Plot:
- by Zoë
Shaw
Ruth argues with her lover,
Bill, and spends most of a day with another man, Romer. She loses her job
due to gossip, and, while she is preparing to marry Bill, she visits Romer.
People think the worst, but eventually everything is sorted out.
Review:
- by
Cheryl Trahan
Hot Saturday is a romantic comedy, made in 1932, starring
Cary, Nancy Carroll and Randolph Scott. This is Cary's first movie as leading man. Nancy
and Randolph are engaged, but have a fight. Nancy runs off to spend the day with old
friend Cary. They stay out all day and Cary returns her home from a party at an indecent
hour. The town gossips have a field day and Nancy loses her job. Randolph threatens to
call off the wedding until Cary comes forth swearing the innocence of their time together.
In the end, Cary wins the day when Nancy realizes that only Cary truly loves her. The
ending is great, with Nancy telling off everyone and going out to Cary, waiting in a
running car. Cary is very good as the playboy in this early 30's picture. Hot Saturday is
the forerunner of The Awful Truth. All in all, an excellent way to spend 75 minutes,
drooling.
Review:
- by
Donna Moore
I was really surprised by Hot Saturday, the
subject matter seemed to be very daring. All those repressed young people going out on a
Saturday night to drink and dance and etc..... I have to say that I hated most of the
characters in the film - sanctimonious, gossip-mongering, lying, grasping - only Ruth,
Ruth's father and Romer were honest, open and non-judgmental. And of course, Romer was
introduced to us as such a horrible person by the rest of the town. He was the nicest
person in it! He never pretended to be anything he wasn't. All I can say is that
if I lived
in that town, I'd want to get out of it!
VARIETY
Film Review - November 8, 1932
- by "Char"
- submitted by Barry Martin
Familiar story of a girl triumphing over small town gossip against
her character, treated in a pleasing, but not punchful, fashion.
Having no A name draw in its cast and but fairly agreeable as
entertainment, picture will not get preferred playing time. It
grades as a B picture in the big towns and as a first-run choice
in the smaller spots, among which Nancy Carroll's following still
merits such booking.
In many of the double-feature
spots, when picture reaches those sub-runs, 'Hot Saturday' should
be the first, rather than the second, feature.
Title is figured as having some
power at the box office, but not to the extent where fall season
house averages in the larger A house will be reached, let alone
topped. Title is a reference to the fact that action takes place
during the summer in a small town where everyone wants to go to
the country on hot Saturday nights.
Novel on which picture is based was
published several years ago at a time when wild youth was better
boxoffice than it is now. Whatever the original story, it must
have promised more than its adaptors have realized since the
treatment that was accepted for filming leaves a lot of room for
improvement.
Much of the dialog is banal, little
of it affording Miss Carroll, or others anything big to shoot for.
Direction has been for more capable, William Siter injecting many
little touches which go a long way toward making the programmer
palatable fare for the fans at medium prices.
Miss Carroll, who never seems to
grow up and here again is costumed in the simple little high
school girl togs, does a bank secretary in a small town, where
gossip over an innocent set of circumstances finally crowds in on
her from all sides. Story is generally convincing, even though it
eventually has Miss Carroll rushing out in a violent rainstorm,
which lays her low at the door of the mountain camp of a boy
friend.
Cary Grant does a rich playboy,
whose attentions to the young bank worker inspire evil gossip,
while Randolph Scott plays the geologist, a boyhood friend, who
walks out on marriage to the girl on hearing the idle rumors.
Grant stands ahead of Miss Carroll
and Scott in performance. He exercises extreme restraint toward
his part that robs it of any glamour it was intended it should
have. William Collier, Sr., excellent in short stretches of
footage. Rose Coghlan, Lillian Bond and Grady Sutton also carry
off small assignments competently. Technically, production grades
as standard.
NEW YORK TIMES Film Review - November
5, 1932
- by Mordaunt
Hall
- submitted by Barry Martin
Small-town tongues are wagging
at the Paramount and small-town eyes are watching that Brock girl
from behind drawn shades. "Hot Saturday," which is from
Harvey Ferguson's novel, describes the evolution of an idle bit of
gossip in an average American community with considerable
freshness and candor, and in the main manages to survive a
meandering script and some uneventful writing. Nancy Carroll, as
the girl caught in the net of malicious gossip, gives a lifelike
portrayal; and she is acutely touching in the final episodes as
she searches frantically for some one who will understand and
believe her. The denouement is unintentionally ambiguous, and a
rather startling conclusion at that; for the girl runs off with
the notorious libertine to a marriage in New York which, if one is
to believe all the things people say about Romer Sheffield, will
be merely theoretical.
The title suggests the social
activities of the young people on their day off, the dancing, chap
liquor and furtive amour with which they escape once a week from
their routine labors. Some may raise the criticism that the
behavior in "Hot Saturday" is more typical of the years
immediately prior to 1926 - the year the novel appeared - than of
the present.
Ruth Brock, on this particular
"hot Saturday," accompanies the crowd to Sheffield's
place in the country. Her young man, resenting Sheffield's
attentions to the girl, quarrels with her. When she is left alone
in the millionaire's house for a few hours and arrives home in his
car, the gossip-mongers go o work with a relish. The accumulation
of outraged virtues results in Ruth's dismissal from the bank and
a violent scene at home. Even her gentle, understanding sweetheart
of school days turns against her.
Edward Woods, as the malicious and
resentful escort, gives the most satisfactory performance in
support of Miss Carroll. Cary Grant is a nonchalant young
libertine as Sheffield, and Randolph Scott is solidly virtuous as
the boyhood sweetheart.
CHICAGO
DAILY TRIBUNE Film Review - November 2, 1932
- by Mae Tinée
- submitted by Renee Klish
Good Morning!
This is an engaging little program
number.
Its title doesn't refer to the heat
but to the activities of certain young folks in a small town on
the only day most of them have to themselves.
The heroine, Nancy Carroll, is
employed in the bank where she is greatly admired by all the young
tellers, cashiers, and what have you. She also attracts the
attention - and attentions - of a wealthy young author of unsavory
reputation who has a summer place near by Marysville. She
becomes affianced to a childhood playmate whom her family have
long wished for her to marry.
Unfortunate circumstances, the
caddish behavior of a boy, and the cattish maneuvers of a girl put
our heroine's name in the mouths of all the gossips.
You'll be surprised by the
picture's ending, I warrant.
"Hot Saturday" is an
interesting, well acted, well directed little film. And HOW
the girls will go for Cary Grant, as that naughty, nice young
author!
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