Customer Reviews

Mannequin

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

MGM's "Mannequin" came along at a crucial period in Joan Crawford's illustrious career at the studio. After a dozen successful years during which Joan rescued many an ordinary script and turned it into a solid money maker she was finding that tastes were changing and with it there was a noticeable decline in her Box Office value at the studio. "Mannequin" stopped that decline from going any further and it was backed up the following year by Joan making the very wise career move of taking on the role of Cristal Allen in the classic "The Women" 1939. That ensured her another lease of life as a top MGM star in the early Forties which she consolidated with such films as "Susan and God" and "A Woman's Face".

"Mannequin" is also unique in that it displayed the only ever teaming of Joan with the great Spencer Tracy another great MGM star with years of successes behing him and ahead in the future. It is certainly the teaming of these two giants as much as the production itself which ensured that "Mannnequin" became the big hit that it was.

The film has been passed off as yet another Crawford shopgirl melodrama where Joan climbs the ladder of success and ultimately finds herself torn between the man from her past and that of the future. While that is certainly the bare bones storyline of this film the production benefits from what I feel are sincere performances and some very good writing. Indeed the dialogue of Joan's character Jessica Cassidy has a strangely modern ring to it at times with her wanting to get on in the world on her own terms and to not be obligated to others.

The earlier section of the film is very vivid in its depiction of tenement life and the desperate character who are its inhabitants, for example the characters of Joan's no good lay about father, her downtrodden world weary mother(Elisabeth Risdon in a superb performance) and in particular her cynical brother Clifford played by Leo Gorcey . Into her life comes flashy no good Eddie Miller played by Alan Curtis, who promises to never make anything of his life but at least offers her a slim hope of getting out of the tenements. They are married and on their wedding day they encounter megarich John Hennessey (Spencer Tracy) who falls immediatly in love with Joan's character. The glow of marriage soon dims for Jessica as she has to support her no good husband and finds herself turned out of the apartment which she thought was legally their home. All ends happily when after black mail attempts, John losing his business and misunderstandings Jessica finds happiness with the man who really valued her all along and in the final appropriate line tells John that he is an achiever and "get back to work where he belongs"

Joan Crawford reveals a new maturity in her acting in "Mannequin". Here she displays a mature and restrained performance and there is a great deal of thought gone into her characterisation. She was an actress who was expert at reinventing herself to suit each new decade and the changing tastes of movie audiences and while "Mannequin" has alot of the depression era morality about it it heralds the beginning of the next phase of her career that saw her reach new heights in the early 40's. She and Spencer Tracy, not the best of friends during the making of this production, team well here and Tracey's no nonsense approach to screen acting combines well with Joan's always commanding presence on camera. It was a pity that two such great MGM stars were never teamed again.

Director Frank Borzage a capable MGM director and one that guided Joan Crawford through many melodramas in the 1930's displays his sure hand here in this piece and never allows the material to get too sentimental. "Mannequin" has some good situations complemented by good writing and I feel this is why it rises above some other Crawford vechicles of this period. Joan for the first time also has a more mature 40's look in this film. Its as though it is anticipating her distinctive "Mildred Pierce" look that became her trademark in the early 40's.

MGM was the ideal studio for the 1930's Joan Crawford and "Mannequin" provided her with her last "shopgirl in a dilemma over men" role. It's an interesting and highly entertaining film and will have Crawford lovers very pleased with the result. Enjoy watching Joan climb that society ladder one last time!!

This is an absorbing melodrama which stars Joan Crawford as Jessie Cassidy, a hard working, ambitious young woman out of the Hester street tenements. Sick of the life she leads, with her no account father and brother, and her mother who is little more than a slave to them, she is determined to lead a better life. Opportunity knocks when she falls in love with good looking, no account Eddie Miller (Alan Curtis) and impulsively asks him to marry her and take her away from the tenement life. He agrees, and they marry. On their wedding day they are befriended by self made millionaire John Hennessy (Spencer Tracy), who came out of the Hester Street tenement life himself.

Miller sets his new wife up in a pleasant three room apartment, and she is happy, though she continues to work. She soon discovers, however, that her husband merely borrowed the apartment, when they are forced out by the tenants of record. Miller also has an aversion for an honest days work. He is the easy money type and resembles the father whose lifestyle she sought to escape. Her Eddie seems to be cut from the same bolt of cloth as her ne'er do well father.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hennessey seems to have fallen for Jessie and has correctly sized up Eddie himself as a loser. Eddie and Jessie ultimately get divorced, when Eddie comes up with yet another unpalatable get rich quick scheme that even Jessie cannot stomache.

