Customer Reviews

Skyscraper Souls [VHS]

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That's the best Warren William can offer when his secretary-lover Veree Teasdale has a confrontation with his open-marriage wife Hedda Hopper (yes, THAT Hedda Hopper) in the pre-Code flick about the ruthless bank president's obsession with his magnificent Art Deco skyscraper, which even outstrips the Empire State Building in height. Smooth taking William charms ladies of all kinds and he's not too bad either at schmoozing other bankers into first a merger and then a wild stockmarket ride which dashes the fortunes and futures of a whole cast of characters. "Skyscraper Souls" is a sort of "Hotel" or "Ship of Fools" where many love stories are all happening under one roof, in this case the gigantic Dwight Building. For instance, Wallace Ford is trying to talk his girlfriend into leaving her husband, Jean Hersholt is trying to woo Anita Page's dress model/good time gal into giving him a break, and another young bank teller is trying to get Maureen O'Sullivan interested in him, but she's determined to marry a rich man. Well, then it's pretty handy that Mr. Dwight aka Warren William has taken a fancy to her, since he's rolling in dough; there's a bit of a complication, though, since she's the secretary to HIS secretary and long-standing mistress. But Dwight is not the man to let any obstacle stand in his way for long, and it really looks like he's going to get the young gal and complete control of his building--but can anyone's luck hold out that long? Abounding with risque situations galore, "Skyscraper Souls" concludes with enough shocking "departures" to hold the interest of any viewer from our supposedly more "free thinking" generation. Take the elevator to the penthouse and enjoy the view!

I came across this film both because I have been watching a lot of early talkie films and because many people swear it is better than Grand Hotel, a better known classic. While it is certainly well done for a film of this vintage (released July 1932), I did not think it quite matched the level of sophistication of either Grand Hotel or a later film from the same year, Ernst Lubitsch's Trouble in Paradise. And it certainly doesn't match up for star power. While it deals frankly with topics like marital infidelity, it also lacks the raciness of other pre-code films like Red Headed Woman or Three on a Match. That said, this is still a must see for fans of early cinema. Warren William, forgotten today but a major star of early talkie cinema, gives a fascinating performance as a scheming bank executive; he reminded me of a lot of people I've worked with in the past. His final scenes, in particular, give an enormously enlightening look into the perverse mindset which prevails amongst such people to this day. And 21 year old Maureen O'Sullivan (Tarzan series, The Thin Man) is a pure and refreshing delight in every one of her scenes. Anita Page, on the other hand, looks awkward and aged well beyond her 21 years (perhaps too much Hollywood living). Finally, unlike the other Forbidden Hollywood DVDs, Leonard Maltin did not grace this one with any introduction. As for all the films in this series, a DVD set is long overdue.

This is a wonderful pre-code movie. It's a story about the people associated with the tallest building in the world. And in the 1930s that would mean the building was in the United States.

Terrific acting, good storyline, very entertaining.

This movie can be difficult to find, but it is worth pursuing.

"Skyscraper Souls" is a compendium of stories linked together because the characters all inhabit a New York skyscraper. It was based on a Faith Baldwin (1893-1978) novel "Skyscraper" (1931). Baldwin's romance novels were extremely popular in the mid 20th Century and like this one typically dealt with the lives of the rich.

BTW - construction on the Empire State Building began in 1930 and the building opened on May 1, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover. In addition to this film, "Manhattan Tower" in 1932 dealt with the lives of a couple who work in The Empire State Building and also includes a run on a bank.

The center piece of the film is Warren William (1894-1948) who plays a bank President and the man who built and now manages the skyscraper. William is married to Hedda Hopper (1885-1966) while having a 12 year affair with Veree Teasdale (1903-87) and trying to bed Margaret O'Sullivan (1911-1998) who is Teasdale's secretary, even though O'Sullivan is an "innocent" girl and has a new boyfriend (Norman Foster). This is the kind of soap opera stuff that audiences loved then (and, unfortunately, now too).

There are various subplots with a rich jewel merchant (Jean Hersholt) who is in love with a "fast" girl (Anita Page), and an unscrupulous investor (William Morris) who conspires with William to start a run on the bank's stock.
A few notes on the cast -

Warren William (1894-1948) is probably best known for his role as d"Artagnan in "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1939) and as the first Perry Mason in a series of mid 30s films.

Maureen O'Sullivan (1911-1998) was most famous for playing Jane 6 times in the Tarzan films (1932-1942) but unlike Weissmuller, she played many other roles during that time, including "Tugboat Annie" (1933), "The Thin Man" (1934), "Cardinal Richelieu" (1935), "A Day at the Races" (1937), "A Yank at Oxford" (1938), and "Pride and Prejudice" (1940). She slowed down in the 40s to devote time to her husband and 7 children, one of whom is the actress Mia Farrow.

Jean Hersholt (1886-1956) appeared in more than 100 films between 1906 and 1955, including such memorable films as "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1921), Erich von Stroheim's "Greed" (1924), Karloff's "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (1932), and "The Country Doctor" (1936). He's best remembered as Shirley Temple's grandfather in "Heidi" (1937).

Wallace Ford (1898-1966) appeared in over 100 films from 1930 to 1965, often as a comic foil. He did 5 films for John Ford including "They Were Expendable" (1945) and "The Last Hurrah" (1958). He was nominated for a Golden Laurel in 1965 for "A Patch of Blue", his last film.

Sexy Anita Page (1910-2008) was popular in the silent era and in early talkies, usually playing second leads, and in 1929 she was second only to Greta Garbo in fan mail.

What is most interesting in this film is the view we get of social and business mores in the early 30s, especially since this is pre Code and no encumbered by the censors. Each of the characters brings with him/her a set of biographical backstory, and react to the prevailing social conventions. Thus we see

* If immigrants work really hard they can succeed (Jean Hersholt)
* In business, expect to be cheated, even by friends (William Warren)
* Love happens at first sight (Norman Foster)
* A good girl gets married before having sex (Margaret O'Sullivan)
* Few marriages are successful (Hedda Hopper, Helen Coburn)

Etc.

The NY Times said the film "affords a rich measure of entertainment" and "the story is replete with suspense and vitality."

1932 was a good year for films - Grand Hotel" was the Oscar and box office king, Jean Harlow had 2 films in the top 10 ("Red Headed Woman" and "Red Dust") as did Miriam Hopkins ("Trouble in Paradise" and "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde") and Wallace Beery ("Champ" and "Grand Hotel"). Other notable films from that year were "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang", "Freaks","A Farewell to Arms", "Scarface", "Horse Feathers" and "Tarzan The Ape Man".

Often compared with "Grand Hotel" as one of the first films to have multiple story lines, this film is far inferior to that film in all respects, not merely due to the fact that Grand Hotel was one of the most star studded vehicles in the 1930s with names like Wallace Beery, John and Lionel Barrymore, and Joan Crawford.

Nonetheless, being inferior to "Grand Hotel" doesn't mean this isn't an interesting and entertaining film.