Customer Reviews

Employees' Entrance (Forbidden Hollywood) [VHS]

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For those Americans who are too young or too uneducated to know the history of this country during the Depression, a film like EMPLOYEES' ENTRANCE is a rude awakening. Times were hard then and Hollywood had to walk a fine line between entertaining an audience that was only too familiar with the horrors of a crumbling economy and not reminding them in such a way that would cause them to stay out of the movie theater. What director Roy Del Ruth accomplished was to maintain this delicate balance by making vicious store manager Kurt Anderson (Warren William) the dramatic center. Anderson is a despicable sort. He is very much what you would expect to emerge at the top of the food chain from a Darwinian pool of store managers. He uses people as if they were disposable tissue. He is tight with a budget, nor is he above taking advantage of a woman too drunk to resist. Yet despite these character flaws, he dominates each scene with a never say die attitude that slowly elevates him into something perilously close to warped admiration. Warren William as a pre-fifties version of George Sanders is exactly right as the cad who nevertheless engages the audience's total attention. Loretta Young is Madeline, the secretly married woman who is drunkenly seduced. Young is the ostensible female lead but it is hard for her to show the bounce that we know she would later exude since Warren William's dastardliness so thoroughly dominates each scene. The relatively unknown Alice White as Polly provides a surprisingly successful counterpoint to William with her own peroxide blond brashness as she recognizes that his arrogance is a lethal mixture of charm and cold menace. Imagine a non-hunchbacked Brooks Brother Richard III proudly and openly boasting of his future villanies and you get an idea of how attractive overt evil can be. If this film had been made just a year or two later after the Hays Code of Morality had kicked in, then what would have resulted would surely have been so deviolenced that syrup and pablum, rather than stark villainy, would have oozed in every frame. EMPLOYEES' ENTRANCE, thankfully retains the power of urgency that stamps this Depression-age movie as one to reckon with.

This 1933 film tells of the life of department store employees and its ruthless, amoral manager. Warren William, an actor I never cared much for before seeing this, gives an absolute bravura performance as Kurt Anderson. Solid support comes from 20 year-old Loretta (as Madeline) and, as the blonde flirt Polly, the now-rarely-seen Alice White is fine. The tyrannical William falls for Young, the wife of one of his subordinates: he eventually receives the comeuppance he deserves...Briskly written by Robert Presnell and excellently directed by Roy Del Ruth, this little pre-code flick is gripping, funny and outrageous.

Loretta Young stars as a young model working in a department store run by a brutal manager played by Warren William. He's hated by all his employees, since he sets a high standard and will not suffer mistakes at all. His job is his life, giving him no time for romance or even relationships. He's not above using people for what he needs, though, and Young finds that out the hard way. This is one of those pre-Code films that gets away with a lot more (subject matter, dialogue, etc) than most films made just a few years later. It's also clearly a Warner Brothers film, with it's tough talking characters and quick pacing and editing. Some of William's speeches to his employees are really hard hitting, yet what he has to say is very true, just without normal human compassion. William doesn't hold back, delivering a forceful performance that certainly doesn't soften the edges of this hard character. Young is sweet and appealing, and Wallace Ford, her love and fellow employee, is good in the beginning, although his distraught moments towards the end are less effective. It's always fun to step back into history and watch a film like this. It's surprising just how "mature" films could be back then.

That's the philosophy espoused by Kurt Anderson (Warren William) in this portrayal of the dog-eat-dog world of a Depression-era department store. Kurt holds nothing dear or sacred: not the 30-yr employee he ruthlessly fires, not his secretary just longing for a nice new dress (from another store, though!), not even the destitute young woman who must sleep with him in order to be hired, played by Loretta Young. Kurt doesn't expect people to like him, though, and that's what makes him AOK. You may hate him, but you've got to respect him--in his own weird way, he's fair. In his very first scene, he tells off the entire board in what would be the ordinary worker's fantasy, telling them, "I took this store when it was a heap of junk!" and made it a money maker, demanding and getting a new contract at twice his salary. As he faces being ousted by the stockholders, you find yourself rooting for him to maintain control of his cash register kingdom. Loretta Young is very appealing as Madeline, who can't seem to stay clear of the robotic Kurt; there is a very funny golddigger in the story too, who is hustling the board member who's supposed to keep his eye on Kurt, not the golddigger's shapely gams. I must say, years ago, I worked in a department store during Christmas rush, and it wasn't half as interesting as all this! By all means, take a gander at this wonderful pre-Code picture.

