....It wasn't her voice which recorded marvellously or her looks but in 1929 she went from a leading role in William Haine's first all talkie "Navy Blues" to a very unfulfilling bit part as Clarke Gable's contented wife in 1931's "The Easiest Way". Maybe it was the emergence of newer blondes like Constance Bennett or Leila Hyams who shared the spotlight with Anita in "Gentleman's Fate" but was nowhere near as vibrant or captivating as lovely Anita.
Hyams plays society girl Marjorie who is all set to marry breezy playboy Jack Thomas (John Gilbert) when he learns something about his past. His father is still alive, his heritage is Italian and his family is head of the city's biggest bootlegging organization. His brother Frank (the wonderful Louis Wolheim and the obvious remark "that guy downstairs don't look a bit like you") is eager for him to come into the business and run it jointly and his dying father gives Jack a set of beautiful emeralds that he claims are family heirlooms. In reality they have been stolen and Marjorie, who is roped into the whole sordid business, promises to be true to Jack who admits to the crime so his father doesn't have to die in prison.
It sounds over the top and far fetched but somehow it all fits in especially when pretty Anita Page makes her appearance as Ruth, a gangster's girl, who is initially a plant but starts to respond to Jack's decency and kindness. Oh yes, Jack has done a short stint in prison (about 2 weeks) and on release decides he will take up his brother's offer of going into partnership, again a bit on the silly side but it seems to work.
This is no "Beast of the City" or "The Secret Six" - there is not much action and, apart from a shootout outside a diner, too much time sitting around talking (which showed the film had a pretty cheap budget)- I was expecting all the time that Wolheim was going to reveal his evil intentions but no, he genuinely wanted his brother as part of the team so they could work together. He does draw Jack's attention to the society pages where it is revealed Marjorie is about to be married to "the catch of the season" and Jack then realises that Frank and faithful Ruth are two of the "real ones". As well, cute Marie Prevost makes her part of dumbbell Mabel very memorable - Marie seemed to have a talkie career where she played nothing but Mabels!!! John Miljan is also good in the role of a rival gangster.
Irving Thalberg was always on the look out for diverse scripts for John Gilbert - he felt that a steady diet of bland romantic heros was not good for the star's long term career but Gilbert was not happy with that and apart from "The Show" he was content to roll along with swashbuckling roles. Gilbert in the 30s was a different kettle of fish and after his initial disastrous starring talkie was very keen to embrace character roles and they (the pictures) contain some of his best work. But the dye was cast and it didn't matter how wonderful the characterization was (and "Gentleman's Fate" was one of his better ones) the public only seemed to judge him on the strength of his early talkie bombs!!
Highly Recommended.
Hyams plays society girl Marjorie who is all set to marry breezy playboy Jack Thomas (John Gilbert) when he learns something about his past. His father is still alive, his heritage is Italian and his family is head of the city's biggest bootlegging organization. His brother Frank (the wonderful Louis Wolheim and the obvious remark "that guy downstairs don't look a bit like you") is eager for him to come into the business and run it jointly and his dying father gives Jack a set of beautiful emeralds that he claims are family heirlooms. In reality they have been stolen and Marjorie, who is roped into the whole sordid business, promises to be true to Jack who admits to the crime so his father doesn't have to die in prison.
It sounds over the top and far fetched but somehow it all fits in especially when pretty Anita Page makes her appearance as Ruth, a gangster's girl, who is initially a plant but starts to respond to Jack's decency and kindness. Oh yes, Jack has done a short stint in prison (about 2 weeks) and on release decides he will take up his brother's offer of going into partnership, again a bit on the silly side but it seems to work.
This is no "Beast of the City" or "The Secret Six" - there is not much action and, apart from a shootout outside a diner, too much time sitting around talking (which showed the film had a pretty cheap budget)- I was expecting all the time that Wolheim was going to reveal his evil intentions but no, he genuinely wanted his brother as part of the team so they could work together. He does draw Jack's attention to the society pages where it is revealed Marjorie is about to be married to "the catch of the season" and Jack then realises that Frank and faithful Ruth are two of the "real ones". As well, cute Marie Prevost makes her part of dumbbell Mabel very memorable - Marie seemed to have a talkie career where she played nothing but Mabels!!! John Miljan is also good in the role of a rival gangster.
Irving Thalberg was always on the look out for diverse scripts for John Gilbert - he felt that a steady diet of bland romantic heros was not good for the star's long term career but Gilbert was not happy with that and apart from "The Show" he was content to roll along with swashbuckling roles. Gilbert in the 30s was a different kettle of fish and after his initial disastrous starring talkie was very keen to embrace character roles and they (the pictures) contain some of his best work. But the dye was cast and it didn't matter how wonderful the characterization was (and "Gentleman's Fate" was one of his better ones) the public only seemed to judge him on the strength of his early talkie bombs!!
Highly Recommended.