After her divorce, Jessie ends up marrying Mr. Hennessey with whom she ultimately falls in love. Still, Eddie's continued presence on her horizon is like a thundercloud raining on her parade, as he threatens to destroy the happiness that she has achieved. She comes to a crossroad, however, when Hennessey's business goes belly up, and she is faced with a decision she had not anticipated having to make.

This is a terrific film with wonderful performances by the stellar cast. It is a superb, though somewhat predictable, melodrama. All fans of Joan Crawford will enjoy this 1938 film, as well as those who enjoy vintage movies.

Do not let the title mislead you, "Mannequin" is not about a store doll that comes to life, but rather about about a young woman played by Joan Crawford who cannot afford to let her true feelings show, let alone ever give in to them. Spencer Tracy plays John Hennessey, who was born in poverty on Hester Street but who know lives on Park Avenue because of his prosperous shipping company. Hennessey end up befriending a newlywed couple from his old neighborhood, Jessie (Crawford) and Eddie Miller (Alan Curtis). Jessie had married Eddie to escape form her boring home life, but she soon discovers Eddie has no intention of earning an honest living, let alone ever working hard. When Eddie notices Hennessey's interest in Jessie and his financial problems begin to grow, he comes up with a with a plan: Jessie will divorce him, marry Hennessey for his money, divorce him after six months and then rejoin Eddie. Jessie does indeed divorce Eddie and marry Hennessey, but with no intention of ever going back to Eddie, who has gotten into bootlegging, does not like this idea and threatens to tell Hennessey of the entire scheme. Meanwhile, Hennessey's company is facing a crippling strike which ends up forcing Jessie to decide what is more important: love or money. This 1938 M-G-M film was directed by Frank Borzage, who does a nice job of making the more melodramatic moments of "Mannequin" work. Tracy's performance is on target as always, but Crawford is the one who impresses me with her restrained performance this time around. The end result is that this film is a lot better than you would have ever expected it to be.

As usual Joan gives a very impressive performance as another care-worn shopgirl of the '30s who will stop at nothing to find love and riches. "Mannequin" is a lovely film that includes the tried and true formula that Joan worked her magic so well on. The entire screen lights up when Joan is paired with Spencer Tracy, they had such a great working relationship that spilled over into the movie which was obvious because the story was so believable. Joan's entire supporting cast was excellent, which included her miserable family and hateful brother. Like most of her movies, perhaps "Mannequin" mirrored Joan's own life. A beautiful girl has aspirations of getting out of her hellish home and away from her going-nowhere boyfriend finds a rich man who wants to take care of her. In case you're wondering, the movie is titled ""Mannequin" because Jessie (Joan's character) got a job as a "mannequin" (that was an antiquated term for a department store model).

This is one of those rare pictures that Joan made from the thirties that aren't very glamorous. Even though Joan doesn't get dressed up (except when she's a "walking mannequin" she's still so beautiful in each and every scene that she's in. In this picture, Joan plays Jessie Cassidy, a girl who marries a crook that tries to use her to a cheat a shipping magnate (Spencer Tracy.) This is a first-rate and an important film for many reasons. First, Joan is perfect in this role because this one of those roles that just seems tailor made for her. The lines come out of her mouth like poetry. This is also a great movie because it's the first and only paring of Joan and Spencer Tracy.

Joan Crawford is always wonderful in her melodramas, and even though her popularity was fading by the time this movie was made, it holds up as a trophy of her talent through time. She stars as Jessie, a girl from a slum whose family does nothing to help her rise above it. She uses her boyfriend Eddie (Alan Curtis) to pull her out of it through marriage. She devotes herself entirely to him, always looking on the bright side of life. Unfortunately, he isn't the man to waste herself on. He gambles and loses her money and lies to her constantly. Still, the bonds of marriage mean a lot to her, and she sticks by his side.

In comes John Hennessey (Spencer Tracy), a man who proves that a man from the slums can rise above. He falls in love with Jessie and despite her protests does all he can to be near her. As fate would have it, Jessie eventually gets wise to her husband. He attempts to get back at John for his love. He tries to convince his wife to marry John for his money and then leave him flat. She refuses and divorces Eddie, only to soon afterward find herself falling for John.

The movie is the average length, but a lot happens during it. We see an unglamorous portrait of life in the 1930s and the kind of people that really existed then. Crawford doesn't parade designer clothes around, or at least is a good enough actress to attract attention away from them. Tracy pales in comparison to Crawford, a difficult task for any actress.

