Page Miss Glory (1935)

A chambermaid impersonates the fictional subject of a composite photo that won a beauty contest, with whom a famed aviator falls in love.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Delmer Daves (screen play), Robert Lord (screen play)

Stars:

Marion Davies, Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marion Davies	...	Loretta Dalrymple - Dawn Glory
Pat O'Brien	...	Dan 'Click Wiley
Dick Powell	...	Bingo Nelson
Mary Astor	...	Gladys Russell
Frank McHugh	...	Ed Olson
Lyle Talbot	...	Slattery
Allen Jenkins	...	Petey
Barton MacLane	...	Blackie (as Barton McLane)
Patsy Kelly	...	Betty
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Joe Bonner
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Mr.Freischutz
Al Shean	...	Mr. Hamburgher
Berton Churchill	...	Mr. Yates - Assistant Hotel Manager
Helen Lowell	...	Actress - Dawn Glory's 'Mother'
Mary Treen	...	Beauty Shop Operator

Storyline

Loretta Dalrymple, a homely young country girl comes to New York City and gets a job as a chambermaid in a large hotel. She meets Ed Olson, a photographer out of work, and Dan Riley, a promoter with nothing to promote. When an advertiser offers a reward for a photograph of 'America's Prettiest Girl,", Ed makes a composite photo of all the famous movie stars and society belles and calls the girl in his picture "Dawn Glory." A Dawn-Glory craze sweeps the country, and Loretta, with makeup and new clothes, turns out to be the reincarnation of the picture. Loretta has fallen in love with a newspaper picture of "Bingo" Russell, a famous aviator, and when Dan and Ed ask her to pose as Dawn Glory, she readily agrees, hoping she will get to meet Russell. She does meet him and, then, complications arise.

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Plot Keywords:

train station | marion davies billed above the title | tension | damsel in distress | deception | 

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Taglines:

"EASILY THE BEST AND MOST ORIGINAL COMEDY OF THE SEASON"..."MARION AT HER BEST"...say Nation's Critics! (Print Ad-Daily Times, ((Rochester Penna.)) 3 September 1935)

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dick Powell was so afraid of Marion Davies' husband William Randolph Hearst, the most powerful magnate, mogul in Hollywood at this time, that he barely spoke to or approached Davies between takes.

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Goofs

When Gladys shows up at Click and Edward's hotel room, a startled Loretta says that she'll go out through the bedroom door and then proceeds to go into the bedroom. But after Click and Edward leave their hotel room; she is now coming out of the bathroom. In addition, she tells Gladys that they left the pawn ticket under the pillow.

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Quotes

Gladys: [Click and Ed have just ordered some sophisticated clothing from a couple of haberdashers] You two are certainly milking our "golden calf." Evening clothes, riding habits, "Olde" English monograms on your shirts... a little while ago you were lucky to have soup stains.
Click Wiley: [nonchalantly] You heard my secretary: even the best is not good enough for us.
Gladys: By the way, the "golden calf" has been awfully quiet for the last 10 minutes.
[jumps up to go check on Loretta, aka Dawn Glory]
Click Wiley: You know, Eddie, I'm ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Opening Card: Grand Central Terminal... New York

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Connections

Referenced in American Experience: The Battle Over Citizen Kane (1996)

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Soundtracks

Tell Me That You Love Me
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played on the radio when Loretta is telling Betty about her boyfriend

User Reviews

Davies and the Warner All-Stars

Page Miss Glory (1935)

*** (out of 4)

When William Randolph Hearst took his girlfriend Marion Davies and production company Cosmopolitan from MGM to Warner, he bought the best talent on the lot and ended up delivering one of the better films of his career. In the film, wannabe money makers (Pat O'Brien, Frank McHugh) decide to get some quick cash by forging a picture to win a contest for the best looking woman in America. They end up winning but to their horror the press starts to eat up the story of "Dawn Glory". When a reporter (Lyle Talbot) begins to get close to their scheme, they discover that the motel chambermaid (Davies) actually looks like the girl in the photo. This mistaken identity farce begins to lose a lot of steam during the final half hour but with this amazing cast there's really no going wrong here. This certainly isn't a classic movie or one that needs to be studied in film schools but if you're a fan of Davies or the wonderful supporting cast then you're in for a treat. Not only do we get Davies, O'Brien, McHugh and Talbot but we also have Dick Powell, Mary Astor, Allen Jenkins and Patsy Kelly. Kelly and Jenkins are pretty much underwritten characters but the rest get to do all their tricks and end up turning over plenty of laughs for the viewer. The most shocking thing is that Davies doesn't have the most to do in the film as she remains a supporting player throughout. This is just fine because when she is on the screen she really tears it up and she's the best as the dimwitted chambermaid who never really catches on to what's going on. O'Brien is his usual fast paced self and he works wonderfully well with McHugh, which shouldn't be too shocking since both men played perfectly well as the sidekicks to James Cagney in various Warner films. Astor nearly steals the film with another strong performance and Talbot delivers the good as well. People are always going to debate on whether Davies was a talented actress or just the mistress to the most powerful man in America but I think this film proves she could be good if given the right material and support around here. Again, this isn't a masterpiece but there's enough here for film buffs to really eat up.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Page Miss Glory

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cosmopolitan Productions, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 75 min (preview)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1