Joe comes from a rough neighborhood and when his brother Mike is gunned down in 1927, he decides to go into legitimate business. He wants to make a lot of money and fast so he is ambitious a... Read allJoe comes from a rough neighborhood and when his brother Mike is gunned down in 1927, he decides to go into legitimate business. He wants to make a lot of money and fast so he is ambitious and rude. He wants what he cannot have and that includes Aggie who is the gal pal of Merrit... Read allJoe comes from a rough neighborhood and when his brother Mike is gunned down in 1927, he decides to go into legitimate business. He wants to make a lot of money and fast so he is ambitious and rude. He wants what he cannot have and that includes Aggie who is the gal pal of Merritt, his boss. He works his way up the ladder and finds that all the money and all the crook... Read all
- The Martins' Butler
- (uncredited)
- Secretary
- (uncredited)
- Crawford - Architect
- (uncredited)
- Chorus Girl
- (uncredited)
- Ryan - Private Detective
- (uncredited)
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
- Joe's Secretary
- (uncredited)
- Marie - Agnes' Maid
- (uncredited)
- Cocktail Shaker
- (uncredited)
- Cleaning Woman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on the play "Success Story," by John Howard Lawson that opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA at Maxine Elliott's Theatre, 109 W. 39th St. on 26 September 1932 and closed in January 1933 after 121 performances. The opening night cast included Stella Adler as Sarah, Franchot Tone as Raymond, Luther Adler and Morris Carnovsky.
- GoofsAllen Vincent's character name was spelled "Geoffrey" in the credits but was "Jeffrey" on his office door.
- Quotes
Merritt: Wait a minute. I've been on a regular merry-go-round here. I need a little relaxation. What are you doing tonight?
Sarah: Nothing.
Merritt: Don't you think it would be rather pleasant to take a little drive and forget about business?
Sarah: No. I've been expecting this.
Merritt: Are you a mind-reader?
Sarah: You're easy. I can tell the way a man looks at me. Besides, you raised my salary and, then again, you never even touched me nor held my hand. Which alone is so unusual it makes a girl suspicious.
Merritt: Ha-ha-ha. Still one step ahead of me. Well, you've got to give me credit. I don't do this sort of thing often.
Sarah: Oh, yes you do. I'm your Secretary. I ought to know.
Merritt: Well, my interests in women is just nervousness.
Sarah: Well, then, don't get a nervous with me.
Merritt: Ha-ha-ha, alright. But, I can't help being sorry you are a good woman as well as a good Secretary.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Red Hollywood (1996)
So young Joe goes to work as a clerk in the office where his girlfriend Sarah (Colleen Moore) works as a secretary. At first he chafes at the grind of office work, even gets fired, but the boss (Frank Morgan) likes Joe's moxy and promises him a higher paying position if he can straighten out the mess of an ad campaign he has dumped on his desk by 8PM that night. Of course Joe succeeds.
Joe quickly climbs the ladder of success. It doesn't bother Joe that he has to climb over the backs of other employees and people close to him as he scales that ladder either. Soon Joe has his eye not only on the boss' job but the boss' mistress, Agnes (Genevieve Tobin). He ultimately gets both the job and the mistress, even marrying her although she clearly doesn't love Joe or even care that much about Joe's wealth. She cares more about fun than money, and she has plenty of that since Joe is working late every night. So, in the end, Joe finds himself at the very place he started out not wanting to be - buried - although alive - in a solid gold coffin of wealth. He lacks no possessions but has nobody he can trust with whom to share it. What will become of Joe? Watch and find out.
This film is very well paced and I was particularly impressed with Fairbanks' snappy and gritty performance in a film I'd heard nothing about until it showed up on TCM. And that cast - you'll never see this bunch together in another film. Frank Morgan before he went to MGM, Fairbanks Jr. after Warner Brothers, fine supporting performers Edward Everett Horton and Nydia Westman as an unlikely office romance that leads to matrimony, and finally Colleen Moore. Ms. Moore was a huge silent star who turned her movie money into a fortune in the stock market and didn't really need to continue working in the sound era even though she had a great voice. I think what surprised me here was that she looked so unglamorous compared to her silent film roles. She really looked way too old to be Fairbanks' girlfriend. Part of the problem was her actual age - she was 10 years older than he was. The other part was that she was very plainly and drably dressed and made up such that she almost seemed more like a maiden aunt than anything else.
At any rate, a highly recommended little precode.
- AlsExGal
- Jul 2, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Success Story
- Filming locations
- Rockefeller Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(opening credits, establishing shots)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 14 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1