Cain and Mabel (1936)

I hope everyone had a great start to their New Year! Since yesterday was Marion Davies’ birthday, I am going to review one of my favorite films of hers: “Cain and Mabel.”

Here’s the story: Mabel O’Dare is a waitress-turned-Broadway star and Larry Cain is a mechanic-turned-prizefighter. Both hate each other with a burning passion, but their press agents cook up a love affair between them so they can gain more publicity. However, the publicity stunt slowly turns into the real thing, and Cain and Mabel secretly plan to quit their high-paying jobs in favor of eloping and becoming a mechanic and a housewife, respectively. When Cain’s press agent, Reilly (the always-hilarious Roscoe Karns) overhears their secret plans, he is determined to break them up. Will Cain and Mabel’s dreams come true?

 
Cain and Mabel don’t exactly get along in the beginning…but soon they’re smoochin’ away!

This film was basically a vehicle for Marion Davies, who was losing box office appeal at the time, and it was produced by William Randolph Hearst’s production company, Cosmopolitan. Hearst pulled all the stops in order to show his mistress at her most beautiful–Davies had plenty of close-up shots in the film, and also got to show off her talents as a comedienne and as a dancer in lavish numbers such as “Coney Island” and “I’ll Sing You A Thousand Love Songs.” However, the film flopped at the box office, and Gable seemed a bit out of his comfort zone as a boxer.

Despite the fact that it flopped, I really love this film and find it quite enjoyable. It is cute, lighthearted, and incredibly funny. I thought the casting was great, the script was snappy, and the music was good. I’ll admit that the story is a bit predictable, but I still saw no reason for it to flop.

Even though this sweet little film doesn’t have the most complex plot or characters, it is well-known for one thing–its music. The big dance number of the film, “I’ll Sing You A Thousand Love Songs,” was actually nominated for an Academy Award in Best Dance Direction. It took two weeks to film and cost Hearst over $400,000. The result was a lavish, spectacular showstopper that clocked in at about ten minutes long. The other memorable number from this film is “Coney Island.” The carousel from the number cost $35,000 alone, and later became a fixture in the backyard of Davies’ Santa Monica home, along with her pools, tennis courts, etc. This was also the closest that Gable got to being in a musical.

Filming “I’ll Sing You A Thousand Love Songs.” The roof of the soundstage literally had to be raised in order to film it! Marion Davies is all the way up top, standing in the oval.

Overall, “Cain and Mabel” is a fluffy romantic comedy that is easy to love and enjoy. Oh, and there’s also the weirdest costume in film history in it: