Joan Crawford was born to suffer. I don’t mean that literally, but as an actress, she had a face that portrayed grief, sorrow, and pain so very well. With those big expressive eyes and quivering, wet lips, her face was made to play ladies who suffered a great deal. She often landed roles that forced her to experience great hardships. So it was with Sadie McKee. Though, to be honest, her character often brings sorrow unto herself, and a great many of her decisions are rather foolish.
Buy Sadie McKee Blu-rayCrawford plays the titular character, Sadie McKee, the daughter of a cook and part-time maid to a well-to-do and sophisticated family. Returning from college, the employer’s son, Michael Alderson (Franchot Tone), crushes on Sadie much to her mother’s delight. But she’s in love with Tommy Wallace (Gene Raymond) who at the moment is in trouble with the law. When she overhears Michael, a lawyer, bad-mouthing Tommy declaring they should throw the book at him, Sadie gives him and the entire family what-for.
That night she leaves with Tommy on a train to New York. They vow to get married in the morning. There is some light comedy over the fact that they can’t afford to rent two rooms for the night but since they are not married, it would be scandalous for them to share a room. A pre-Code kiss indicates they do it anyway. The next morning she heads out to find a job. They plan to meet at the courthouse at noon to get married. While in the bathroom, Tommy sings a little song. Dolly Merrick (Esther Ralston), a pretty little house guest, overhears him and offers him a job. She has a little night-club act and she likes his voice (amongst other things). The catch is they have to leave right away for an out-of-town engagement. Despite the fact that he’s just met this woman and that he’s supposed to get married at noon, he takes the job.
Sadie lands a job as a dancer where she meets Jack Brennan (Edward Arnold), a wealthy, fun-loving alcoholic. As it turns out, Michael Alderson is his lawyer. He disapproves of their relationship, figuring Sadie is just after his money. They get married anyway. A weird love triangle of sorts forms. Jack loves Sadie. Despite Tommy being a crook and leaving her the day they were supposed to get married, Sadie still loves him. Outwardly Michael remains skeptical of Sadie’s intentions, but there is some indication he’s still quite fond of her.
The film takes these relationships to unbelievable places. It seems to want us to believe in the Sadie/Tommy romance, or perhaps secretly root for Michael to save her in some way. But both of them are jerks to her. In truth, it is Jack who treats her kindly. He gives her anything she wants, never says a mean word, and generally loves on her with affection. It is true he’s an alcoholic, but she helps him with those struggles. Mostly, he’s fat and therefore unattractive and we can’t have that in a movie.
It is all a bit silly and nonsensical. But Joan Crawford is great. She’s always great and she utterly nails what the role calls her to do. I usually like Franchot Tone but he’s mostly a pill here. There are some good songs, some light comedy, and at 93 minutes, it all goes down easy. Watch it if you are a fan of Joan Crawford, she more than makes it worth watching.
The Warner Archive presents Sadie McKee with a new 1080p transfer of a 4K scan of the best-preserved elements. It looks quite good all things considered but I did notice a bit of blockiness in the darker scenes. Extras include the following cartoon shorts from 1934: Pop Goes Your Heart, Shake Your Powder Puff, and Why Do I Dream Those Dreams. Also included is the film’s trailer.
