Goin' to Town

Last updated
Goin' To Town
Goin' to Town poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Alexander Hall
Screenplay by Mae West
Story by Marion Morgan
George B. Dowell
Produced byWilliam LeBaron
StarringMae West
Paul Cavanagh
Gilbert Emery
Marjorie Gateson
Tito Coral
Ivan Lebedeff
CinematographyKarl Struss
Edited by LeRoy Stone
Music bySammy Fain
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
April 25, 1935 (1935-04-25)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Goin' To Town is a 1935 musical comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and written by Mae West. The film stars Mae West, Paul Cavanagh, Gilbert Emery, Marjorie Gateson, Tito Coral and Ivan Lebedeff. The film was released on April 25, 1935, by Paramount Pictures. [1] [2] The film stars Mae West. She used her own voice, prompting Mordant Hall to state the following in his review, "the highlight of the picture is Miss West singing high opera (really!)."

Contents

West was already the highest paid actress in Hollywood when Goin' To Town was released, and her bold, controversial performances and bawdy, irreverent humor had made her a popular figure in Hollywood's pre-Code era. In Goin' To Town, she brings all of these qualities to the role of Cleo Borden, delivering a memorable and entertaining performance that has helped to make the film a classic of its time.

The film was a box office success upon its release and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its humor and West's performance. In the years since its release, Goin' To Town has continued to be remembered and enjoyed by audiences, and it remains a popular choice for fans of classic Hollywood cinema. The original title of the film was "Now I'm A Lady", but the Hays office mandated the title change just before the film was released. Miss West's pet monkey, "Boogie", makes a cameo in the film. A musical number, "Love is Love in any Woman's Heart" was cut from the film at the star's request, she felt it was not in line with her character. The song is still used over the closing titles.

Plot

Cleo Borden (West) is a saloon singer out west whose cattle rustling boyfriend (Fred Kohler) dies right before their wedding day (in which they signed a paper agreeing to marry) and leaves her a fortune. She sets her sights on a handsome Brit in Carrington (Paul Cavanaugh) surveying the oil wells on her property and spends the rest of the picture trying to win him over, having placed a bet on it. He considers her "Crude oil", which leads to West stating her desire to become a lady if it kills me!" Part of her quest includes throwing an opera and singing the lead in a scene from Samson and Delilah.

It also takes her to Buenos Aires, where she meets Ivan Valadov, a Russian millionaire with a mistress in Mrs. Crane Brittony. Brittony and Borden make a bet over which of their horses will win a race, which Borden wins. Later, Fletcher Colton (the niece of Brittony) offers her a title in a loveless marriage in Southampton. Carrington returns to see her while having a new title of being the Earl of Stratton. A feud with Brittony dovetails when Colton shoots himself in a scuffle when Valadov is brought by Brittony to see Borden. The film ends with a briefcase listing "Lord and Lady Stratton".

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mae West</span> American actress (1893–1980)

Mary Jane "Mae" West was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned over seven decades. Considered a sex symbol, she was known for her breezy sexual independence and her lighthearted bawdy double entendres, often delivered in a husky contralto voice. She was active in vaudeville and on stage in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to begin a career in the film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleo Moore</span> American actress (1920s – 1973)

Cleouna Moore was an American actress, usually featured in the role of a blonde bombshell in Hollywood films of the 1950s, including seven films with Hugo Haas. She also became a well-known pin-up girl.

<i>Cleopatra Jones</i> 1973 film by Jack Starrett

Cleopatra Jones is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Jack Starrett. Tamara Dobson stars as an undercover government agent who uses the day job of supermodel as her cover and an excuse to travel to exotic places. Bernie Casey, Shelley Winters and Antonio Fargas also feature. The film has been described as being primarily an action film, but also partially a comedy with a spoof tone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mae Clarke</span> American actress (1910–1992)

Mae Clarke was an American actress. She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased by Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, and for being on the receiving end of James Cagney's halved grapefruit in The Public Enemy. Both films were released in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive Borden</span> American actress (1906–1947)

