Mannequin (1938) [VHS]
by Frank Borzage
![Mannequin (1938) [VHS]](/images/Mannequin-1938-VHS-6302413486-L.jpg)
List Price:
Our Price: $14.93
You Save: $5.05 (25%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.62 (click here)
Category: VHS Video
See more movie releases
Buy this VHS video movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Product details
Actor: Alan Curtis, Joan Crawford, Mary Philips, Ralph Morgan, Spencer TracyDirector: Frank Borzage
Cinematographer: George J. Folsey
Producer: Frank Borzage
Writer: Frank Borzage
Editor: Fredrick Y. Smith
Producer: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writer: Katharine Brush
Writer: Lawrence Hazard
Edition: VHS Tape
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 95 minutes
Release Date: 1998-09-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: MGM (Warner)
Studio: MGM (Warner)
VHS Movie Reviews of Mannequin (1938) [VHS]
Movie Review: this is Joan's Shining Hour
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those rare pictures that Joan made from the thirties that aren't very glamorous. Even though Joan doesn't get dressed up (except when she's a "walking mannequin" she's still so beautiful in each and every scene that she's in. In this picture, Joan plays Jessie Cassidy, a girl who marries a crook that tries to use her to a cheat a shipping magnate (Spencer Tracy.) This is a first-rate and an important film for many reasons. First, Joan is perfect in this role because this one of those roles that just seems tailor made for her. The lines come out of her mouth like poetry. This is also a great movie because it's the first and only paring of Joan and Spencer Tracy. Movie Review: Great Item
Summary: 5 Stars
This is exactly what I was looking for -- Was in excellent condition -- Very Fast Shipping --- Thank You !Movie Review: I Love a Good Melodrama
Summary: 4 Stars
Joan Crawford is always wonderful in her melodramas, and even though her popularity was fading by the time this movie was made, it holds up as a trophy of her talent through time. She stars as Jessie, a girl from a slum whose family does nothing to help her rise above it. She uses her boyfriend Eddie (Alan Curtis) to pull her out of it through marriage. She devotes herself entirely to him, always looking on the bright side of life. Unfortunately, he isn't the man to waste herself on. He gambles and loses her money and lies to her constantly. Still, the bonds of marriage mean a lot to her, and she sticks by his side.
In comes John Hennessey (Spencer Tracy), a man who proves that a man from the slums can rise above. He falls in love with Jessie and despite her protests does all he can to be near her. As fate would have it, Jessie eventually gets wise to her husband. He attempts to get back at John for his love. He tries to convince his wife to marry John for his money and then leave him flat. She refuses and divorces Eddie, only to soon afterward find herself falling for John.
The movie is the average length, but a lot happens during it. We see an unglamorous portrait of life in the 1930s and the kind of people that really existed then. Crawford doesn't parade designer clothes around, or at least is a good enough actress to attract attention away from them. Tracy pales in comparison to Crawford, a difficult task for any actress.
Movie Review: Crawford and Tracy Team Up in Rehashed Plot
Summary: 4 Stars
"Mannequin", the 1938 offering from MGM, teams Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy in their first and only co-starring vehicle.
Crawford is Jessie Cassidy, a "girl" from the poor side of the tracks in New York, who in typical MGM-style, is desperate to escape her fate and wants a better existence. Enter Eddie Miller (Alan Curtis), who we know from the get-go is no match for Jessie but he offers to marry her and take her out of the tenement she shares with her lazy father, brother and hardworking mother, so she jumps on the opportunity.
Very quickly Jessie realizes that Eddie does not really desire an honest day's work, nor does he have a problem with his wife bringing home the proverbial bacon.
Meanwhile, Eddie sees a possible big cash payday when he notices that bigwig John Hennessy (Tracy) appears to be infatuated with Jessie. Eddie suggests that if he and Jessie divorce, Jessie can then take up with Hennessy, marry him, divorce him, collect alimony and pick right back up with Eddie.
Jessie, in true good girl loving bad boy form, is horrified and promptly rids herself of Eddie.
She ends up in Hennessy's arms anyway and marries him - - only to find that she truly falls in love with him. Even Hennessy's loss of his business, putting him back in the "working class", doesn't dampen her affections.
All in all, "Mannequin" is a rehashing of earlier Crawford films. By this point, the formula is getting a bit thin and stale. Crawford had been churning out these types of shopgirl films for nearly a decade and was hardly a "girl" anymore. And despite Jessie being a poor girl, she spoke with too much refinement and looked far too classy to be appropriately working class. Check out Crawford's earlier "Possessed" and "Dancing Lady" for a more streetwise Crawford.
That aside, the film is good entertainment for Crawford's onscreen pairing (and alleged offscreen pairing, as well) with Spencer Tracy, whose deep and honest acting is almost too good for this type of worn storyline. He and Crawford have an interesting chemistry together and he helps raise this movie over basic fluff.
The other saving grace? Crawford herself, who is lovely and sweet and even sings in this picture. Calling her Box Office Poison back in 1938 seems unduly unjustified, particularly when she helps to bring this type of movie out of the normal cardboard cutout and give it a little pizzazz.
