''Mannequin'' is a 1937 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Frank Borzage and starring

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

, and Alan Curtis. Crawford plays Jessie, a young

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

woman who seeks to improve her life by marrying her boyfriend, only to find out that he is no better than what she left behind. She meets a self-made

millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

with whom she falls in love despite his financial problems. The film premiered on December 14, 1937, in

Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bordering the campus on the south ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It opened on January 20, 1938, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, followed by a wide American release on January 21, 1938.

Plot

1938 - Nineteenth Street Theater Ad - 19 Mar MC - Allentown PA

Jessie Cassidy yearns to escape the squalor of her family's Lower East Side apartment. Hoping to move up in life, she convinces her boyfriend, Eddie Miller, to marry her. At their wedding reception self-made shipping tycoon John L. Hennessey sees the couple and buys them a bottle of champagne. Eddie tries to impress John, but Jessie impresses him more. Eddie takes Jessie to a nice apartment, then tells her that she can give up her job as a shopgirl to work in the chorus of a Broadway show, just until he gets a break. Several months later, Jessie is still in love, despite her friend Beryl Lee's warnings that Eddie is good-for-nothing. Hennessey throws a party for the cast of the Broadway show and Eddie convinces the reluctant Jessie to go. Hennessey, who has been giving parties only on the pretext of seeing Jessie, makes a pass at her, which she rebukes with a slap. Even more enamoured with her after this, he doesn't hesitate to loan her a hundred dollars after she and Eddie are kicked out of their apartment. As it turns out, the apartment belonged to other people and Eddie is arrested for

bookmaking A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...

. Eddie, aware of Hennessey's love for Jessie, suggests that she divorce him, marry Hennessey, then divorce Hennessey for a large settlement. Finally seeing what kind of man Eddie is, Jessie leaves him. Some months later, she returns the money to Hennessey and they start to see each other. She promises to marry him, even though he knows she doesn't love him. They later plan a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an trip. Eddie goes to Jessie and warns her to carry through his idea, but when Hennessey arrives, he throws Eddie out, even though he does not know the real purpose of his visit. After they marry, Jessie realizes that she loves Hennessey and is completely happy in their honeymoon cottage in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. They soon receive a cablegram from Hennessey's assistant Briggs, advising them that

labor unrest A labour revolt or worker's uprising is a period of civil unrest characterised by strong labour militancy and strike activity. The history of labour revolts often provides the historical basis for many advocates of Marxism, communism, socialism and ...

necessitates their return to the United States. While Hennessey goes to his men, hoping that they will stop their

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

and save their company, Jessie confronts Eddie. He tries to blackmail her, but she says that she will leave Hennessey and flee before seeing him hurt. Just before she is about to leave him, however, Hennessey comes home and Jessie lies that she never loved him. Eddie then walks in and announces that Hennessey is now broke and "in the gutter" just like him. He also tells Hennessey about the plan for Jessie to marry and divorce him for money. Eddie then leaves and Hennessey refuses to listen to Jessie's word that she loves him. Later, however, she convinces him that she will stay by his side no matter what and that the money from the sale of her jewels will give them a new start.

Cast

as Jessie Cassidy *

as John L. Hennessey * Alan Curtis as Eddie Miller *

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eig ...

as Briggs *

Mary Philips Mary Philips (January 23, 1901April 22, 1975) was an American stage and film actress. Biography The only child of Charles and Anna (née Hurley) Philips of New Haven, Connecticut, Philips was born in New London, Connecticut, and she was ed ...

as Beryl Lee *

Oscar O'Shea Oscar O'Shea (8 October 1881 – 6 April 1960) was a Canadian-American character actor with over 100 film appearances from 1937 to 1953. Early years O'Shea was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Acting O'Shea was a comic actor who earne ...

as 'Pa' Cassidy *

Elisabeth Risdon Elisabeth Risdon (born Daisy Cartwright Risdon; 26 April 1887 – 20 December 1958) was an English film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1913 and 1952. A beauty in her youth, she usually played in society parts. In later ...

as 'Ma' Cassidy *

Leo Gorcey Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of hooligans known variously as the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids and, as adults, The Bowery Boys. Gorcey was ...

as Clifford Cassidy *

Gwen Lee Gwen Lee (born Gwendolyn Lepinski; November 12, 1904 – August 20, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Lee began her career as a model before being discovered and signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She was typically cast in supporting ...

as Flo * George Chandler as "Swing" Magoo *

Bert Roach Egbert "Bert" Roach (August 21, 1891 – February 16, 1971) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 320 films between 1914 and 1951. He was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Los Angeles, California, age 79. Selected filmogr ...

as Mr. Schwartz *

Marie Blake Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald (August 21, 1895 – January 14, 1978), also known as Blossom Rock, was an American actress of vaudeville, stage, film and television. During her career she was also billed as Marie Blake or Blossom MacDonald. He ...

as Mrs. Schwartz *

Matt McHugh Matthew O. McHugh (January 22, 1894 – February 22, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 200 films between 1931 and 1955, primarily in small cameo parts. Career McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a s ...

as Mike * Paul Fix as Smooch Hanrahan * Helen Troy as Bubbles Adair *

Donald Kirke Donald Kirke (1901–1971) was an American stage, film and television actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

as Dave McIntyre *

Phillip Terry Phillip Terry (born Frederick Henry Kormann, March 7, 1909 – February 23, 1993) was an American actor. Early years Terry was born in San Francisco, California, the only child of German Americans, Frederick Andrew Kormann and Ida Ruth Voll. Hi ...

as Man Outside Stage Door

Reception

Frank Nugent in ''

The 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 d ...

'' remarked, "''Mannequin''...restores Miss Joan Crawford to her throne as queen of the working girls....Miss Crawford, let it be said, meets these several dramatic emergencies in her best manner, which, as you know, is tender, strong, heroic, and regal."

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,066,000 in the US and Canada and $568,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $475,000.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1937 films 1937 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Frank Borzage Films produced by Frank Borzage Films produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1930s English-language films 1930s American films