The plot is predictable, but the performances are enjoyable. Crawford is too well-groomed to be completely believable as a menial laborer in the first half of the film, but she makes the most of her role and holds her own nicely against the inimitable Tracy. Recommended.

I was surprised when I learned that Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy made a movie together. I figured it was just another Crawford melodrama, but it's actually a very good film.
Crawford is Jesse, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who desperately wants a better life. She hastily marries her boyfriend Eddie Miller (played by Alan Curtis) with hopes of a brighter future. During their wedding reception at a restaurant, they meet shipping magnate John L. Hennessy (Tracy), who immediately falls for her. Before long, Jesse realizes her husband is nothing but a lazy swindler, always looking for the easy way in life. Eventually, she decides enough is enough and leaves him. All this time, Hennessy has been trying to woo her to no avail. When he learns she's separated, he goes all out to win her heart, and finally persuades her to marry him. But Eddie won't bow out gracefully, and wants a big payoff. He tries to blackmail Jesse by threatening to tell her new husband that they were scheming for his money all along.
Sure, it's a frothy soap, but this one plays out with humor and loads of charm! Joan Crawford is radiant and her acting takes on new more subtle dimensions. Working with the great Spencer Tracy had a good affect on her (she wrote in her autobiography, "With Spence, I definitely had to learn to underplay."). Tracy was never more handsome or charming as the tough but very sweet Hennessy. He brings a humor to the role that is irresistable!
Special mention should be made of the handsome Alan Curtis as the good-for-nothing Eddie Miller. This could have been just a cardboard character, but he brings a smooth sarcastic charm to the roll. You can see why Jesse was attracted to him to begin with, and he holds his own against two larger-than-life stars.
All the supporting players hits just the right notes too, making this a movie that definitely should not be overlooked by fans of Crawford, Tracy, or the golden age of Hollywood.
A little side note: It's been written that Crawford and Tracy didn't get along during the making of this movie. Don't believe everything you read!

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"Mannequin", the 1938 offering from MGM, teams Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy in their first and only co-starring vehicle.
Crawford is Jessie Cassidy, a "girl" from the poor side of the tracks in New York, who in typical MGM-style, is desperate to escape her fate and wants a better existence. Enter Eddie Miller (Alan Curtis), who we know from the get-go is no match for Jessie but he offers to marry her and take her out of the tenement she shares with her lazy father, brother and hardworking mother, so she jumps on the opportunity.
Very quickly Jessie realizes that Eddie does not really desire an honest day's work, nor does he have a problem with his wife bringing home the proverbial bacon.
Meanwhile, Eddie sees a possible big cash payday when he notices that bigwig John Hennessy (Tracy) appears to be infatuated with Jessie. Eddie suggests that if he and Jessie divorce, Jessie can then take up with Hennessy, marry him, divorce him, collect alimony and pick right back up with Eddie.
Jessie, in true good girl loving bad boy form, is horrified and promptly rids herself of Eddie.
She ends up in Hennessy's arms anyway and marries him - - only to find that she truly falls in love with him. Even Hennessy's loss of his business, putting him back in the "working class", doesn't dampen her affections.
All in all, "Mannequin" is a rehashing of earlier Crawford films. By this point, the formula is getting a bit thin and stale. Crawford had been churning out these types of shopgirl films for nearly a decade and was hardly a "girl" anymore. And despite Jessie being a poor girl, she spoke with too much refinement and looked far too classy to be appropriately working class. Check out Crawford's earlier "Possessed" and "Dancing Lady" for a more streetwise Crawford.
That aside, the film is good entertainment for Crawford's onscreen pairing (and alleged offscreen pairing, as well) with Spencer Tracy, whose deep and honest acting is almost too good for this type of worn storyline. He and Crawford have an interesting chemistry together and he helps raise this movie over basic fluff.
The other saving grace? Crawford herself, who is lovely and sweet and even sings in this picture. Calling her Box Office Poison back in 1938 seems unduly unjustified, particularly when she helps to bring this type of movie out of the normal cardboard cutout and give it a little pizzazz.
If you are a Joan Crawford fan, or especially an unabashed one like I am, you will definitely want this movie for your viewing pleasure. Crawford is not the younger ingenue of her earlier MGM days, nor is she yet the hardened Warner's version - - she is simply an actress perfecting her craft.
Overall, the story is about three stars, but with Crawford and Tracy in the leads, I'll give it a four.