If you are a Joan Crawford fan, or especially an unabashed one like I am, you will definitely want this movie for your viewing pleasure. Crawford is not the younger ingenue of her earlier MGM days, nor is she yet the hardened Warner's version - - she is simply an actress perfecting her craft.
Overall, the story is about three stars, but with Crawford and Tracy in the leads, I'll give it a four.
Movie Review: Overlooked Gem!
Summary: 4 Stars
I was surprised when I learned that Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy made a movie together. I figured it was just another Crawford melodrama, but it's actually a very good film.
Crawford is Jesse, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who desperately wants a better life. She hastily marries her boyfriend Eddie Miller (played by Alan Curtis) with hopes of a brighter future. During their wedding reception at a restaurant, they meet shipping magnate John L. Hennessy (Tracy), who immediately falls for her. Before long, Jesse realizes her husband is nothing but a lazy swindler, always looking for the easy way in life. Eventually, she decides enough is enough and leaves him. All this time, Hennessy has been trying to woo her to no avail. When he learns she's separated, he goes all out to win her heart, and finally persuades her to marry him. But Eddie won't bow out gracefully, and wants a big payoff. He tries to blackmail Jesse by threatening to tell her new husband that they were scheming for his money all along.
Sure, it's a frothy soap, but this one plays out with humor and loads of charm! Joan Crawford is radiant and her acting takes on new more subtle dimensions. Working with the great Spencer Tracy had a good affect on her (she wrote in her autobiography, "With Spence, I definitely had to learn to underplay."). Tracy was never more handsome or charming as the tough but very sweet Hennessy. He brings a humor to the role that is irresistable!
Special mention should be made of the handsome Alan Curtis as the good-for-nothing Eddie Miller. This could have been just a cardboard character, but he brings a smooth sarcastic charm to the roll. You can see why Jesse was attracted to him to begin with, and he holds his own against two larger-than-life stars.
All the supporting players hits just the right notes too, making this a movie that definitely should not be overlooked by fans of Crawford, Tracy, or the golden age of Hollywood.
A little side note: It's been written that Crawford and Tracy didn't get along during the making of this movie. Don't believe everything you read!
Classics Video
Video Genres
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Classics Video
![Remember the Night [VHS] Image](/images/Remember-the-Night-VHS-6303560067-X.jpg){kind=small}
Remember the Night [VHS]Universal Studios; Release date: 1995-09-12; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $49.95
![The Bells of St. Mary's (Colorized) [VHS] Image](/images/The-Bells-of-St-Mary-Colorized-VHS-6300207919-X.jpg){kind=small}
The Bells of St. Mary's (Colorized) [VHS]Republic Pictures; Release date: 1994-09-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $4.43
Price in other shops:
![The Farmer's Daughter (1947) [VHS] Image](/images/The-Farmer-Daughter-1947-VHS-B00000ICYF-X.jpg){kind=small}
The Farmer's Daughter (1947) [VHS]Starz / Anchor Bay; Release date: 1999-03-30; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $37.99
![The Swan [VHS] Image](/images/The-Swan-VHS-630197879X-X.jpg){kind=small}
The Swan [VHS]MGM (Warner); Release date: 1994-08-13; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $38.95
![To Sir, with Love [VHS] Image](/images/To-Sir-with-Love-VHS-0800104803-X.jpg){kind=small}
To Sir, with Love [VHS]RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video; Release date: 1994-07-08; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $39.00
![Back Street [VHS] Image](/images/Back-Street-VHS-6300183874-X.jpg){kind=small}
Back Street [VHS]Universal Studios; Release date: 1993-02-03; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $39.90
![Gone with the Wind [VHS] Image](/images/Gone-with-the-Wind-VHS-6305123616-X.jpg){kind=small}
Gone with the Wind [VHS]MGM; MGM (Video & DVD); Release date: 1998-10-27; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $4.75
Price in other shops:
![Doctor Zhivago: 30th Anniversary Edition [VHS] Image](/images/Doctor-Zhivago-30th-Anniversary-Edition-VHS-B0000040EJ-X.jpg){kind=small}
Doctor Zhivago: 30th Anniversary Edition [VHS]MGM; Release date: 1995-09-26; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.89
Price in other shops:
![Come to the Stable [VHS] Image](/images/Come-to-the-Stable-VHS-6303364705-X.jpg){kind=small}
Come to the Stable [VHS]20th Century Fox; Release date: 1995-03-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $37.50
![It's a Wonderful Life [VHS] Image](/images/It-a-Wonderful-Life-VHS-630289915X-X.jpg){kind=small}
It's a Wonderful Life [VHS]Republic Pictures; Release date: 1995-09-19; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $2.50
Price in other shops:
Similar Video, DVDs, Audio CDs
Idiot's DelightRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $23.99
Price in other shops:
Goodbye, My FancyRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $26.99
Love on the RunRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $22.99
Price in other shops:
Dance, Fools, DanceRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $26.99
This Woman is DangerousRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $24.49
Price in other shops:
ChainedRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $26.99
Forsaking All OthersRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $22.99
Price in other shops:
PossessedCRAWFORD,JOAN; Release date: 2005-06-14; DVD
Best price: $5.44
Price in other shops:
When Ladies Meet (1941)Release date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $26.99
The Shining HourRelease date: 2009-06-22; DVD
Best price: $17.99
Price in other shops: