Cain and Mabel

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Movie
German title Cain and Mabel
Original title Cain and Mabel
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 90 minutes
Rod
Director Lloyd Bacon
script Laird Doyle
H. C. Widower
production Hal B. Wallis
for Cosmopolitan Productions distributed by Warner Brothers
music Al Dubin
Harry Warren
camera George Barnes
cut William Holmes
occupation

Kain und Mabel (Original title: Cain and Mabel ) is an American comedy film with numerous revue numbers from 1936 with Marion Davies and Clark Gable in the leading roles. The film's financial failure sped the end of Marion Davies' film career.

action

Aloysius K. Reilly, a hapless and unemployed reporter manages to cause the waitress Mabel O'Dare to lose her job because of him. He tries to make up for his misfortune by getting Mabel, who can sing and dance a little, a job as a showgirl. By chance, Mabel, whose talents are rather limited, suddenly gets the lead role on the show. Mabel tries her best and practices every night to learn her few dance moves. That's when she meets heavyweight boxer Larry Cain. Aloysius recognizes the potential of free publicity for both when he stages the two as America's new dream couple. Although Mabel and Cain actually hate each other, they participate in the dizziness that soon creates huge waves. Everyone speaks only of the romance of these unequal characters and takes an active part in the course of their relationship. In the end, Cain and Mabel fall in love and move to New Jersey after the marriage, where Cain runs a car repair shop.

background

Marion Davies began her film career in the late 1910s thanks to the active support of her lover, the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst . He founded his own production company with Cosmopolitan Productions and secured Davies lucrative contracts first with Paramount Pictures and from 1924 with MGM . She was making $ 10,000 a week and soon became a popular actress in light comedies. Despite a slight stuttering Davies made it into the sound film , but gradually their popularity began to fade. While Hearst preferred to see her in highly dramatic roles on screen, the audience preferred Davies in contemporary subjects. After the failure of Polly of the Circus , who showed her alongside Clark Gable in 1931 , the end of the collaboration with MGM was in sight. The break came in 1934 when Irving Thalberg refused Hearst's express request to star Davies in The Barretts of Wimpole Street and Marie-Antoinette . In both cases, his wife Norma Shearer took over the roles and Hearst ended the collaboration. After some negotiations about terms and conditions and a say, an agreement was reached with Warner Brothers . No cost or effort was spared in the production of Cain and Mabel . With Clark Gable, Davies became the greatest male star ever at the side. At the same time, the script tried to bring the comedic talent of Marion Davies back to the fore. Hearst, however, insisted on extensive revue numbers, although Davies was neither a particularly gifted dancer nor a good singer. The finished result turned out to be unpopular at the box office, and Marion Davies retired from the big screen in 1937.

Reviews

The unanimous consensus was that the two stars were completely miscast.

Newsweek echoed the opinion of many critics when it was figured out that Gable and Davies would fit into the film like a fat hand in a glove that was too small. Too much talent would face a far too thin story. (“ Clark Gable and Marion Davies fit in this picture like a fat hand squeezed into a small glove. Too much talent for such a skimpy, thinly woven plot that unravels in a trite series of moments rather than a well constructed tale. ”)

Even the lexicon of international films was not convinced:

“The result turns out to be a wasted effort: no momentum will arise, and the actors don't know how to convince either. The highlights of the film are the songs by Warren and Dubin, which are well worth listening to. "

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1937 , the film received a nomination in the category

  • Best dance director

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cain and Mabel. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 29, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used