Tonight we went back to the Silent Era to watch one of it's greatest stars, Gloria Swanson, in "Manhandled"(1924). Now there's a provocative title for you. I found the movie in a database search for Alan Dwan, who directed "The Good Bad Man", which we saw and reviewed a few weeks ago. Speaking of searches, I can't believe I've never done one on Swanson, a true Hollywood legend. Prior to tonight, I'd only ever seen her in the classic "Sunset Boulevard", and while she was fantastic as Norma Desmond (one of the all time female protagonists in motion picture history), the movie was made long after her heyday. She really was the Queen of the Silents. I had never seen her in her youth until tonight. And boy is she ever a character!
Swanson plays "Tessie", a department store employee working down in the basement, in women's garments. Her job is a drag - mobs of pushy broads surround her at all times during the day, looking to get their hands on the latest discounts. She feels like the dresses she sells; pulled on and pawed over. As the movie opens, we see her getting on the subway and it's more of the same, a sardine can full of rude, impatient people. One of Tessie's trademarks is her chewing gum, which gives her a rebellious appeal. As Dwan's camera shows her getting sandwiched and squashed, she casually chews away. She's annoyed but the sparkle never leaves her eye, as if she's thinking, "that's all ya got"?
The first thing you notice about Swanson is how modern she looks in movement and expression. She's got a bob haircut, but it's messy enough that - with her dark eyeliner, lipstick and second hand clothes - she could be considered a prototype for the Riot Grrrls of the 1990s. That's what I noticed: how punk she looks, but in a cute way. It's natural, she's not forcing it.
Swanson is 24 here, she hates her job and just wants to have some fun once in a while. To that end, when she gets home she asks her boyfriend Jimmy (Tom Moore) to take her out to dinner. All she wants is some escape, and to wear her new dress. Jimmy, though, is too busy. He's holding down two jobs - mechanic by day, cabbie at night - and he's also working on an invention, a gas saving device for automobiles that he wants to pitch to industry bigwigs in Detroit. He's apologetic to Tessie about having no time to go out, but swears he will make it up to her the following night: "We'll go to that Chinese joint you like. And just think, Tessie.....when I sell this thing to Detroit I'll be a millionaire. Then we can go out every night of the week"! That cheers Tessie up somewhat, and the next day she goes back to work. While there, she is invited to a party by the store's owner, at his house. She forgets all about her rescheduled dinner with Jimmy and attends. The owner has all sorts of wealthy and sophisticated friends. Tessie is introduced to one of them, a sculptor. He admires her beauty and sartorial style and asks her right away to pose for him. He asks her what she earns at her job (a pittance) and offers to pay her four times that much for her time. Tessie agrees to pose, and goes to the man's studio later that night.
Of course, you can guess what the sculptor really wants, and what he feels entitled to, given the amount of money he's paid Tessie to model for him. Tessie manages to escape his clutches and run home, but when Jimmy - who lives in the apartment next door - comes calling to ask what happened to their date, he notices Tessie's torn skirt. She breaks down and tells him everything; about the party, the invitation by the sculptor, and his subsequent attack. Jimmy is horrified and angry, naturally by what's happened to his girlfriend, but also by the fact that she ran off to the party instead of going out to dinner with him, as they'd scheduled. He's insulted by being stood up. "What? I'm not good enough for you now? I'm not as exciting as these people"? Tessie is crying, saying she's sorry, that she made a mistake, so Jimmy reconsiders and his feelings are assuaged. They make up, and Jimmy says he'll buy them tickets for a hit play later in the week. All is well.
Until Tessie's next day at work. This time, she is seen by another man (Frank Morgan aka "The Wizard of Oz") while doing one of her impersonations. Tessie is an extrovert, always acting. On one of her breaks,in front of other salesgirls, she is pretending to be a Russian Countess, right down to the cigarette holder and the sashay walk. She's got the accent, too. Frank Morgan is another friend of the store owner. He owns a high fashion boutique, and seeing Tessie he gets an idea which he then presents to her : "How'd you like to do that act and get paid for it? Just think of the business I could drum up with a 'Russian Countess' in my shop! These ladies (pointing to the customers) would eat it up"!
Once again, Tessie is offered a large sum of money, this time to play act. Morgan seems harmless enough and Tessie trusts him. After all, he's a businessman, not a flamboyant artist. She takes the job and during her off hours she appears at his boutique, playing the Countess, fawning over Morgan's stock of expensive clothes. His sales skyrocket as other female customers arrive, wanting to emulate the exotic "Russian" beauty. Morgan is so happy with Tessie's performance that he invites her to dinner at an exclusive restaurant, where they drink champagne and end up back at Morgan's estate.
You can guess what happens next. I guess Morgan wasn't so "harmless" after all.
Fortunately, Tessie is an Escape Artist (another one of her many talents), and she manages to free herself from Morgan's grip before any real damage is done. Once again, she runs home with her dress askew and her hair in her eyes. Boyfriend Jimmy is waiting in the hall, brandishing the tickets he'd bought for the Broadway show. "So what happened this time, Tessie"?
She tells him the truth, and Jimmy is understandably unhappy. But instead of crying and apologising this time, Tessie stands up for herself. "I'm just trying to earn some money for myself, Jimmy! I hate my job and it pays nothing. How are we gonna get married if we're always broke"? Jimmy reconsiders again, but then makes a fateful decision (I should note that all my dialogue quotations are paraphrased from the title cards. Remember that this is a Silent film).
"I can't stand this anymore Tessie! I'm working as hard as I can for us. I'm also gonna sell my invention and we'll have all the money we need. But I can't have you hanging around these men night after night. We both know what they want from you. I need some time to think things over".
Tessie responds : "Does this mean you're breaking off our engagement"?
"Yes, for now".
Tessie is crushed, for she really does love Jimmy. But her independent streak wins out, and instead of promising to stay home nights and let Jimmy earn the money, she says "okay, fine" about the breakup and continues to attend the parties at her boss's house.
And she continues to get "Manhandled", again and again. So far, she's always gotten away relatively unscathed. But why does she keep going back? Does she secretly like the attention, the excitement, the thrill of running right up to the edge? Good thing none of these men is Harvey Weinstein, but they aren't much better. What will happen to Tessie in the end? Will she go back to Jimmy? It looks like he might be selling his invention after all, at which point he'll be richer than any of Tessie's fancy suitors. Will Jimmy take her back if she does ask his forgiveness? It's clear that she truly loves him. Maybe she's just working out some issues......
I loved "Manhandled", in which the conflict is played "light". It would've been a mistake to make it overly tragic because Gloria Swanson has too much charm. As Tessie she's irresistible. She never comes across as trampy, just as a fun-loving but naive girl who has difficulty learning her lesson about men. Director Dwan works everything around her, as if she's got the world wrapped around her finger. But really, you can guess how everything is gonna turn out because Tessie is such a sweetheart. Kino Lorber has done a fantastic job with the restoration of this 96 year old film, which features a jaunty piano soundtrack.
I give it Two Big Thumbs Up, and recommend it for fans of Silent Film and pre-code. If you aren't yet a fan of Silent, a movie like this is a great place to start, it's short (61 minutes), entertaining from start to finish, and very modern as noted earlier. I am now an instant Gloria Swanson fan and will be looking for more of her work. ////
It's now Wednesday at dusk. No time for a hike today, but I'm gonna walk down to the Libe in a few minutes in search of more motion pictures. See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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