''The Idle Rich'' is a 1929 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

early sound

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

produced and released by

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

and directed by

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

. It is based on the Broadway play ''White Collars'' by

Edith Ellis Edith Mary Oldham Ellis (née Lees; 9 March 1861 – 14 September 1916) was an English writer and women's rights activist. She was married to the early sexologist Havelock Ellis. Biography Ellis was born on 9 March 1861 in Newton, Lancash ...

, which had played at the Egan Theater in Los Angeles in 1924 before moving to the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...

in New York. The film is extant, and was released DVD in 2012 from WarnerArchive Collection. This film was remade in 1938 as '' Rich Man, Poor Girl'' with Robert Young and

Ruth Hussey Ruth Carol Hussey (October 30, 1911 – April 19, 2005) was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in '' The Philadelphia Story''. Early life Hussey was born in Providence, Rhode I ...

Plot

Wealthy businessman William "Will" Van Luyn (

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

) proposes to his secretary, Joan Thayer (

Leila Hyams Leila Hyams (May 1, 1905 – December 4, 1977) was an American film and stage actress, model, and vaudevillian, who came from a show business family. Her relatively short film career began in 1924 during the era of silent films and ended in 19 ...

). She accepts, but worries how her family will react. When he meets them for the first time, little sister Helen (

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned ei ...

) is delighted by the advantages he will bring, but cousin Henry starts lecturing him on the virtues of the downtrodden middle class. The rich can afford medical treatment, and the poor can rely on the government to pay the bills, but the middle class has to shoulder the financial burden on its own. Nevertheless, Will marries Joan. A month later, their honeymoon is interrupted when he has to return to the city to deal with a lawsuit. Joan insists that they stay in her family's apartment for a few weeks. Her father ( James Neill) turns down Will's offer to buy them a luxurious twelve-room apartment in a much better neighborhood, and the rest of the family supports his decision. Will gamely goes along with Joan's plan, but insists her bedroom is too small for the two of them, and sleeps on the living room couch. This does not contribute to the couple's marital bliss; he has insisted that she quit working, so she does not see much of him during either the day or the night. Will's good intentions only cause trouble. He secretly arranges for Henry to be offered a good job in South America, but Henry finds out about his hand in it and turns the opportunity down. When Will gives Helen expensive jewelry as a belated birthday present, her fiancé, truck driver Tom Gibney, is furious. He picks a fight, but Will easily knocks him down with a couple of punches. To teach his in-laws a lesson, Will announces that he is going to become one of them by giving away his fortune to charity. Joan's father has just lost his job, and the entire family admit they have been wrong and try to talk Will out of it. Finally, he reveals that it was all a ploy to get them to realize that his wealth is not something to be ashamed of. They no longer object when he showers them with gifts.

Cast

Reception

The film received negative reviews.

References

External links

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Lobby poster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idle Rich, The 1920s business films 1929 romantic comedy films 1929 films American black-and-white films American business films American films based on plays American romantic comedy films Films directed by William C. deMille Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1920s American films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links