Politics (1931)

Director:

Charles Reisner

Writers:

Zelda Sears (story) and
Malcolm Stuart Boylan (story) ...

Release Date:

25 July 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Rain | Racketeer | Mayor | Police Chief | Wedding

Cast

Marie Dressler	...	Hattie Burns
Polly Moran	...	Ivy Higgins
Roscoe Ates	...	Peter Higgins (as Rosco Ates)
Karen Morley	...	Myrtle Burns
William Bakewell	...	Benny Emerson
John Miljan	...	Jim Curango
Joan Marsh	...	Daisy Evans
Tom McGuire	...	Mayor Tom Collins
Kane Richmond	...	Nifty Morgan
Mary Alden	...	Mrs. Mary Evans

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

When Daisy Evans (Joan Marsh) leaves the movie theatre, she pauses to look at a poster for The Stolen Jools (The Slippery Pearls (1931)) ("with 55 famous stars"), a popular two reel short subject of 1931.

Quotes:

Hattie Burns: You must be pretty proud of yourself, breaking up our meeting like that.
Peter Higgins: After that, you couldn't run for a streetcar!

Soundtrack:

A Hot Time in the Old Town

Dressler for Mayor

"This story is dedicated to women," according to the introduction, "who have been fighting for their rights ever since Adam and Eve started the loose-leaf system." When "Politics" was filmed, the Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was only a decade old. And, the film deals with the wielding of political power by women as a voting group. Advocating prohibition, and shutting down speakeasies, was a main concern for women at the time.

Good-natured Marie Dressler (as Hattie Burns) becomes politically active, after a young woman is shot and killed coming out of a speakeasy. She wants the liquor-selling joints closed; and, is drafted into a Mayoral run, after delivering a powerful speech at a women's rally. Ms. Dressler is supported by her tenants, best friend Polly Moran (as Ivy Higgins) and her stuttering husband Roscoe Ates (as Peter Higgins). Dressler's run for Mayor of Lake City draws opposition from men in town; so, Dressler orders the women to go on strike, denying them, "everything" in the "parlor, bedroom, and bath."

The film sounds much better than it turned out. The humor, frankly, isn't too good; and, it features some unfunny and moderately offensive situations ("You look like Madame Queen" refers to an Amos and Andy character). And, the mixing of shootings and slapstick doesn't mix well, this time. Producers might have considered making the film more dramatic, focusing exclusively on Dressler and the characters played by William Bakewell (as Benny Emerson) and Karen Morley (as Myrtle Burns).

**** Politics (7/25/31) Charles Reisner ~ Marie Dressler, Polly Moran, Roscoe Ates