Ever wonder what life in a 1930's department store was like? This soaper packs a lot of drama into every minute--adultery, suicide, depression (both mental and monetary), sex, power,rich people, poor people, board room maneuvers--you name it, this movie has it! Warren William, in a typical seducer role, plays the ruthless manager of a large department store. He stops at nothing to get what he want. He has no qualms about ruining a businessman, firing a long-time employee, seducing young women, controlling his employees lives, manipulating...you name it! Who would want to work for him...? Loretta Young plays the young employee who secretly marries William's protege and pays a high price for doing so in the process. If you have never seen a movie with Warren William, give this one a try! He resembles John Barrymore slightly in appearance, and really shines in his role of the cut-throat business man. This is a classic example of pre-Code Hollywood at it's naughty best.

There are many things that can happen in a large department store. The most influential man in the business (Warren William) grows a reputation for being a cutthroat manager. However, he bends a bit to allow a beautiful out-of-work girl (Loretta Young) become a model at the store. She in turn falls in love with another employee, William's assistant (Wallace Ford), and the two get married. However, William monopolizes Ford's time, causing problems for the newlyweds.

Warren William is effective in his role as an egotistical and evil employer. However, the logic in his lines makes it impossible for the audience to passionately hate him, making the film seem all the more realistic. He looks similar to John Barrymore with a more hardnosed attitude.

Loretta Young is very young and beautiful in this film. Her character is playful and her large eyes are very expressive.

Wallace Ford is emotionally average in this film; he offers nothing outstanding to the role.

Alice White plays a co-starring role as Polly, a flirtatious, sarcastic, plucky girl used to keep other powerful men in the business on William's side. She has the advantage of a sweet, Scarlett O'Hara smile as well as some of the funniest scenes of the film.

This film is a member of the Forbidden Hollywood collection for a few reasons. Not only does it depict a woman using her body to secure a job, but it also entails infidelity and several suicides.

Fast moving, cynical, and brash, this is a delightful Warner Bros. take on the depression.

I loved this movie when I saw it on Turner Classic Movie channel. Roy Del Ruth does a great directing job (fast paced, witty plot, great humor, etc.) and Warren William is wonderful, does his best work here. Alice White almost steals the movie. The rest of the cast is top-notch. I wasn't crazy about especially Wallace Ford, and Loretta Young. But not to worry; Warren Williams carries the movie nicely. Loved the William character -- freshness, brashness, hilarious in his uncompromising honesty and ruthlessness as he sacrifices everyone (where necessary) for the good of his company. One of my favorite movies of all time, plus it is a little pre-code naughty and outrageous at times.

This VHS proved to be like-new and is a very good transfer of the film.

Employee's Entrance is an outstanding pre-code movie. Warren William plays the unethical general manager of a department store who exchanges romantic/sexual relations for promotions with his more attractive female employees. A very young and seemingly innocent Loretta Young plays just such a young woman. Not only is Employee's Entrance darn good entertainment, because it still involves work-place issues currently a problem, it has historic importance.

Modern film fans are familiar with the modern film rating system, such as G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. Since about 1970 this replaced the Hays' Code of Motion Pictures. The motion picture industry of the USA hired former Postmaster General William Hays to create the Production Code of self-censorship mostly to prevent the US Government from imposing more restrictive rules. However, the Production Code was largely ignored as major studios made increasingly explicit early sound movies, of which Employee's Entrance is one of the very best.

All that changed when the MPAA and William Hays hired Joseph I. Breen to strictly enforce and enhance the Production Code. Suddenly, in July 1934, movies such as Employee's Entrance that could be shown when originally released, were banned for re-release.