Early performances by none other than Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart in supporting roles. (In fact, it's Bogart's first gangster role)A pre-code film (it's part of the DVD collection "Forbidden Hollywood: Volume 2"), it's been called a "hard-core" pre-code due to the number of scenes that feature infidelity, child neglect, drug abuse, kidnapping (a touchy subject - 1932 was the year of the Lindberg kidnapping) and other debauchery (one character is sent to reform school right out of high school).
The capsule below sums it up in a nutshell:
The film really belongs to the wonderful Ann Dvorak and Joan Blondell, and I can't forget to mention how good Warren William is in this as well as a lawyer who has relationships with both of them during the course of the film. Trust me, you just have to see this film. Rupert's review really says it best, so I won't say any more other than it is an unpredictable story. This film has some fine performances by child actors, including Virginia Davis (1918-2009) who plays Joan Blondell's character as a young girl. She gets into all sorts of mischief at school; in one scene Virginia's character and a group of boys play hooky and go smoking.
Virginia Davis is considered a Disney legend, as she played "Alice" in Walt Disney's early "Alice's Wonderland" short films from the 1920s. She passed away last year at the age of 90.
The biggest scene-stealer in the film is the adorable Buster Phelps who plays Ann Dvorak's son. You'll fall in love with him in this. There's a fun scene on the beach with him playing ball with Joan and Bette, all decked out in cute beach wear (see pic below).Buster Phelps (1926-1983) appeared in about 3 dozen films during the 1930s and 1940s.
The film is available on DVD and can be seen on TCM from time to time.
Here's another review from A Person In The Dark. And another post from Four Star Films.
