HOT SATURDAY
d. William Seiter, 1932

8 August 2009

A comedy of small-town manners, HOT SATURDAY includes early performances by both Cary Grant and Randolph Scott. Most of the film makes just enough use of pre-code liberties to qualify for inclusion on Universal's new Pre-Code box set. Then at the very end, it takes a final, surprising turn to the unconventional which I really enjoyed. (I won't spoil it.)

Wealthy playboy Cary Grant romances young bank clerk Nancy Carroll, suffering competition from various small town rivals, particularly after Randolph Scott returns from college. Cary Grant is already Cary Grant, very early in his career. Randolph Scott is the surprise here, coming off as very boyish and romantically charming in ways I didn't quite expect from being somewhat familiar with his later roles.

And what's with Nancy Carroll? I had never heard of her at all, and I've seen her in two movies this week - CHILD OF MANHATTAN being the other. She gets to do more in HOT SATURDAY than be pitiable, and holds her own with both strong male leads.

Small-town gossip as a medium of transmission for provincial moralism is the villain in HOT SATURDAY. Kind of an easy target, and that's part of what keeps HOT SATURDAY an inconsequential, though amusing, entertainment.

I just love this brief sequence of Nancy Carroll waking up from a faint to realize she's been divested of her wet clothes by Randolph Scott. This is why we love Pre-Code Hollywood!