kidboots After starring in two flops, Barbara Stanwyck found herself with a Columbia contract (at that time not something to brag about) at the same time that Frank Capra, Columbia's whiz kid director was casting "Ladies of Leisure" from the 1924 play called "Ladies of the Evening". Stanwyck was not Capra's idea of Kay, the shopworn heroine and Stanwyck, who had had some awful filmic experiences (and being married to egomaniac Frank Fay didn't help) was unco-operative and had no confidence so she and Capra initially clashed. She apparently snapped "Oh Hell, you don't want any part of me" and walked out but Capra looked at some earlier tests and realised how wrong he was and a marvellous film team was born. Released in 1930, the movie became Columbia's greatest box office success to date with Stanwyck and Capra earning the highest praise.The story was a blend of "Pygmalion" and "Camille" with Jerry (Ralph Graves) becoming bored one night with yet another riotous party (Lowell Sherman as Bill has a marvelous scene when he paints a picture on a party-goers back!!) drives down to the waterfront and encounters hard boiled Kay (Barbara Stanwyck). She is also escaping from a boat party - she is a "party girl" and proud of it!! She is amazed that he is such a gentleman - "30 miles and not even a pass!!" Jerry is a painter and thinks he has found the perfect model for his picture of "Hope". As the sessions progress Kay finds she has deep feelings for him and during a heavy rainstorm when he convinces her to stay the night (again he is a proper gentleman), she awakes dewy eyed but he is all business.Jerry's mother (Nance O'Neill) is all set to like her but a chance meeting with bubbly Dot (Marie Prevost) convinces her that Kay is only a gold-digger and when she finally meets Kay, she is already convinced that she will bring Jerry down. To leave Jerry free to reconcile with his parents Kay goes to Havana with Bill, but on the boat attempts suicide when she can no longer keep up the charade. Stanwyck builds the dramatic intensity as the movie progresses, initially she is a good time party girl, shallow and glib but you start to see the deeper feelings come out. It wouldn't be a Stanwyck movie without a scene of high emotion and she definitely has a couple of those, especially her scene with Nance O'Neill.Another person who counted "Ladies of Leisure" as a milestone was Jo Swerling. She had been churning out poverty row productions for Columbia and confidently convinced Capra he could make "a silk purse out of a sow's ear" - she ended up becoming Harry Cohn's right hand woman!!!Highly Recommended.

CitizenCaine Frank Capra produced, co-wrote, and directed this Barbara Stanwyck performance, her fourth film. It's a star-making performance for her as her character runs the gamut of emotions from A to Z. She plays a mistress with a heart of gold for all it's worth. Ralph Graves plays a rich boy/artist who runs into Stanwyck one night when both are escaping glitzy parties. It's revealed Stanwyck and her room mate, Marie Prevost, are probably not the type of girl you bring home to mother. Lowell Sherman is the would be sugar daddy Stanwyck keeps in the wings while working on Graves. In the hands of a lesser director, Ladies Of Leisure would have become simply another in a long line of boy meets girl from the wrong side of the tracks melodramas. Frank Capra provides just the right touches and fosters a winning Stanwyck performance that elevates the picture above most of its kind. Almost every Capra film focused on romance, like this one, offers an enchantingly unique experience regarding how its counterparts fall in love. This film is no exception. Stanwyck spends the night with Graves one rainy night, and Graves puts her up in his artist's studio while he goes to his bedroom. A girl with Stanwyck's background sees it as refreshing because she's used to guys making passes every chance they get. Watching Stanwyck try to get breakfast ready the next morning will break your heart as she watches Graves go about his business without readily acknowledging her efforts or falling for her as she wants. Graves' parents are played by George Fawcett and Nance O'Neil who are simply trying to look out for what's best for their son's future in rejecting the romance. O'Neil and Stanwyck have a terrific scene together near the end as Stanwyck returns to her rented room with Marie Prevost when O'Neil arrives to have it out with her. Both women display the nuances of mixed emotions in trying to see the opposite point of view. Capra provides nice touches like stop/start motion transitions fixated on the same objects and then pulling the camera back to reveal a different location. Another trademark in Capra's films is the use of motifs repeated throughout the film like the references to Arizona and the stars. Jo Swerling adapted the film based on the play by David Belasco and Milton Herbert Gropper. If one could yield some criticism of the film, aside from its creaky plot, it would be Ralph Graves' acting. Graves is simply a poor match for Stanwyck; there's not a lot of chemistry between them, and he doesn't have the acting chops compared to her. In a few years, like so many other actors and actresses of the silent era, Graves' acting would be reduced to smaller and smaller parts. This is only an inkling of what was to come from a Capra directed film. *** of 4 stars.

