Mannequin (1937)

Directed by Frank Borzage. Starring Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, Alan Curtis, Mary Philips, Ralph Morgan, Leo Grocey, Oscar O’Shea, Elisabeth Risdon, Gwen Lee.

Run-of-the-mill 1930s Crawford fare slots her again into the role of an impoverished yet photogenic young working girl hungry for a better life. Here, she hitches her wagon to boyfriend Curtis and his empty promises, but after they get married, she figures out that he’s a no-good lout; lucky for her, self-made millionaire tycoon Tracy is in love with her, but is he really a better option? The movie doesn’t bother with that debate, however, even though it’s right there (Tracy meets and makes a play for her on her wedding day, and later all but stalks her—private detective and all—when he believes the couple is on the outs). Instead, Borzage and company try to spin the soap flakes into light romantic fluff within the heavier realities of the Great Depression fallout. No highlight reel work from either star, but it provides enough mild entertainment to succeed within the boundaries of its limited goals. Produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

60/100