DVD Review: RKO Classic Romances offer pre-code melodrama

KINO has joined up with Lobster Films for this two-disc, five-film set of romantic melodramas from RKO Radio Pictures made from 1930-1931. These pre-code tearjerkers are a subgenre all their own. The fact that they were made before the enforcement of the production code allows for edgier material. They each have their own sociocultural, historical, and aesthetic value.

One of the elements that attracted Depression-era moviegoers was the depiction of conflicts among the wealthy. Big sets that exhibit luxurious lifestyles were a means of escape for moviegoers whose means were limited. All of these films are about the wealthy and privileged, and effectively represent the pre-code era of filmmaking

The films in this set feature some of the better actors that were in movies during this period, some of them very early in their careers. And the approach to the material by the various directors is another interesting factor that makes this set worthwhile. The films are as follows:

MILLIE (1931)

Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, this film was independently produced by Charles R. Rogers. It features Helen Twelvetrees as the title character: an innocent young woman who marries a wealthy businessman (James Hall). After three years, his constant cheating results in the dissolution of their marriage. Millie wants the best for her daughter, and the film presents her transition from innocent and intimidated to a rising businesswoman herself. Throughout the narrative trajectory, we see how layered the title character is. Millie has trouble adjusting to the pampered wealth of her lifestyle, when a governess refuses to let her bathe her baby because it is not her place to do so. She complains of loneliness due to the husband's constant business trip. Life is very sterile and dull, despite wealth. When she separates from her husband, her pride does not allow her to take any of his money. She meets a new man, a journeyman reporter, but he eventually cheats on her too. Her bitterness causes her to start partying, moving from man to man, until one becomes interested in her now grown daughter (Anita Louise). This leads the protective Millie to commit murder. Directed by John Francis Dillon, a former actor, whose career dated back to 1914. His pre-code work was his last, as he died in 1934.

KEPT HUSBANDS (1931)

Lloyd Bacon directed this drama that examines the class system during the throes of Depression America. Robert McWade plays a steel magnate who announces to his wife that Dick, a worker at his plant, saved the life of two men. He refused a $1000 reward. The boss is so impressed, he has invited him to dinner. This doesn't sit well with his persnickety wife and daughter, who are appalled at the prospect of a mere working man dining with them. The workman is played by handsome Joel McRea, and the daughter (Dorothy Mackail) is quite taken with him. She entices him to marry her, but despite the lavish lifestyle her parents offer, and the promotion he receives from her father, he has trouble connecting in this environment. The father understands, and offers him a position in St Louis. He accepts, but his wife doesn't want to be removed from her element of cocktail parties and bridge games. Eventually she realizes that Dick's more genuine approach to life truly is the better option. Although this is a drama, it is bolstered by snappy, amusing dialog and an especially strong cast. This is one of the more entertaining features in this set, helped by a supporting cast that includes Ned Sparks, Mary Carr, and Florence Roberts. Joel McCrea's boyish charm in this early talkie is a portent for the fine career he would have. My favorite line comes from Bryant Washburn's character, when Joel McCrea indicates he has to be up for work at 6am. Btyant replies, "I usually don't get to bed until 6am!" Perfect correlation between the wealthy partier and the working man.

THE LADY REFUSES (1931)

One of the edgier films in the set, this one features Betty Compson as a destitute woman who is very nearly relegated to selling her body until she is hired by a wealthy Englishman to entice his son away from a golddigger. John Darrow is the very American playboy who is both careless and carefree, while his staid British father worries about their reputation. Margaret Livingstone is fine as the cynical golddigger. But it is Betty Compson who owns this movie. Pretty, but desperate, she ends up being the object of both the father and the son's desires. It is interesting that some early Hollywood talkies, made in America by American filmmakers, choose to use London as a setting, hiring a few stateside British actors to fill out the cast.

THE WOMAN BETWEEN (1931)

One of the most interesting things about this effort is how its credits are presented. There is a shot of Anita Louise sitting on her bed, the camera closes in, goes around, and shows her reading something. It is the opening credit card of the movie. The credits then start from that point. Pretty clever, from director Victor Schertzinger, who was better known as a music composer. This one features a wealthy young man returning to America from Europe after several years. He left his family after his father remarried following the death of his mother. When he comes home, he discovers upon meeting the new wife, that it is the same woman with whom he had a shipboard romance. The conflict of a woman who married for money but is attracted to a man who loves her for herself is made especially unsettling due to the family dynamic. This film benefits from strong performances by Lili Damita, Lester Vail, the aforementioned Ms. Louise, and O.P. Heggie.

SIN TAKES A HOLIDAY (1930)

Constance Bennett is in love with her attorney boss, who only dates married women. Since he never wants to marry, he believes married women are safer to date. When one of his women leaves her husband, he panics and asks the secretary to marry him in name only. He then sends her to Paris so he can continue to date others. She ends up falling for an old friend of his, and the attorney eventually realize he does, indeed, love her. The oldest film in the set, it is produced at Pathe studios and distributed through RKO. This is the breeziest movie in the set, with comedian Louis John Bartels a welcome presence, and Kenneth MacKenna (as the attorney) offering a performance that makes me think he should have achieved greater recognition over the years. ZaSu Pitts is always a happy addition to any cast. Basil Rathbone is delightful as the friend who falls for the secretary.

All of the films on this set are entertaining pre-code programmers and showcase some of the actors and directors from that period who have been given little attention over the years. It is an impressive set of films, their release to blu ray allowing them to further our accessibility to pre-code melodrama, and enhancing our appreciation of film history.

The set can be ordered at this link: RKO Classic Romances