"You have to go (to New York) by buffalo!" "No, I want to go on this train!"
So says the befuddled and very ample Marie Dressler to stuttering train clerk Roscoe Ates after she tries his patience in letting him knew what city she's going to. Marie Dressler could charm the fat off of a whale, although her character might annoy the heck out of those she encounters while trying to move east after things go wrong for her family. For wealthy sister Polly Moran (who owns a health club), taking her sister and family in is the least she can do, even if her snooty daughter Sally Eilers wants no part of her mother's family. Dressler arrives at Grand Central Station after creating much chaos on the train, disturbing every passenger while trying to get her family settled in the upper berths, then dealing with son Billy Naylor's foot being stuck in a cuspidor. Those around them may not be laughing, but I bet that in depression era 1931, the audience was laughing hysterically at these antics, wanting to take Dressler into their homes as well as their arms. More so than even Shirley Temple, Dressler was the most lovable movie star of the 1930's, and it's sad that her early death prevented any more classic movies in her gallery of unforgettable portraits.
Paired with Polly Moran in a series of lowbrow comedy/dramas in the late 1920's and 1930's, Dressler completely shines over Moran who lacks the warmth and soul of the basset faced Dressler. Moran, sort of Hardy to Dressler's Laurel, doesn't have the way of reacting as she should, and that takes away from the impact of the outlandish situations she finds herself in. Dressler immediately makes a mess out of Moran's healthclub, breaking glass, then sending an electrified Moran into a mud bath while completely dressed. They may be sisters, but somehow there's something not right about that plot point. The slapstick first half turns dramatic in the second half as snooty Eilers finds herself in competition with cousin Anita Page over beau William Collier Jr. This creates a falling out between the two sisters, and it's up to Dressler to go out of her way to mend the fences and get the right young couples together, with Page followed around by her small town beau William Bakewell. This shines every moment that Dressler is on screen, especially in her long scene with the sometimes annoying Roscoe Ates who is actually quite funny here. Dressler was the heart and soul of the depression, a lady for a day, a lady for a night, and a lady for cinema audiences to take into their hearts no matter how ridiculous the scene.
So says the befuddled and very ample Marie Dressler to stuttering train clerk Roscoe Ates after she tries his patience in letting him knew what city she's going to. Marie Dressler could charm the fat off of a whale, although her character might annoy the heck out of those she encounters while trying to move east after things go wrong for her family. For wealthy sister Polly Moran (who owns a health club), taking her sister and family in is the least she can do, even if her snooty daughter Sally Eilers wants no part of her mother's family. Dressler arrives at Grand Central Station after creating much chaos on the train, disturbing every passenger while trying to get her family settled in the upper berths, then dealing with son Billy Naylor's foot being stuck in a cuspidor. Those around them may not be laughing, but I bet that in depression era 1931, the audience was laughing hysterically at these antics, wanting to take Dressler into their homes as well as their arms. More so than even Shirley Temple, Dressler was the most lovable movie star of the 1930's, and it's sad that her early death prevented any more classic movies in her gallery of unforgettable portraits.
Paired with Polly Moran in a series of lowbrow comedy/dramas in the late 1920's and 1930's, Dressler completely shines over Moran who lacks the warmth and soul of the basset faced Dressler. Moran, sort of Hardy to Dressler's Laurel, doesn't have the way of reacting as she should, and that takes away from the impact of the outlandish situations she finds herself in. Dressler immediately makes a mess out of Moran's healthclub, breaking glass, then sending an electrified Moran into a mud bath while completely dressed. They may be sisters, but somehow there's something not right about that plot point. The slapstick first half turns dramatic in the second half as snooty Eilers finds herself in competition with cousin Anita Page over beau William Collier Jr. This creates a falling out between the two sisters, and it's up to Dressler to go out of her way to mend the fences and get the right young couples together, with Page followed around by her small town beau William Bakewell. This shines every moment that Dressler is on screen, especially in her long scene with the sometimes annoying Roscoe Ates who is actually quite funny here. Dressler was the heart and soul of the depression, a lady for a day, a lady for a night, and a lady for cinema audiences to take into their hearts no matter how ridiculous the scene.