Footloose Widows

Roy Del Ruth directs a silent variation on the sort of Pre-Code comedy he would direct in the 1930s. Jacqueline Logan and Louise Fazenda (in the roles that would typically go to Joan Blondell and Aline MacMahon in the talkies) promote/swipe some elegant clothes and head down to Palm Beach to grab a rich husband for Logan, who is pretending to be a rich widow. There they find that a rich man named J.A. Smith is at the hotel and set Jacqueline's cap for John Miljan (looking and acting like Warren William). He is on a gold digging expedition himself; the J.A. Smith the girls were looking for is Jason Robards Sr.

Having, in effect, seen this movie several times, I judge it on the details and they are very good. Miss Logan is stunningly beautiful. Miss Fazenda is a long-time comedy pro and knows how to do this sort of role. Neely Smith has a good medium-sized role as someone who is most unhelpfully helpful (think Guy Kibbee); and the real crowd-pleaser is the short turn by scene stealer Mack Swain in the story told to explain how Miss Logan is such a young widow. Mr. Robards could have been replaced with almost any juvenile lead, but the movie isn't really about him.

Although this is by no means an essential movie, particularly if you have seen GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 or HAVANA WIDOWS, I can say with some confidence that if you enjoyed those you will certainly take a good deal of pleasure in this elder brother.