tommy takes up with show girl Dolly and deserts her. Sadie stays in New York and becomes involved with Michael's boss, millionaire Brennan. She marries the chronically alcoholic Brennan for his money. Michael views her as a golddigger at first, but then sees her help Brennan beat his alcoholism. Sadie leaves Brennan to try and find Tommy when she hears that her old flame is in trouble. Little does she know just how much trouble.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | new york city | millionaire | cook | alcoholic | 

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Taglines:

Men made the chapters in her book of life! (Print Ad-Florence Times, ((Florence, Ala.)) 13 August 1934)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song, "All I Do Is Dream of You," written for the film and sung by Gene Raymond was later used for Debbie Reynolds' first number in "Singing in the Rain."

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Goofs

When the chauffeur driven car is pulling up to the estate at the beginning of the film; as you look through the rear window; you see only one person in the back seat. But on the next shot which is a side view of the back seat; there are now three people sitting tightly together in the back seat.

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Quotes

Opal: [Looking at Sadie's newspaper on the table] Hey, what are you doing with these? Keeping track of Tommy?
Sadie McKee Brennan: Mmm hmm.
Opal: Listen, are you gonna be nuts about that canary all your life?
Sadie McKee Brennan: I'm afraid so.
Opal: Well, control yourself because you got everything. Everything!

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Connections

Featured in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

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Soundtracks

I Looked in Your Eyes
(uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Sung a cappella by Gene Raymond
Sung also by Gene Raymond and Esther Ralston

User Reviews

The Perfect Crawford Vehicle.

Clarence Brown was an above average director and his pictures with Joan Crawford in the early and mid '30s are better than those she did with others. Brown had an eye and a sense of detail and he favors long takes with two or more performers interacting, which creates a certain tension where there might otherwise be none. Certainly this improbable script is not noticeably better than others Joan did around that time, but everything about this picture works perfectly.

Having finally found her best 'look,' Crawford is undeniably gorgeous, the ravishing epitome of glamor. And Adrian does some of his best work for her in this, putting her in one stunning and flattering gown after another. She is also given a talented and varied supporting cast and all of the big set pieces work, though Edward Arnold's drunk scenes go on for too long.

And there are a couple of fantastic sets, one of Arnold's mansion and the other of a glass sanitarium in the snow. Though the whole cast is more than adequate, a few players stand out: Jean Dixon is delightfully world weary in a leopard coat, Esther Ralston makes a perfect amoral siren, and it's a bit of a revelation to see how much Leo G. Carroll accomplishes by doing very little in his role as a nasty butler. There's also a fantastic jazz version of "After You've Gone" performed by Gene Austin, Candy Candido and Otto Heimel. As for the main players, Crawford, Franchot Tone and Gene Raymond don't dig very deep in their performances, but with a plucky, luscious Crawford at full tilt and with everything else about this movie clicking so well, it doesn't matter. It works.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sadie McKee

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1