Dinner at Eight (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
1933's 'Dinner at Eight' (adapted from a Broadway hit & directed by George Cukor) is a humorous, well-acted dramedy about a high-society dinner that - quite frankly - implodes. This movie features a great cast of all-star MGM vets, and boy do they know how to play to the rafters {haha}. Jean Harlow stars as ex-showgirl sexpot Kitty Packard, trophy wife of gangster-turned-nouveau-riche-mining magnate, Dan Packard (Wallace Beery). The story concerns the events leading up to a NYC socialite's high-class party to take place next Friday evening ... dinner at eight. Millicent Jordan (Billie Burke), self-absorbed wife of ailing, old money shipping magnate Oliver Jordan III (Lionel Barrymore), has her sights set on entertaining the wealthy Lord & Lady Ferncliffe upon their arrival from England.
Also invited are Oliver's old flame Carlotta Vance (the great Marie Dressler), an aging theatrical Grand Dame who was the Belle of NY during the 'naughty nineties'. Due to the Depression, even rich, cunning Carlotta wants to sell her share of stock in Oliver's company. Her male counterpart for the ensuing dinner party is the great-yet-fading movie star Larry Renault (John Barrymore), as well as the aforementioned Mr. & Mrs. Dan Packard -- invited only because Dan is doing business with her hubby Oliver (little does Millicent & Oliver know that Dan is scheming to steal Oliver's struggling business, due to the Depression). In addition to these guests, the Jordan's 19 yr. old daughter Paula (Madge Evans) & sweet-but-unwanted fiance will also attend.
We soon discover that Paula is having a torrid love affair with the 47 yr. old, washed-up Larry Renault (John Barrymore), & that the ditzy, unsophisticated, social climbing Kitty is carrying on with the dashing Dr. Talbot (Edmund Love). She spends most of her time lying in bed, eating chocolates, & thinking up ways to get the doctor to - ahem - "entertain”. Harlow steals every scene she is in, making Kitty both real AND movie star magical at the same time. As the week passes & the dinner party looms, we watch as all these characters lives are interwoven. As you can imagine, and much to Millicent's horror, the luxurious-if-pretentious party does not go smoothly. Suicide, funny bouts, broken hearts, & one wild dinner party ensues.
'Dinner at Eight' is one of those 1930s classics that movie buffs should probably see -- mostly for its great, varied cast; more on them later. 'D@8' has a little bit of everything. It has glamour (the elegant upper crust milieu; Kitty's amazing Art-Deco styled bedroom; Kitty's white, backless gown ... dubbed by the public as the "Jean Harlow" dress), romance, charm, wit, some seediness, some drama/intrigue, some great laughs, some tragedy, & a host of fun characters. Directed by the great George Cukor & produced by David O. Selznick, this 1933 flick is fairly groundbreaking for its plot content (a 1930s pre-code dramedy as seen through the lives of the nouveau riche; containing suicide and an inside look at some specific types of Americans).
All the performers are stellar here, but the 3 actresses steal the film. As brassy dame Kitty Packard, Jean Harlow is a natural comedienne (good comic timing) who exudes sexual confidence & speaks her mind (loved her fights with Wallace Beery). She's got a big mouth, but she also shows a winsome vulnerability at surprising moments. Marie Dressler is superb at being both a sympathetic, supporting friend/adviser, as well as an unsympathetic, sarcastic, haughty broad -- she can be a tough pill to swallow, but I loved her {haha}. And Billie Burke is a riot as the flighty, hysterical society woman too busy worrying about hosting than to notice either her husband's serious life issues or her daughter's romance woes. I enjoyed all that 'Dinner at Eight' threw at me and look forward to seeing it again down the road.
Also invited are Oliver's old flame Carlotta Vance (the great Marie Dressler), an aging theatrical Grand Dame who was the Belle of NY during the 'naughty nineties'. Due to the Depression, even rich, cunning Carlotta wants to sell her share of stock in Oliver's company. Her male counterpart for the ensuing dinner party is the great-yet-fading movie star Larry Renault (John Barrymore), as well as the aforementioned Mr. & Mrs. Dan Packard -- invited only because Dan is doing business with her hubby Oliver (little does Millicent & Oliver know that Dan is scheming to steal Oliver's struggling business, due to the Depression). In addition to these guests, the Jordan's 19 yr. old daughter Paula (Madge Evans) & sweet-but-unwanted fiance will also attend.
We soon discover that Paula is having a torrid love affair with the 47 yr. old, washed-up Larry Renault (John Barrymore), & that the ditzy, unsophisticated, social climbing Kitty is carrying on with the dashing Dr. Talbot (Edmund Love). She spends most of her time lying in bed, eating chocolates, & thinking up ways to get the doctor to - ahem - "entertain”. Harlow steals every scene she is in, making Kitty both real AND movie star magical at the same time. As the week passes & the dinner party looms, we watch as all these characters lives are interwoven. As you can imagine, and much to Millicent's horror, the luxurious-if-pretentious party does not go smoothly. Suicide, funny bouts, broken hearts, & one wild dinner party ensues.
'Dinner at Eight' is one of those 1930s classics that movie buffs should probably see -- mostly for its great, varied cast; more on them later. 'D@8' has a little bit of everything. It has glamour (the elegant upper crust milieu; Kitty's amazing Art-Deco styled bedroom; Kitty's white, backless gown ... dubbed by the public as the "Jean Harlow" dress), romance, charm, wit, some seediness, some drama/intrigue, some great laughs, some tragedy, & a host of fun characters. Directed by the great George Cukor & produced by David O. Selznick, this 1933 flick is fairly groundbreaking for its plot content (a 1930s pre-code dramedy as seen through the lives of the nouveau riche; containing suicide and an inside look at some specific types of Americans).
All the performers are stellar here, but the 3 actresses steal the film. As brassy dame Kitty Packard, Jean Harlow is a natural comedienne (good comic timing) who exudes sexual confidence & speaks her mind (loved her fights with Wallace Beery). She's got a big mouth, but she also shows a winsome vulnerability at surprising moments. Marie Dressler is superb at being both a sympathetic, supporting friend/adviser, as well as an unsympathetic, sarcastic, haughty broad -- she can be a tough pill to swallow, but I loved her {haha}. And Billie Burke is a riot as the flighty, hysterical society woman too busy worrying about hosting than to notice either her husband's serious life issues or her daughter's romance woes. I enjoyed all that 'Dinner at Eight' threw at me and look forward to seeing it again down the road.