The Girl from Missouri is one of four films costarring Franchot Tone and Jean Harlow and one of two films costarring Franchot and Lionel Barrymore (the other is 1933's The Stranger's Return.) It is my favorite of the Jean-Franchot pairings, which include Bombshell, Suzy, and Reckless.
Eadie (Jean Harlow) wants to escape her brow-beaten mother and bully of a stepfather so best friend Kitty helps her catch a train. She's saved her money and wants to show the world she has "ideals." On the train Eadie reveals that she will get married for money and a good life, because she doesn't want to end up like her mother who married for love.
When they discover that the wealthy Frank Cousins (Lewis Stone) is throwing a party, Eadie and Kitty, both dancers, make sure they are included in the entertainment. When he realizes T.R. Paige (Lionel Barrymore) has arrived, Cousins' countenance completely changes. With shaky hands, he lights a cigar for T.R. and privately asks him for financial help. T.R. denies him because back in the day Mr. Cousins had refused to help T.R. Eadie wanders into Frank Cousins' office and he gives her ruby cufflinks and tells her he will miss her dance number because he has something to do. After she exits his office, Cousins commits suicide. T.R. comes in to see what the commotion is and ends up protecting Eadie from an investigation.
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After Eadie suggests marriage, T.R. gives her money but assures her that he is no "ladies' man" and should be taken off her list of possible husbands. Eadie is not easily swayed and secretly follows (with Kitty in tow) T.R. to Palm Beach. Patsy Kelly is wonderfully humorous as Kitty, the wise-cracking best friend who falls for manual laborers and service operators while Sadie digs for gold. Kitty refers to herself as "just an old-fashioned homegirl like Mae West."
At T.R. Paige's Palm Beach office, we are introduced to his son T.R., Jr. or Tom (Franchot Tone), a fun-loving playboy immediately attracted to Eadie. Tom is surprised when the secretary tells him Eadie is after his dad and when he tells Eadie and Kitty that he, himself, is T.R. Paige, they don't believe him. Eadie believes Tom is just a clerk at the bank and tries to get rid of him. Unbeknownst to her, Tom is pedaling her and Kitty across town and eavesdrop as she reveals her goal to marry wealthy.
On the yacht, Eadie is shocked to learn that Tom is T.R.'s son. In his portrayal of T.R., Lionel Barrymore makes it clear that he is amused by Eadie's antics, but that he will attack anyone who might take advantage of his son. He becomes less tolerant of Eadie as the film goes on and Lionel perfectly captures this transformation in his character. In one scene, T.R. reveals his need to be near and protect his son, saying:
Come out to Washington tonight with us, Tom. We're going to have a lot of fun...You know how often I've seen ya since you picked up that blonde chiseler?When he sees the diamond bracelet Tom's purchased for Eadie, T.R. realizes how far Tom's fallen in love and decides it's time to teach his son a lesson.
T.R. pleads with his son:
Tom, she's not worthwhile. Drop her at her hotel and come on north with me.Tom agrees to meet his dad at the station after he seduces Eadie. Both T.R. and Tom still think that because she's out for a millionaire that Eadie is also a promiscuous woman. Tom is shocked when Eadie rejects his advances and he learns she's on the level about wanting marriage before sex. She tells Tom she truly loves him and begs him not to make her "cheap" and so Tom asks his driver to take her home.
After his toast at a banquet in his honor, T.R. is interrupted by a visit from his son. We learn that Tom is deeply in love with Eadie and will marry her at any cost. Still certain his son is being played, T.R. says he won't let his son make a fool of himself by marrying Eadie. He tells him he's never denied him anything and Tom's all he's got in the world. Lionel and Franchot are wonderful in this scene. It shows the natural father-son bond the characters have and the sentimentality is not overwrought. It hits just the right note. (Lionel and Franchot performed similarly as rival neighbors who actually respect and like each other quite a lot in 1933's The Stranger's Return.)
T.R. reluctantly agrees to the marriage, but we soon see that the care he's exhibited toward his son has now turned into contempt for Eadie. T.R. immediately arranges a deal with a district attorney to bring scandal down on Eadie and sever the relationship before she becomes his daughter-in-law.
I won't spoil the ending in case you haven't seen it, but Eadie puts up more of a struggle than T.R. expects. As the golddigger who already possesses a heart of gold, Jean Harlow turns in an excellent performance.
The dialogue, camerawork, and characters capture the best qualities of the three main actors. This is one of my favorite of Lionel Barrymore's roles, because it superbly shows off his ability to be debonair and endearing in one scene and calculating and ruthless the next.
If you don't have the Jean Harlow-Franchot Tone films on DVD yet, I suggest buying the Region 1 Jean Harlow box set by Warner Archive. The box set includes the four Franchot films (Bombshell, The Girl from Missouri, Suzy, and Reckless) as well as Jean's films Riffraff, Personal Property, and Saratoga. Warner Archive has not released Suzy as an individual DVD, it's only available in the set, so it's an economical and enjoyable option to buy the set. This is not a sponsored ad or anything like that, just good sense if you're planning to add all four Jean-Franchot titles to your collection eventually.
I love the Barrymores and am so pleased that In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood has hosted another blogathon celebrating them. Again, to read all the wonderful entries, please click here.
