''High Pressure'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the 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 censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

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 o ...

directed by

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. In his youth he played juvenile roles in vaudeville and silent film comedies. During the 1930s, LeRoy was one of the two great practitioners of ...

and starring

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

and

Evelyn Brent Evelyn Brent (born Mary Elizabeth Riggs; October 20, 1895 – June 4, 1975) was an American film and stage actress. Early life Brent was born in Tampa, Florida, and known as Betty. When she was age 10, her mother Eleanor (née. Warner) died, ...

. It is based on the play ''Hot Money'' by Aben Kandel. The film is preserved at the Library of Congress and in the Warner Archive.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'' p.79 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

Plot

Gar Evans (William Powell) agrees to promote Ginsburg's product,

artificial rubber A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About 32-million metric tons of rubbers are produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic ru ...

created from sewage, only after his friend Mike Donahey (

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

) assures him it is not a scam. Gar is superstitious; he believes he will only succeed if his long-suffering girlfriend Francine Dale (Evelyn Brent) joins them on the venture. She, however, has given up on him, especially since he left her five days before to pick up something, and never came back. It is only with great effort that he convinces her to give him another chance. Gar quickly incorporates the "Golden Gate Artificial Rubber Company", rents a whole floor of a building, installs old crony Clifford Gray (

Guy Kibbee Guy Bridges Kibbee (March 6, 1882 – May 24, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Kibbee was born in El Paso, Texas. His father was editor of the ''El Paso Herald-Post'' newspaper, and Kibbee learned how to set type at age ...

) as president, gives Helen Wilson (

Evalyn Knapp Evalyn Knapp (born Evelyn Pauline Knapp; June 17, 1906 – June 12, 1981) was an American film actress of the late 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s. She was a leading B-movie serial actress in the 1930s. She was the younger sister of the orche ...

) a job as a secretary, and hires a lot of high-pressure salesmen to sell shares. As news spreads,

natural rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

company stock prices start to fall, and Mr. Banks ( Charles Middleton) offers to buy the company on behalf of the established rubber firms, but the bid is too low for Gar. Banks then threatens to get an injunction preventing sales of Gar's shares pending an investigation. Gar welcomes it. However, Ginsburg (promoted to "Colonel" by Gar), has misplaced the inventor of the process, Dr. Rudolph Pfeiffer ( Harry Beresford). When he is finally located and set to work making a sample, Gar invites scientists to inspect the finished product, only to discover that Pfeiffer is a deranged crackpot (his next invention involves hens laying pre-decorated

Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...

s). Francine quits in disgust and prepares to sail to South America and marry Señor Rodriguez. Despite his lawyer's advice to flee to another state, Gar insists on taking full responsibility. Just as all seems lost, Banks offers to reimburse all the shareholders and pay Gar enough to make a $100,000 profit just to be rid of the whole mess (and restore natural rubber stock prices). Gar rushes to the dock to retrieve the Golden Gate controlling shares, which he had signed over to Francine. While there, he wins her back by promising to give up promoting, only to have Donahey show up with a scheme for Alaskan gold/marble/spruce wood. Within seconds, Gar is plotting his next campaign.

Cast

as Gar Evans *

as Francine Dale *

George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive backgr ...

as Ginsburg * John Wray as Jimmy Moore, Gar's lawyer *

as Helen Wilson *

as Clifford Gray *

as Mike Donahey * Oscar Apfel as Mr. Hackett, from the

Better Business Bureau Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unite ...

* Ben Alexander as Geoffrey Weston, Helen's jealous boyfriend * Harold Waldrige as Gus Vanderbilt, hired solely for his impressive last name * Charles Middleton as Mr. Banks * Harry Beresford as Dr. Rudolph Pfeiffer *

André Luguet André Luguet (15 May 1892 – 24 May 1979) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1910 and 1970. He was born in Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, and died in Cannes, France. His daughter Rosine Luguet became ...

as Senor Rodriguez, Francine's South American fiance

Reception

In his ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review,

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934. Hall noted that "William Powell is in his element" and "is an excellent type for this tale." Sidney and Kibbee were also praised for their performances.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:High Pressure 1932 films 1932 comedy films 1930s business films American business films American comedy films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Mervyn LeRoy Warner Bros. films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films

Plot

Cast

Reception

References

Further reading

External links