Frisco Jenny (1932)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Gerald Beaumont (story)
Lillie Hayward (story)

Release Date:

14 January 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Frisco Jenny was orphaned by the 1906 earthquake and fire and has become the madame of prosperous bawdy house...

Plot Keywords:

District Attorney | San Francisco California | Courtroom Scene | Criminal | Political Corruption

Cast

Ruth Chatterton	...	Frisco Jenny Sandoval
Louis Calhern	...	Steve Dutton
Helen Jerome Eddy	...	Amah
Donald Cook	...	Dan Reynolds
James Murray	...	Dan McAllister
Hallam Cooley	...	Willie Gleason
Pat O'Malley	...	Policeman Pat O'Hoolihan
Harold Huber	...	George Weaver
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Jim Sandoval
Willard Robertson	...	Police Captain Tom

Also Known As:

Common Ground (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

73 min | USA:71 min (Turner library print length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Vitaphone

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1933) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1934) | USA:Unrated

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

George Brent was originally cast opposite Ruth Chatterton but withdrew to star in 42nd Street (1933).

Quotes:

Miss Tessie: Business was very gratifying this month.
Frisco Jenny Sandoval: Conventions always help.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Complicated Women (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Tillie Taylor

Essential viewing for Ruth Chatterton fans (all three of you)

Ruth Chatterton was a fascinating early '30s leading lady - she was quite average looking and somewhat chubby, with a brittle, theatrical acting style that hasn't dated very well. And yet, there's something in every one of her performances that's worth watching. She specialized in hard-edged, independent women of the type that Bette Davis would later do with much more depth and sympathy. "Frisco Jenny" was typical of Chatterton's Warner Brothers vehicles, with a shopworn "women's picture" storyline that gave her plenty of opportunities to grit her teeth and snap off at characters who got in her way. Nice direction by William Wellman, with a well-placed earthquake to add