STRANDED

(director: Frank Borzage; screenwriters: story Lady With A Badge by Frank Wead & Ferdinand Reyher/Delmer Daves/Carl Erickson; cinematographer: Sid Hickox; editor: William Holmes; music: Leo F. Forbstein; cast: Kay Francis (Lynn Palmer), George Brent (Mack Hale), Patricia Ellis (Velma Tuthill), Donald Woods (John Wesley), Robert Barrat (Stanislaus Janauschek), Barton MacLane (Sharkey), Joseph Crehan (Johnny Quinn), William Harrigan (Updyke), Henry O’Neill (Mr. Tuthill), Frankie Darro (James ‘Jimmy’ Rivers), Mary Forbes (Grace Dean); Runtime: 75; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Frank Borzage; WB; 1935-black/white)

“Routine film.“

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Frank Borzage (“Moonrise”/”China Doll”) directs this inconsequential romantic drama. It’s based on the story Lady With A Badge by Frank Wead & Ferdinand Reyher, and is written by Delmer Daves and Carl Erickson.

The San Francisco resident Lynn Palmer (Kay Francis) is a hard-working employee of the Travelers’ Aid Society, a charitable organization that aids travelers and immigrants who become stranded during their journeys. Her boss (Mary Forbes) urges her to take as a roommate the spoiled rich socialite,Velma (Patricia Ellis), because her mother is a big donor to the charity. When Mack Hale (George Brent), supervisor of construction of the Golden Gate, shows up at Lynn’s desk, she remembers her first kiss was with him when she was 15. They begin a romance, but Velma also makes a play for Mack. The subplot is about a racketeer (Barton MacLane) trying to remove Mack from his position because he won’t pay protection money. The racketeer pays to get several of the bridge workers drunk. They get fired and the racketeer at a union meeting gets the men riled up against Mack and they threaten a walk-out. The routine film, known in the trade as a “women’s picture,” never caught my interest.

REVIEWED ON 8/29/2018 GRADE: C+    https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/