Joan Crawford has some awesome roles. If she were to have starred in movies as a young lady in the 1990's, she may have been in action movies. The last role of hers that I really loved was, coincidentally, her role as Sadie Thompson in the movie "Rain."
In the movie "Sadie McKee" Joan played the eponymous character. Her life took some twists and turns largely because of her love for her sweetheart Tommy Wallace (Gene Raymond). Her love for Tommy was her only weakness, if she had any. Barring that, she was as tough, smart, and principled as they come.
In the beginning I didn't know how I'd feel about Sadie McKee. Was she going to be a typical sap, twisting herself into knots for a man she was in love with, or was she going to be a gold digger. Unfortunately, many women fell into one of those two categories back then.
It was when Sadie met the wealthy drunkard, Jack Brennan (Edward Arnold), that I was sold on her.
Sadie was working for a restaurant that provided entertainment and sexily clad women for the enjoyment of the male guests. Brennan saw Sadie and wanted to have a drink with her. Sadie's boss urged the meeting because he knew Brennan would spend considerable money at his restaurant, and it also meant a 10% cut for Sadie, so she obliged.
As she was sitting with the sloppily drunk Brennan she was getting an earful from Brennan's lawyer who also happened to be Sadie's childhood friend, Michael Alderson (Franchot Tone).
Michael was the impetus behind Tommy and Sadie running away to NYC. Just by happenstance Sadie encountered Michael again. Michael tried his best to be a savior to Sadie by telling Brennan he's drunk and that he'd give Sadie a ride home, etc. His chivalry was on full display.
When Sadie rejected every effort of Michael to break up the party, he turned on her. He went from being a chivalrous gentleman to being a moralistic blowhard. Now, he was intent on protecting the vulnerable Brennan from a "chiseler" like Sadie. Michael huffed and puffed until he was blue, but he couldn't move Sadie or Brennan. She didn't want to hear any part of his preaching. If Brennan wanted to marry her and spend money on her, that was her business. And that's exactly what happened. I knew then that I liked her. It wasn't so much that I was looking for her to take advantage of a rich sap, it was that I wanted her to do what she felt was right regardless of the chastising from Michael. I didn't want her to get bullied or browbeaten into a decision by some wannabe morally superior man, and she didn't.
Sadie McKee was a strong woman. She reminded me of a Blondie Johnson (played by Joan Blondell), a Frisco Jenny (played by Ruth Chatterton), or a Babyface (played by Barbara Stanwyck), except Sadie didn't do anything illegal. Sadie McKee was a superb woman who had the wonderful combination of toughness and integrity. Only if there were more Sadie McKees back then.
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In the movie "Sadie McKee" Joan played the eponymous character. Her life took some twists and turns largely because of her love for her sweetheart Tommy Wallace (Gene Raymond). Her love for Tommy was her only weakness, if she had any. Barring that, she was as tough, smart, and principled as they come.
In the beginning I didn't know how I'd feel about Sadie McKee. Was she going to be a typical sap, twisting herself into knots for a man she was in love with, or was she going to be a gold digger. Unfortunately, many women fell into one of those two categories back then.
It was when Sadie met the wealthy drunkard, Jack Brennan (Edward Arnold), that I was sold on her.
Sadie was working for a restaurant that provided entertainment and sexily clad women for the enjoyment of the male guests. Brennan saw Sadie and wanted to have a drink with her. Sadie's boss urged the meeting because he knew Brennan would spend considerable money at his restaurant, and it also meant a 10% cut for Sadie, so she obliged.
As she was sitting with the sloppily drunk Brennan she was getting an earful from Brennan's lawyer who also happened to be Sadie's childhood friend, Michael Alderson (Franchot Tone).
Michael was the impetus behind Tommy and Sadie running away to NYC. Just by happenstance Sadie encountered Michael again. Michael tried his best to be a savior to Sadie by telling Brennan he's drunk and that he'd give Sadie a ride home, etc. His chivalry was on full display.
When Sadie rejected every effort of Michael to break up the party, he turned on her. He went from being a chivalrous gentleman to being a moralistic blowhard. Now, he was intent on protecting the vulnerable Brennan from a "chiseler" like Sadie. Michael huffed and puffed until he was blue, but he couldn't move Sadie or Brennan. She didn't want to hear any part of his preaching. If Brennan wanted to marry her and spend money on her, that was her business. And that's exactly what happened. I knew then that I liked her. It wasn't so much that I was looking for her to take advantage of a rich sap, it was that I wanted her to do what she felt was right regardless of the chastising from Michael. I didn't want her to get bullied or browbeaten into a decision by some wannabe morally superior man, and she didn't.
Sadie McKee was a strong woman. She reminded me of a Blondie Johnson (played by Joan Blondell), a Frisco Jenny (played by Ruth Chatterton), or a Babyface (played by Barbara Stanwyck), except Sadie didn't do anything illegal. Sadie McKee was a superb woman who had the wonderful combination of toughness and integrity. Only if there were more Sadie McKees back then.
Free on Odnoklassniki.