Michael_Elliott Ladies of Leisure (1930) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Frank Capra's remake of a (now lost) 1926 film has Barbara Stanwyck playing a "party girl" who begins working as a model for an artist (Ralph Graves). The two have an up and down relationship but soon they fall in love, which doesn't sit too well with his rich family who knows her secret. This film starts off with one thinking they're going to get a Pre-Code sexploitation but it quickly turns into a very dramatic love story. I think there are quite a few flaws here but this is certainly the best of the early sound Capra movies that I've seen. Apparently there's a silent version of this out there and I'd like to see it at some point so hopefully TCM will show it. What works best with this film is the performance by Stanwyck who is pretty remarkable considering this was only her third film (4th if you count her work as an extra). She gives a very dramatic and believable performance but also gives that Stanwyck style that she is best known for. Seeing her with that style so early on in her career made me wonder if Capra had a major part with that. This is the film that made her a star so I guess it's a possibility. Graves, on the other hand, didn't have me too impressed as he came off quite wooden and at times I really couldn't figure out what he was trying to display on screen. George Fawcett, a veteran of several D.W. Griffith features, does a very good job in the role of the father. The film still has quite a few flaws and that includes poor technology because a lot of the sound is pretty bad. Just check out the scene where we first see Stanwyck and she's trying to talk to Graves. You can't even make out what she's saying. Another problem is a rather snails pace, which starts to hurt the film towards the end. With that said, there are still some remarkable sequences here with the best being the scene between Stanwyck and Graves' mother in the film. This sequence is high drama at its very best and is reason enough to see the film.

MartinHafer I was very surprised by this early talkie. While it begins very much like an exploitative Pre-Code film like Barbara Stanwyck's BABY FACE, this film turns out to be quite different. Now some of the material in this film probably would not have made it past the censors in post-1934 Hollywood, this isn't a sleazy film. Though I enjoy occasionally watching some of the wilder and raunchier Pre-Code sizzlers, this is not one of them, as Stanwyck's character is not the amoral gold digger you think she might be.Early in the film, a bored rich guy (Ralph Graves) leaves a party early and meets up with Stanwyck--who narrowly escaped a party that was too wild for her taste. He takes her home and proposes that she come to work for him as a model, as he's trying to start a career as a painter. It's pretty obvious that she is just a "good time girl" but Graves sees her as the ideal subject of his new painting. When word of his spending time with this loose woman spreads, Graves' parents are distressed and dad threatens to disown him. However, in the meantime, Stanwyck and Graves have fallen in love and plan on marrying--as Stanwyck has given up her wicked ways and wants to be a good wife. But, when she receives a visit from the man's mother, she has second thoughts in a very touching scene. See the rest of the film to find out how all this is resolved.While this is definitely a soap opera-like movie and has many very emotional moments, somehow director Frank Capra and Stanwyck managed to avoid sappiness and seems true. In fact, while many of her later films are far more famous, this is one of her best performances--with what seem to be real emotions when she acts--complete with tears. Because of this, a rather standard film manages to be so much more--and is well worth watching.By the way, another reviewer stated that only the silent version is available. However, just recently Turner Classic Movies did play the sound version and my review is based on this one. For a 1930 talking film, the sound quality was pretty good and very watchable.