Better Late Then Never

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

LAUGHING SINNERS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1931), directed by Harry Beaumont, is a dramatic story that may contain some sinners in the cast, but in the most part, are not laughing, except for a scene involving a drunken party. The movie in question happens to be a new title to a Broadway play "Torch Song" by Kenyon Nicholson, starring Joan Crawford in her mission of mercy. Not as well known as one would expect, it's more notable for being Crawford's rematch under the direction of Harry Beaumont from DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE (1931), along with actor on the rise by the name of Clark Gable, elevated in the cast from seventh in the previous film to third in this latest edition. While Gable played mean tough guys in such 1931 releases as THE PAINTED DESERT (Pathe), NIGH NURSE (Warner Brothers), THE FINGER POINTS (First National), and reaching the peak of his career treating Norma Shearer rough in A FREE SOUL, LAUGHING SINNERS offers Gable an opportunity playing a nice guy as he did earlier in THE EASIEST WAY (1931), an image he would soon endure through much of his career from this point forward.The story opens as a Pembroke train station on a rainy night where Ivy Stevens (Joan Crawford) runs to and on board the passing train where she meets with Howard Palmer (Neil Hamilton), a traveling salesman whom she has known for two years. This time she joins him and his fellow salesmen, Fred Geer (Roscoe Karns), "the sardine king," and Mike (Cliff Edwards), the ukulele singer, to their next stop. Spending time with Howard, Ivy acquires a cabaret job singing and dancing for its patrons, where she has become close friends with an older showgirl, Ruby (Marjorie Rambeau). During a performance where Ivy dedicates a song to the man she loves, Howard, it is Howard who then writes her a farewell note as he is about to run off and marry Estelle, the bosses daughter. Totally distressed and betrayed, Ivy takes a walk to jump off a bridge. Her chances of suicide are stopped by the passing Carl Loomis (Clark Gable), a Salvation Army man, who talks her out of destroying her precious gift of life. During the course of a year, Ivy, now a member of the Salvation Army, and winning new friends, meets up with Howard again. Although still married, he wants to win her back and return to her life of sin. Others in the cast include: Guy Kibbee (Cass Wheeler, a mortician salesman of "underground novelty" a role Kibbee reprised from the stage); Gertrude Short (Edna); George Cooper (Joe); George Marion (Humpty, the cabaret manager);, Clara Blandick, and the dark haired, thin faced Mary Ann Jackson from those early "Our Gang" comedies for Hal Roach as the little girl in the picnic scene at Lincoln Park.As in DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE, Crawford displays her singing and dancing ability with her night club singing, first with her "Red Hot Dance" dressed up like a bearded hillbilly in overalls and false nose; and a solo torch song spotlight singing "What Can I Do? I Love That Man" by Martin Brones and Arthur Freed.A major change in Gable's recent villainous performances to a wider range of his newfound character. Still minus his famous mustache, Gable again gathers much attention in his second of eight collaborations opposite Crawford that would last until another religious themed/prison story, STRANGE CARGO (1940). Neil Hamilton, resumes his second lead performance as he did in other MGM productions, and Cliff Edwards, who had a sizable role in DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE, has little to do this time around. Other than her dancing and her character part of the Salvation Army crew, the big surprise here is finding the dark-haired brunette Crawford becoming a dark-haired blonde.LAUGHING SINNERS succeeds mostly through its casting and little on its direction, but overall, a passable 72 minutes of betrayal and redemption story from a woman's point of view. Available on home video and DVD as well as broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies, especially during either Crawford or Gable tributes and festivals. (**1/2)

Laughing Sinners (1931)This is your typical Joan Crawford vehicle, but she brings on a relative new actor into her movie, Clark Gable. This is before Gable gets typecast as the ultra-masculine and sexual gigolo (and many times bad guy). So, it's a refreshing portrayal. Ivy 'Bunny' Stevens (Crawford) is a night club dancer and singer (with a heart of gold), but has it bad for her traveling salesman boyfriend, Howard Palmer (Neil Hamilton). When Howard dumps poor Ivy for his rich bosses daughter, Ivy takes it hard and is about to jump off of a bridge when a very friendly Salvation Army man, Carl Loomis (Clark Gable) stops her and gives her something else to live for.Good-hearted Carl isn't preachy. He's fallen far from grace himself and can't judge anybody. When Ivy meets back up with Howard, who puts the moves on her, she regrets falling for his lines the next morning and doesn't feel worthy. Carl, true to form, doesn't blame Ivy, telling her that if she wants to go back with Howard and that will make her happy, that he's all for that, but she shouldn't feel like she's not worthy to come back to the Salvation Army, because we all fall from grace sometimes. Naturally, Carl doesn't feel the same for Howard and gives him a nice sock on the jaw.

MGM at its most intolerable, with Louis B. Mayer imposing his hypocritical morality on a dime-novel romance. Bad girl Joan Crawford is cavorting with the supremely unattractive traveling salesman Neil Hamilton, but is redeemed by--how's this for casting against type--Salvation Army major Clark Gable. Together the photogenic twosome wander off to host Salvation Army luncheons, dance around the maypole, and sing "London Bridge" to underprivileged tots. Designed to show off Crawford's versatility--she sings, dances, and almost acts--it instead reveals how deficient she is at this point in her career in most of these endeavors, and Gable looks bored. Anyway, it's short, and Hamilton at least gets to rub elbows with a fine crew of fellow salesmen, including Roscoe Karns, Guy Kibbee, and Cliff Edwards.

Joan Crawford is a café dancer whose long term, long distance affair with traveling salesman Neil Hamilton comes crashing to a finish when he dumps her by leaving her a goodbye note written on the back of a menu. Despondent, she sets out to jump into the river, only to be stopped and saved (in more than one sense) by mustache-less Salvation Army officer Clark Gable. Next thing you know, Joan is sporting an Army uniform herself and singing hymns….but sooner or later, Hamilton is bound to show up again. And what then? The plot isn't much, but Crawford's performance is excellent as her character veers wildly from joyous flapper to reformed sinner. The scene where she reads Hamilton's note is stunningly sad. Gable never looks quite natural but does seem to contain a reservoir of strength and energy that lurks just beneath the surface of his peaceful character. –At least that's my view from this time and place; hard to imagine what effect his performance would have had on a 1931 audience just becoming familiar with that face, that screen presence.The highlight of the film is almost certainly Joan's dance in an opening scene—donning a fake nose and beard and a farmer outfit, she humorously bounces around for a couple of minutes before shedding the costume and really cutting loose, to her audience's delight and her own obvious joy. It has to be said that Joan as flapper is quite a bit more exciting than Joan as saved woman. Hamilton is superb in a thoroughly despicable role. Roscoe Karns and Guy Kibbee are fellow salesman and together they certainly portray the kind of sleazy crew who inspire good people to lock up their daughters.Overall—no surprises but Crawford is certainly worth watching, especially the opening and closing minutes.