''The Saturday Night Kid'' is a 1929 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 ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film about two sisters and the man they both want. It stars

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

Jean Arthur Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American Broadway and film actress whose career began in silent films in the early 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s. Arthur had feature roles in three F ...

, James Hall, and in her first credited speaking role,

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

. The film was based on the play ''Love 'Em and Leave 'Em'' (1926) by

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Yo ...

and John V. A. Weaver. The movie still survives. The film was preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding by Clara Bow biographer

David Stenn David Stenn is an American television writer-producer, biographer, and film preservationist. His television credits range from ''Hill Street Blues'' to '' Boardwalk Empire''. He is known for his biographies of Hollywood stars Clara Bow and Jean ...

Plot

Set in May 1929, the film focuses on two sisters - Mayme (

) and Janie (

) - as they share an apartment in New York City. In the daytime, they work as salesgirls at the Ginsberg's department store, at which Mayme is named to be the star of an upcoming pageant about the "Rise of Ginsberg's" written and directed by supervisor Miss Streeter (

Edna May Oliver Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ...

). Miss Streeter is unhappy with Mayme who is always late for work and often goofing off. Janie is named treasurer of the ticket money for the pageant, which will be donated to orphans. Mayme and Bill ( James Hall) who is a floorwalker at the store, are sweethearts, but when Bill treats a pretty female customer especially nicely, Mayme is jealous and acts up causing the customer to leave and ruining Bill's sale. Bill and Mayme have words, and Mayme breaks up with him. Mayme's other problem is Janie's selfish and reckless behavior, such as stealing Mayme's clothes, acting sick so Mayme will do her work for her, and ultimately manipulating Bill into asking Janie to a dance, although Bill prefers Mayme over Janie. Janie has gambled away the pageant money with a dishonest neighbor who has cheated Janie; she goes to Mayme for help. Ever the trusting and helpful sister, Mayme tells her to go ahead to the pageant and she will take care of everything. Mayme goes to the crooked neighbor who took Janie's pageant money and gets the money back. Janie, in the mean time, goes to the pageant and nervously confesses the money is gone, but allows Miss Streeter to believe that Mayme is the one who stole and gambled the money away. Bill overhears this and sells his radio so he can cover the lost money. When Mayme shows up with the money, Bill tries to give her his money. She is horrified that Bill thinks she has stolen and gambled away the money. Ms. Streeter vows to have Mayme prosecuted and fired. Back at the apartment, Mayme and Janie, who is trying to leave with a suitcase, have words. Bill overhears Janie confess that she is the one who stole the money. Feeling like a fool he pursues Mayme and begs her to forgive him and marry him.

Cast

as Mayme *

as Janie * James Hall as William 'Bill' Taylor *

as Miss Streeter *Hyman Meyer as Ginsberg *

Charles Sellon Charles A. Sellon (August 24, 1870 – June 26, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Sellon appeared in more than 100 films and stage acts between 1901 and 1935. He played the blind Mr. Muckle in W. C. Fields' comedy ''It's a Gift'' ...

as Lem Woodruff * Ethel Wales as Lily Woodruff *

as Hazel *

Leone Lane Leone Hallie Lane (November 17, 1908 – March 28, 1993) was an American actress of the silent film era and the time of the early sound films. Biography Leone Hallie Lane was born on November 17, 1908, in Boston, Massachusetts. She was an ac ...

as Pearl

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saturday Night Kid, The 1929 films 1929 romantic comedy films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films American films based on plays American romantic comedy films Films directed by A. Edward Sutherland Films scored by John Leipold Films set in department stores Films set in New York City Films set in the 1920s Paramount Pictures films 1920s American films