Shopworn
Directed by Nick Grinde
Written by Jo Swerling and Robert Riskin; story by Sarah Y. Mason
1932/US
Columbia Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/Crackle
Kitty Lane (after David’s minders offer her money to drop him): If that’s being rich, I’m glad I’m cheap, and I’m gonna stay cheap! Because no matter how cheap I am, I’m not for sale!
Barbara Stanwyck once again makes trite material quite watchable.
Kitty Lane (Stanwyck) works as a waitress in her small town. All the boys are after her but she gives them the cold shoulder. One day, medical student David Livingston (Regis Toomey) comes in for a bite to eat. He is immediately smitten and they fall in love and become engaged. David’s mother is livid and plots with a local judgeto rid her son of this “common” match. Her first move is to take a bogus health trip to Europe with David by her side. David agrees to this on the condition that Kitty will come along. So the snobs conspire to break off the affair another way.
Poor Kitty ends up in a reformatory for wayward girls. Then she becomes a big Broadway star.
This is a short movie and enjoyable for those moments when Stanwyck unleashes her fire. She’s on screen most of the time and plays the part with a certain sweetness I had not seen until this point in my journey. The story is predictable but the production and acting are pretty good.
