Primrose Path
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Primrose Path |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1940 |
| length | 94 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Gregory La Cava |
| script |
Allan Scott , Gregory La Cava |
| production | Gregory La Cava for RKO |
| music | Werner R. Heymann |
| camera | Joseph H. August |
| occupation | |
| |
Primrose Path is a 1940 American film starring Ginger Rogers and Joel McCrea . Directed by Gregory La Cava , the film pushes the limits of what the Production Code allowed in its portrayal of prostitution and alcohol addiction . The realistic portrayal of the dark side of life led to problems with the local censorship authorities.
action
Ellie May Adams is 17 years old and lives in a dysfunctional family. Her mother has to earn her living on the street because her father is drowning his house and yard. The malicious grandmother and Ellie's useless sister Honeyball have also found refuge in the narrow apartment. Ellie tries desperately to escape the surroundings. Her kind-hearted grandfather runs a small restaurant and gas station, where the honorable worker Ed Wallace also works. Through a lie, she leads Ed to marry her, while she wisely conceals the true living conditions of her family. When Ed finds out, however, he is disgusted and wants an immediate divorce. A short time later, Ellie's father shoots her mother while drunk and the family is left with no income. Before she died, Ellie's mother had made a promise to ensure the family's survival. Just when Ellie sees no other way out than to work as a prostitute herself, Ed and Ellie make up. Ed sets the head of the other members of the Adams clan and Ellie finally finds happiness.
background
Ginger Rogers had become part of a popular screen couple alongside Fred Astaire . However, Rogers tried early on to make a name for himself independently of the collaboration with Astaire. After all, the actress, who, thanks to a number of successes as a comedian, was the only real star of the RKO studio , finally asked for dramatic roles. She eventually chose Primrose Path , the story of a girl whose mother and grandmother worked as prostitutes. Rogers went so far as to create a realistic representation of almost completely without make-up and to dye her hair black. The film initially went into production under the title February Hill . Problems with the production code , which forbade any open portrayal of prostitution, led to extensive changes in the script. In the end, the mother's profession was only hinted at and Marjorie Rambeau's character dies at the end of the film as a sort of compensatory justice for her morally unsustainable work . However, Rambeau knew how to create a warm and loving character who was only forced to pursue a dishonorable job because of his own hopelessness. Even so, Primrose Path still struggled with local censors and was completely banned in Detroit, for example. Even so, the film was one of the studio's most financially successful productions in 1940.
For Rogers and Joel McCrea , who only got the role because of the insistence of his friend Gregory La Cava , it was their second collaboration since 1933, when they made Chance At Heaven together . La Cava and Rogers had shot Stage Door together in 1937 and Fifth Avenue Girl in 1939 .
Theatrical release
The cost of production was $ 702,000, compared to grossing $ 1,200,000. In the end, the studio was able to realize a profit of $ 110,000.
Awards
At the Academy Awards in 1941 , the film received a nomination in the category:
- Best Supporting Actress (Marjorie Rambeau)