THE GOLDEN FLEECING
US, 1940, 69 minutes. Black and white.
Lew Ayres, Rita Johnson, Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Grey, Nat Pendleton, Leon Errol, Marc Lawrence, William Demarest.
Directed by Leslie Fenton.
The Golden Fleecing is a brief supporting feature from MGM. It stars Lew Ayres who had made an impression in 1930 with All Quiet on the Western Front and was working at MGM in the Doctor Kildare series. There is a good supporting cast including Lloyd Nolan as a gangster, William Demarest as a shady lawyer. Leon Errol is rather irritating as Rita Johnson’s Uncle Waldo.
The film is slight – a comedy focusing on a rather self-effacing insurance salesman, played by Lew Ayres. He gets a strong policy for life insurance from Lloyd Nolan but it is a scam for the gangster to be protected. He is helped by his girlfriend, Virginia Grey. The film has a lot of complications, the gangster wanting money to pay bail, finding the insurance agent again so that he can claim the reward and give it over to the gangster. There is some verbal comedy, the comedy of complications and lies – and an ending where the money goes up in smoke.
Slight, a memory of the B-films from MGM in the 1940s.
1. An entertainment? Comedy? Gangsters? Romance?
2. MGM production values, black and white photography, the city settings? The cast? The musical score?
3. The story of Henry Twinkle, getting the policy from Gus Fender, aided by Lila Hanley? His relationship with his boss, engagement to Mary, the demands for a raise? The discovery that the policy holder was a gangster? Henry and his attempts to get the policy back? Finding Gus in jail? Claiming the reward for finding him? Giving back the money – the payment in the worthless stocks? The irony of their becoming valuable with the government loan? His spending the money on gifts for Mary? Lila and her pursuit? Mary and the off-and-on engagement, the injunction? Her uncle and his song? Henry and his taking a stand? The promotion because of his valuable stock? The confrontation with Lila and Gus? Giving the money back? Taking the twenty-five thousand? The happy ending with Mary – and getting his job back?
4. Gus, gangster, his scam, the insurance policy? With Lila? In the jail? With his henchman? The need for money for bail, his shady lawyer, the worthless stock, the reward scam, the confrontations with Henry? The final confrontation, the money – and Fatso setting it on fire?
5. Lila, her support of Gus, her pursuit of Henry? The speeding, going to jail, the judge introducing her to Gus in the jail? Her pursuit of Henry, persuading him to give the money? Her common sense – although pulling the gun?
6. The gangsters, Fatso and his cigar? Happy Dugan and the punch, Henry giving him the money, his writing the note and disappearing?
7. The comic touches – Henry and his bewilderment, trying to cross the street, the money, interacting with Uncle Waldo, with Mary, the injunction and his going to court, speeding and trying to get arrested?
8. The popularity of this kind of comedy – of its time?
