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The Hearst Follies – 3

A very sympathetic 1-hour biography of Marion Davies, with comments from noted silent film historian Kevin Brownlow. It was financed by Hugh Hefner, who was revealed in last year’s Secrets of Playboy to have been a monster.

How about that swell toe-tapper of a tune, heard a couple of times in the documentary? “There Ain’t No Maybe in My Baby’s Eyes” is what Robert Crumb would call sweet music.

As pointed out in the documentary, Marion had a stutter. She wanted to quit the movies when sound came in, but then her stutter disappeared once the cameras were rolling.

In 1933 Marion, age 36, was teamed with the somewhat younger Bing Crosby in Going Hollywood. Being a pre-code movie, several disclaimers need to be made. First, Marion does a number in black face. Second, Bing implies that Sterling Holloway was gay. Third, Ned Sparks makes fun of Pratts!

Before watching Going Hollywood, I suggest reading this extremely negative review.

http://pre-code.com/going-hollywood-1933-review-marion-davies-bing-crosby/

With all of that background to go on, you can now decide for yourself if Marion Davies was a no-talent hack whose career was entirely thanks to the influence of William Randolph Hearst. I’m leaning towards the side that says, “Gosh, she was a peach of a girl.”

The Hearst Follies – 2

As Howard Hughes would do later, William Randolph Hearst bought his way into the movie business. One of Hearst’s productions was Gabriel Over the White House. Walter Huston, who played a bank president in American Madness before the election of FDR, is promoted by Hearst to dictatorial President.

While watching Gabriel Over the White House, I wished that eye-catching Jean Parker had been given more screen time, as the daughter of a labor leader.

Part 3 will be about the woman who caught Hearst’s eye years before Gabriel, his mistress and protégé, Marion Davies.