The wide eyed Joan Blondell was one busy actress in the early thirty's, making sometimes a dozen films a year. Playing opposite James Cagney whom she had come from Broadway with to make her film debut in his first film as well, Blondell truly epitomizes the Depression era jazz baby, pre-code leading lady. Even playing gold diggers, she always had a huge heart of gold beneath the surface, and ultimately her characters are always looking for true love even though they had their eyes set on expensive purse strings. She plays a maid in a fancy hotel, and becomes involved in Cagney's schemes of getting rich quickly, but as those games continue to blow up in his face, she wises up to him, and sets her sights elsewhere. But in the course of true love, he does finally learn some common sense, and begins to see the cute Blondell as more than just an easy mark for his lecherous moves.
If the lost film "Convention City" is any indication of why the code came in, then the earlier made "Blonde Crazy" is definitely one of the films that led the Catholic legion of decency to create such a movement in making films less scandalous. There is a famous shot of Blondell in thus film seemingly naked in a bathtub with Cagney coming in, looking for her money, to which she tells him that it in her underwear. Cagney goes outside and begins fondling her bra and panties, and seemingly having way too much of a good time. Guy Kibbee, playing a lecherous customer, also makes unwanted advances at her, and her responses to his pass are nothing short of genius. Blondell was an actress way ahead of her time, and up there with Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers and Jean Harlow comes off as someone that any guy would not only want to have as his pal, but ultimately hope to settle down with as well. Maude Eburne is very funny as Blondell's boss, with veteran character actor Charles Lane in one of his first films, playing the type of grouchy curmudgeon that would make him a fan favorite for almost the next 70 years. The plot line goes a bit astray with the Louis Calhern character as the film goes on, but the sassy script never lets up and with great leads and an early appearance by Ray Milland, this is one pre-code film that is definitely worth catching.
If the lost film "Convention City" is any indication of why the code came in, then the earlier made "Blonde Crazy" is definitely one of the films that led the Catholic legion of decency to create such a movement in making films less scandalous. There is a famous shot of Blondell in thus film seemingly naked in a bathtub with Cagney coming in, looking for her money, to which she tells him that it in her underwear. Cagney goes outside and begins fondling her bra and panties, and seemingly having way too much of a good time. Guy Kibbee, playing a lecherous customer, also makes unwanted advances at her, and her responses to his pass are nothing short of genius. Blondell was an actress way ahead of her time, and up there with Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers and Jean Harlow comes off as someone that any guy would not only want to have as his pal, but ultimately hope to settle down with as well. Maude Eburne is very funny as Blondell's boss, with veteran character actor Charles Lane in one of his first films, playing the type of grouchy curmudgeon that would make him a fan favorite for almost the next 70 years. The plot line goes a bit astray with the Louis Calhern character as the film goes on, but the sassy script never lets up and with great leads and an early appearance by Ray Milland, this is one pre-code film that is definitely worth catching.