Sadie McKee (1934)

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

John Meehan (screenplay)
Viña Delmar (story)

Release Date:

9 May 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

The life of Sadie McKee takes many twists and turns. She starts as the daughter of the cook for the well off Alderson family...

Plot Keywords:

Alcoholic | Cook | Millionaire | Unemployment | Melodrama

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Sadie McKee
Gene Raymond	...	Tommy Wallace
Franchot Tone	...	Michael Alderson
Edward Arnold	...	Jack Brennan
Esther Ralston	...	Dolly Merrick
Earl Oxford	...	Stooge
Jean Dixon	...	Opal
Leo G. Carroll	...	Phelps - Brennan's Butler (as Leo Carroll)
Akim Tamiroff	...	Riccori - Cafe Owner
Zelda Sears	...	Mrs. Craney - Landlady
Helen Ware	...	Mrs. McKee
Gene Austin	...	Cafe Entertainer on Piano
Coco and Candy	...	Cafe Entertainers (as Candy and Coco)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Norman Ainsley	...	Second Butler - at Downstairs Meeting (uncredited)
Hooper Atchley	...	Intern with Dr. Briggs (uncredited)
Nellie Bly Baker	...	Downstairs Laundress (uncredited)
Jack Baxley	...	Short-order Cook (uncredited)
Barlowe Borland	...	Brennan's Servant (uncredited)
Wade Boteler	...	Second Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley	...	Dr. Taylor - with Dr. Briggs (uncredited)
James Burke	...	First Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
Frederick Burton	...	Uncle Snowden (uncredited)
Candy Candido	...	Candy of 'Coco and Candy' - Bass Player (uncredited)
Mabel Colcord	...	Brennan's Cook (uncredited)
Frank Conroy	...	Dr. Briggs (uncredited)
Nick Copeland	...	Automat Diner (uncredited)
Eva Dennison	...	Aunt Sara (uncredited)
Florence Dudley	...	Chorus Girl in Cafe (uncredited)
Mary Forbes	...	Mrs. Alderson (uncredited)
Helen Freeman	...	Brennan's Maid (uncredited)
Ethel Griffies	...	Woman in Subway (uncredited)
Otto Heimel	...	Coco of 'Coco and Candy' - Guitar Player (uncredited)
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Dr. Branch (uncredited)
Selmer Jackson	...	Tiffany Salesman (uncredited)
Mimi Lawler	...	Downstairs Maid (uncredited)
Edward LeSaint	...	Brennan's Second Doctor (uncredited)
Tom Mahoney	...	Policeman at Marriage Bureau (uncredited)
Charles Hill Mailes	...	Uncle Ben (uncredited)
Francis McDonald	...	Joe, Alderson's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Matt McHugh	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Brennan's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Wyndham Standing	...	Alderson's Butler (uncredited)
Gertrude Sutton	...	Brennan's Swedish Maid (uncredited)
Richard Tucker	...	Dr. Patrick - with Dr. Briggs (uncredited)
Minerva Urecal	...	Brennan's Cook's Assistant (uncredited)
Billie Van Every	...	Chorus Girl in Cafe (uncredited)
Walter Walker	...	Mr. Alderson (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Skinny Waiter (uncredited)
Charles Williams	...	Pest in Cafe (uncredited)

Directed by
Clarence Brown

Writing credits
John Meehan		(screenplay)
Viña Delmar		(story "Pretty Sadie McKee") (as Vina Delmar)

Produced by
Lawrence Weingarten	....	producer

Original Music by
William Axt		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Oliver T. Marsh		(photography by)

Film Editing by
Hugh Wynn

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dorian	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Fredric Hope	....	associate art director
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Art Wilson	....	mixer (uncredited)

Music Department
William Axt	....	musical synchronization (as Dr. William Axt)
Nacio Herb Brown	....	composer: songs
Arthur Freed	....	composer: songs
Wayne Allen	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Lucille Day	....	stand-in: Joan Crawford (uncredited)

Production Companies

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

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1934) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Part of this movie is used as the golden oldie Joan Crawford is watching as Blanche Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Quotes:

Opal: Feeling better?
Sadie McKee Brennan: Yes, thanks to you.
Opal: You're gonna find out about men - -the tripe.
Sadie McKee Brennan: No, thanks. Not interested.
Opal: Swell. They come to my dump to get taken, see? And if you're smart...
[to woman in subway]
Opal: Am I talking loud enough?
Sadie McKee Brennan: I'm kind of sick of men.
Opal: Oh, you're crazy. They've got what we want, all of it. And every gal has her price. Yours ought to be high.
[to woman on subway]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Soundtrack:

Temptation

The Perfect Crawford Vehicle.

Clarence Brown was an above average director and his pictures with Joan Crawford in the early and mid '30s are better than those she did with others. Brown had an eye and a sense of detail and he favors long takes with two or more performers interacting, which creates a certain tension where there might otherwise be none. Certainly this improbable script is not noticeably better than others Joan did around that time, but everything about this picture works perfectly.

Having finally found her best 'look,' Crawford is undeniably gorgeous, the ravishing epitome of glamor. And Adrian does some of his best work for her in this, putting her in one stunning and flattering gown after another. She is also given a talented and varied supporting cast and all of the big set pieces work, though Edward Arnold's drunk scenes go on for too long.

And there are a couple of fantastic sets, one of Arnold's mansion and the other of a glass sanitarium in the snow. Though the whole cast is more than adequate, a few players stand out: Jean Dixon is delightfully world weary in a leopard coat, Esther Ralston makes a perfect amoral siren, and it's a bit of a revelation to see how much Leo G. Carroll accomplishes by doing very little in his role as a nasty butler. There's also a fantastic jazz version of "After You've Gone" performed by Gene Austin, Candy Candido and Otto Heimel. As for the main players, Crawford, Franchot Tone and Gene Raymond don't dig very deep in their performances, but with a plucky, luscious Crawford at full tilt and with everything else about this movie clicking so well, it doesn't matter. It works.