Prosperity (1932)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Writers:

Sylvia Thalberg (story) and
Frank Butler (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

18 November 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

In 1925, John becomes President of the prosperous Warren Bank when Maggie retires. Six years later, John...

Plot Keywords:

Mother Son Relationship | Dog | Gun | Auction | Christmas

Cast

Marie Dressler	...	Maggie Warren
Polly Moran	...	Lizzie Praskins
Anita Page	...	Helen Praskins Warren
Norman Foster	...	John Warren
John Miljan	...	Holland
Jackie Lyn Dufton	...	Cissy Warren (as Jacquie Lyn)
Jerry Tucker	...	Buster Warren
Charles Giblyn	...	Mayor
Frank Darien	...	Erza Higgins
Henry Armetta	...	Henry, a Barber
John Roche	...	Knapp, Holland's Cohort
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Baxley	...	Man Trading Pot Roast (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley	...	Man Whose Pants Need Mending (uncredited)
Edward Brophy	...	Ice Cream Salesman (uncredited)
James Bush	...	Bank Teller (uncredited)
Claire Du Brey	...	Bank Depositor Spreading Rumor (uncredited)
Henry Hall	...	Bill, the Man Needing Tires (uncredited)
Edward LeSaint	...	Train Conductor (uncredited)
Jack 'Tiny' Lipson	...	George, Bank Depositor Demanding Proof (uncredited)
James T. Mack	...	The Praskins Butler (uncredited)
Jerry Mandy	...	Tony, a Barber (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Conductor Trying to Open the Door (uncredited)
Herbert Prior	...	George, the Dentist (uncredited)
Tiny Sandford	...	Irate Motorist (uncredited)
Nick Stewart	...	Train Porter (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale	...	Man Whose Shoes Need Fixing (uncredited)
Gertrude Sutton	...	Miss Terwilliger, the Pianist (uncredited)
Walter Walker	...	Portrait of Warren, Maggie's Husband (uncredited)

Directed by
Sam Wood		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Sylvia Thalberg		(story) and
Frank Butler		(story)
Zelda Sears		(screenplay) and
Eve Greene		(screenplay)
Frances Goodrich		(contributing writer) uncredited and
Ralph Spence		(contributing writer) uncredited

Produced by
Sam Wood	....	producer

Original Music by
William Axt		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Leonard Smith

Film Editing by
William LeVanway

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Fred Morgan	....	sound (uncredited)

Other crew
Willard Mack	....	continuity (uncredited)
Zelda Sears	....	continuity (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1933) (France) (theatrical)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

Lizzie Praskins: One more word from you and I'll forget I'm a lady.
[lifts plate to throw at Maggie]
Maggie Warren: Why not? Everybody else has.

Soundtrack:

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)

The Only Movie Of Its Era To Be Resolved By -- Diarrhea

Yes, Marie Dresler drinks prune juice that she thinks is poison and she exits running.

Dresler is good. Never my cup of tea but she is a solid performer who surely holds the screen.

I watched this for Polly Moran, whom I've seen elsewhere. Here, Moran is OK -- just OK -- as Dressler's shrewish friend/foe. Too bad she has sunk into nearly total oblivion.

The plot is good hearted. Bad guys try to rob the townspeople. Dressler triumphs and all ends well.

I do wonder about the central plot mechanism: bonds. This came out during the Depression so maybe everyone was familiar with bonds and what they can do if used well and if used wrongly. I, however, not of that era, am vaguely familiar with them. They're like stocks only different, right? It seems odd to build a story about The Little Man around a somewhat sophisticated monetary entity.