Dedications: My four late friends Rory, Stan, Bryan, Jeff - shine on you crazy diamonds, they would have blogged too. Then theres Garry from Brisbane, Franco in Milan, Mike now in S.F. / my '60s-'80s gang: Ned & Joseph in Ireland; in England: Frank, Des, Guy, Clive, Joe & Joe, Ian, Ivan, Nick, David, Les, Stewart, the 3 Michaels / Catriona, Sally, Monica, Jean, Ella, Anne, Candie / and now: Daryl in N.Y., Jerry, John, Colin, Martin and Donal.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

A '30s rarity: Employees' Entrance


EMPLOYEES’ ENTRANCE. Another of those snappy pre-Code melodramas like William Wellman’s MIDNIGHT MARY or FRISCO JENNY, this is by Roy Del Ruth and not quite in that league, but is another of the 9 films radiant young Loretta Young made in 1933.

This is about life in a big department store as tyrant manager Warren William (?) rules with a rod of iron firing anyone who displeases him. Loretta is the shopgirl who sleeps with the boss to get a job, then she and young Wallace Ford (yes he was young and quite attractive, for those who only know his older self) fall in love and marry in secret as William (who does not believe in marriage or relationships and does not really like women) has an unspoken yen for Ford whom he is grooming to be a ruthless as he is. Things come to a head when he wants Ford to move in with him as he again picks up Loretta at the annual dance. Quite intriguing with a lot of undertones maybe not realised at the time. Loretta of course is the perfect depression heroine, as mentioned before, as per label.

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