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Dick Powell | Dick Curtis | |
Adolphe Menjou | Nicolai Nicoleff | |
Gloria Stuart | Ann Prentiss | |
Alice Brady | Matilda Prentiss | |
Hugh Herbert | T. Mosely Thorpe III | |
Glenda Farrell | Betty Hawes | |
Frank McHugh | Humbolt Prentiss | |
Joseph Cawthorn | August Schultz | |
Grant Mitchell | Louis Lampson | |
Dorothy Dare | Arline Davis | |
Wini Shaw | Winny | |
Harry Seymour | ||
Virginia Dabney | Chorus girl | |
Jack Wise | ||
Don Brodie | Photographer |
Director |
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Writer | Robert Lord
Peter Milne Manuel Seff |
5.0 out of 5 stars now THIS is anything but "small and cheap" !!!, February 26, 2009 By Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) Gold Diggers Of 1935 provides more action mixed with stunning song and dance numbers than several average musicals combined! Busby Berkeley directed and choreographed these numbers; and his brilliant talent shows. The plot progresses at a good pace and I never once felt bored. The convincing acting enhances the movie even more. When the action starts, we see the employees gathering for the opening of a newly refurbished, highly upscale hotel, The Wentworth Plaza in New England. Dick Curtis (Dick Powell) is a medical student working at the front desk and his fiancée Arline Davis (Dorothy Dare) works as the hotel's hostess. As soon as the hotel opens, we meet incoming guests from the Prentiss family: the stuffy and impossibly cheap Mrs. Matilda Prentiss (Alice Brady) who counts every red cent despite her being worth many millions of dollars, and her daughter Ann Prentiss who is engaged to another stuffy older man named T. Mosely Thorpe III (Hugh Herbert) who also stays at the hotel. We also meet Mrs. Prentiss' son Humbolt Prentiss (Frank McHugh) who is something of an irresponsible playboy--with four marriages already in his past while he's still relatively young! It isn't long before Ann starts to want some fun before she marries Mosely; and with much hesitation her mother Matilda allows it--on the condition that the hotel clerk Dick Curtis is her escort to make sure she doesn't disgrace the family name. Well, as you may have guessed, it's also isn't long before Ann and Dick become romantically involved much to the chagrin of Mrs. Prentiss. Arline catches Dick kissing Ann but she herself has fallen for Humbolt Prentiss so she lets Dick off the hook rather gracefully. But there's plenty more to the story. As you know, the title of this film has the words "Gold Diggers" in it--and wow, how everybody is on the take in this movie! From the managers who steal tips away from the bellhops to the stenographer who plots and schemes greedily against Mosely, there's quite a bit of game playing. We also get more comedy relief: Adolph Menjou does a great job of playing Nicolai Nicoleff, an oddball theatrical type who never ever pays his own way and mooches of the hotel, and there is his buddy August Schultz (Joseph Cawthorn) who also wants his share of "the take" when Mrs. Prentiss puts on her annual benefit show for the Milk Fund. Will Ann be free after all to marry Dick Curtis, or will her stubborn and somewhat cruel mother Matilda make her marry Mosely? What about Arline and Humbolt--will their romance last? Does the show to benefit the Milk Fund score a hit with the hotel audience? Watch the movie and find out! Gold Diggers of 1935 is one of those rare gems that despite its age couldn't ever lose its appeal. The stunning musical numbers remain in your head practically forever after you watch this; and you'll be especially thrilled with the "Lullaby Of Broadway" sequence near the end of the film. I highly recommend this motion picture for fans of classic Hollywood musicals that also employ comedy to tell their stories; and fans of these actors will also enjoy this film. |
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