Olive Mary Borden was an American film and stage actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was nicknamed "the Joy Girl", after playing the lead in the 1927 film of that same title. Borden was known for her jet-black hair and stunning overall beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Struss</span> American photographer and cinematographer

Karl Struss, A.S.C. was an American photographer and a cinematographer of the 1900s through the 1950s. He was also one of the earliest pioneers of 3-D films. While he mostly worked on films, such as F.W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator and Limelight, he was also one of the cinematographers for the television series Broken Arrow and photographed 19 episodes of My Friend Flicka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wera Engels</span> German actress

Wera Engels was a German actress. After successful leading roles in productions of the well-established German UFA-studios in Babelsberg as well as in France, she was invited to Hollywood. Producers saw her as a cheap alternative to Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marjorie Gateson</span> American actress (1891–1977)

Marjorie Augusta Gateson was an American stage and film actress.

<i>It Happened in Athens</i> 1962 film by Andrew Marton

It Happened in Athens is a 1962 American sports comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox. It is directed by Andrew Marton and features Jayne Mansfield, newcomer Trax Colton, Maria Xénia, Nico Minardos, Roger Browne in his debut, and Olympic champion Bob Mathias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Lebedeff</span> Russian actor

Ivan Lebedeff was a Russian film actor, lecturer and writer. He appeared in 66 films between 1926 and 1953. In 1940, his novel, Legion of Dishonor, was published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Cavanagh</span> English actor

William Grigs Atkinson, known professionally as Paul Cavanagh, was an English film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1928 and 1959.

<i>Lady Killer</i> (1933 film) 1933 film by Roy Del Ruth

Lady Killer is a 1933 American pre-Code crime drama film starring James Cagney, Mae Clarke, and Margaret Lindsay, based on the story "The Finger Man" by Rosalind Keating Shaffer. The picture was directed by Roy Del Ruth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gertrude Michael</span> American actress

Lillian Gertrude Michael was an American film, stage and television actress.

<i>First Lady</i> (film) 1937 film by Stanley Logan

First Lady is a 1937 film about behind-the-scenes political maneuverings in Washington, D.C. directed by Stanley Logan and starring Kay Francis, Preston Foster, Anita Louise, Walter Connolly and Verree Teasdale. Francis and Teasdale portray bitter rivals in their pursuit of the title role of First Lady. The picture is based on the 1935 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Katharine Dayton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theresa Harris</span> American television and film actress, singer and dancer (1906–1985)

Theresa Harris was an American television and film actress, singer and dancer.

Down to Their Last Yacht is a 1934 comic adventure produced and distributed by RKO Pictures.

<i>The Lady Refuses</i> 1931 film

The Lady Refuses is a 1931 American pre-Code melodrama film, directed by George Archainbaud, from a screenplay by Wallace Smith, based on an original story by Guy Bolton and Robert Milton. It stars Betty Compson as a destitute young woman on the verge of becoming a prostitute, who is hired by a wealthy man to woo his ne'er-do-well son away from the clutches of a gold-digger. The plot is regarded as risqué enough to appear in at least one collection of pre-Code Hollywood films.

<i>Blue, White and Perfect</i> 1942 film by Herbert I. Leeds

Blue, White and Perfect is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Lloyd Nolan, Mary Beth Hughes, and Helene Reynolds. It is part of Twentieth Century Fox's Michael Shayne film series.

<i>Without Regret</i> (film) 1935 film by Harold Young

Without Regret is a 1935 American drama film directed by Harold Young and starring Elissa Landi, Paul Cavanagh and Frances Drake. It also features an early appearance by David Niven.

<i>Dance Girl Dance</i> 1933 film directed by Frank Strayer

Dance Girl Dance is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Frank Strayer from an original screenplay by Robert Ellis. The picture stars Alan Dinehart, Evalyn Knapp, and Edward Nugent, and premiered on September 1, 1933.

References

  1. "Goin' to Town (1935) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  2. Senwald, Andre (1935-05-11). "Movie Review - - The Paramount Presents Mae West in 'Goin' to Town' - 'Bride of Frankenstein,' at the Roxy". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2015-07-21.