Upperworld

19341934
PassedPassed
1h 13m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

562

YOUR RATING

Mary Astor, Ginger Rogers, and Warren William in Upperworld (1934)

Crime Drama Music

A rich railroad tycoon, bored with his marriage (his wife has no time for him -- she's too busy giving parties and sailing on yachts) starts seeing a showgirl. This are going OK until the gi... Read allA rich railroad tycoon, bored with his marriage (his wife has no time for him -- she's too busy giving parties and sailing on yachts) starts seeing a showgirl. This are going OK until the girl's manager/boyfriend, seeing his chance to make some big money, decides to blackmail him... Read allA rich railroad tycoon, bored with his marriage (his wife has no time for him -- she's too busy giving parties and sailing on yachts) starts seeing a showgirl. This are going OK until the girl's manager/boyfriend, seeing his chance to make some big money, decides to blackmail him.

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

562

YOUR RATING

- Roy Del Ruth
Writers
- Ben Hecht(story)
- Ben Markson(screenplay)
- Charles MacArthur(story)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Photos40

Ginger Rogers and Warren William in Upperworld (1934)

Dickie Moore and Warren William in Upperworld (1934)

Andy Devine and Dickie Moore in Upperworld (1934)

Mary Astor, Dickie Moore, and Warren William in Upperworld (1934)

Trivia
The airplane in which Stream takes Lilly to upstate NY is a 1931 Bellanca CH400 "Skyrocket", registration NC12635. It was owned by Wallace Beery. Only 32 planes of this variant were made. Subsequently sold to a mining concern in Saudi Arabia, it was destroyed in 1937.

Goofs
The police are tricked into believing that a man committed suicide with a gun. He was really murdered, shot from across the room. Even a perfunctory medical examination would make the deception impossible--for example, an absence of powder burns.

Quotes
Alexander Stream: Oscar, you ought to settle down and have a family.
Oscar: Well, a family's a good thing for a man, Mr. Stream, and especially a married man. But, my model with women is just love 'em and leave 'em.

Connections
Referenced in Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (2008)

Soundtracks
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
(uncredited)
Written by Ann Ronell and Frank Churchill
Sung by Ginger Rogers and Warren William

User reviews20

Review

Featured review

6/10

Forgotton, risque drama

You'll think, when you start this movie, that it's a silly Ginger Rogers comedy. It does start out that way, but before long, it turns into a pretty heavy drama with twists and turns that will shock you. For a pre-Fred Ginger, and the star who no doubt hated Melvyn Douglas's success, Warren William, check out this romantic drama, Upper World.

Warren is a famous millionaire with a beautiful house, beautiful wife Mary Astor, and adorable and playful son Dickie Moore. He's completely satisfied, except for the small disagreement that Mary likes hosting high-society parties and he doesn't. Then, a random occurrence on his yacht connects him with burlesque dancer Ginger Rogers. He rescues her from drowning, then accompanies her back to her apartment, then stays and cooks breakfast with her. Before long, he's buying her twelve thousand dollar diamond bracelets and sitting in the front row during her very risqué dance numbers. Ginger's boyfriend, J. Carrol Naish, finds out about the affair and hopes to blackmail Warren, but his plans go awry.

This isn't the most dramatic movie out there, and it probably won't be your favorite, but it's worth watching if it appeals to you. There are so many movies from the 1930s that have been forgotten about, and many of them are quite good.

helpful•1

HotToastyRag
Mar 12, 2019

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