- Published on
Joan Crawford's first talkie!
_02.jpg){kind=link}
Date of Release: Nov 23, 1929
Studio: MGM
Director: Jack Conway
Screenplay: Sylvia Thalberg, Frank Butler, Willard Mack, Lucille Newmark
Music: Louis Alter, Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed, Joe Goodwin
Leading Actors: Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Ernest Torrence, Holmes Herbert, John Miljan, Gwen Lee, Edward Nugent, Don Terry, Gertrude Astor, Milton Fahrney, Lloyd Ingraham, Grace Cunard, Wilson Benge
Untamed is most famous for being Joan Crawford’s first talking picture. After starting out as a dancer on Broadway, Crawford was signed by MGM. She went on to become one of the most famous, and highly paid, screen actors of her day. She appeared in over 80 films, and was nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Actress, winning for Mildred Pierce (1945). Despite a tumultuous personal life, Crawford triumphed on the screen and is remembered as one of Hollywood's greatest actors.
Untamed tells the story of Bingo (Crawford), a young woman raised as a wild child in the jungle “somewhere below the equator in South America.” She inherits a fortune after her father is killed, and is encouraged by her kindly guardians, Ben and Howard (Ernest Torrence and Holmes Herbert), to move to New York to be "civilized". Aboard the ship, Bingo falls in love with a penniless man, Andy (Robert Montgomery). He refuses to live off her money, and leaves the ship with another woman, Marjory (Gwen Lee). A year later, Bingo is cultured and tamed. She organizes for Andy to get a job in South America, and all ends happily.
Despite solid performances from the cast, Untamed is a terrible movie. The NY Times criticized the unrealistic settings, trite dialogue, “unnecessary” length of the film, and the “unessential” melodies. Variety stated that despite a strong opening at the box office, Untamed was “not a particularly noteworthy feature.” Even with a remastered edition released by Warner Bros available on DVD, Untamed remains lackluster.
The score was written by a group of men who would go on to become some Hollywood’s most influential artists and producers — Louis Alter, Arthur Freed, Joe Goodwin, and Nacio Herb Brown. Sadly, their skills are not evident here. The light and jaunty overture (reminiscent of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”), sets the tone for this fluffy and insubstantial film.
In the opening scene, we see Bingo sitting amidst a group of musicians strumming a guitar and singing an utterly woeful ballad, “Chant of the Jungle.” The music does nothing to enhance the ridiculous “jungle” setting, and is made even more laughable by the mismatched lyrics and choreography. One of the musicians has an unfortunate and distracting habit of staring straight into the camera.
The music does not improve after the opening number. Once on board a ship bound for New York, we are introduced to the song “Something Wonderful.” Played on a record player, the use of music not created by on-screen musicians is rare during this period, and is a tiny glimmer of director Jack Conway’s future potential (he went on to direct many hit films, including A Tale of Two Cities (1935) and Libeled Lady (1936)). The innovation stops there and “Something Wonderful” is later reprised four more times, with little effect.
There are many moments in Untamed that had the right intentions, but their execution fails. This is particularly true of the fight scene half-way through the film. Whilst at a lavish party at Uncle Ben’s house in New York, a fight is announced between Bingo’s would-be lover Andy, and another guest. The party guests are instructed to enjoy the fight “quietly,” so as not to anger Uncle Ben (Ernest Torrence). While the announcement is humorous, the fight is poorly choreographed and strangely filmed. It looks like a scene from a silent film, and is a lost opportunity for a comedic scene.
Untamed suffers from a lackluster script and poor pacing. The screenplay was written by a team of writers who went on to great success, (including Frank Butler who was twice nominated for Best Screenplay Oscars, and won for Going My Way in 1944), but, like their musical counterparts, their talents are not evident here.
Unusually, there are two women in the screenwriting team - Sylvia Thalberg and Lucille Newmark. Despite penning sixteen films, there is scant information available about Thalberg — apart from the fact that she was the sister of producer Irving Thalberg (an MGM producer who was instrumental in the film company’s success). Lucille Newmark had a short career in Hollywood, and there is also currently very little information about her career.
The representation of women in Untamed is infuriating. The film’s premise tells us that a woman can only be gutsy and independent because she has been raised as a “wild child” of the jungle. Crawford is wonderful, and it is easy to see why she became such a huge star. She is immensely watchable, and shines despite the awful material. The other women in the film, played by Gwen Lee, Gertrude Astor, and Grace Cunard, are jealous, conniving gals who exist only to be wined and dined by the men.
Apart from seeing an early Crawford performance, the best part of Untamed is the costume design. The party scenes, with stunning dresses by Adrian, are particularly lovely to watch. Adrian worked as head of wardrobe at MGM for over twenty years, and ran a successful couture business with stores on both coasts.
Most of the cast and crew went on to great success in Hollywood, though with the exception of the music team, not in musicals. Untamed is a film that makes you say, “well, they had to start somewhere!”
Studio: MGM
Director: Jack Conway
Screenplay: Sylvia Thalberg, Frank Butler, Willard Mack, Lucille Newmark
Music: Louis Alter, Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed, Joe Goodwin
Leading Actors: Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Ernest Torrence, Holmes Herbert, John Miljan, Gwen Lee, Edward Nugent, Don Terry, Gertrude Astor, Milton Fahrney, Lloyd Ingraham, Grace Cunard, Wilson Benge
Untamed is most famous for being Joan Crawford’s first talking picture. After starting out as a dancer on Broadway, Crawford was signed by MGM. She went on to become one of the most famous, and highly paid, screen actors of her day. She appeared in over 80 films, and was nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Actress, winning for Mildred Pierce (1945). Despite a tumultuous personal life, Crawford triumphed on the screen and is remembered as one of Hollywood's greatest actors.
Untamed tells the story of Bingo (Crawford), a young woman raised as a wild child in the jungle “somewhere below the equator in South America.” She inherits a fortune after her father is killed, and is encouraged by her kindly guardians, Ben and Howard (Ernest Torrence and Holmes Herbert), to move to New York to be "civilized". Aboard the ship, Bingo falls in love with a penniless man, Andy (Robert Montgomery). He refuses to live off her money, and leaves the ship with another woman, Marjory (Gwen Lee). A year later, Bingo is cultured and tamed. She organizes for Andy to get a job in South America, and all ends happily.
Despite solid performances from the cast, Untamed is a terrible movie. The NY Times criticized the unrealistic settings, trite dialogue, “unnecessary” length of the film, and the “unessential” melodies. Variety stated that despite a strong opening at the box office, Untamed was “not a particularly noteworthy feature.” Even with a remastered edition released by Warner Bros available on DVD, Untamed remains lackluster.
The score was written by a group of men who would go on to become some Hollywood’s most influential artists and producers — Louis Alter, Arthur Freed, Joe Goodwin, and Nacio Herb Brown. Sadly, their skills are not evident here. The light and jaunty overture (reminiscent of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”), sets the tone for this fluffy and insubstantial film.
In the opening scene, we see Bingo sitting amidst a group of musicians strumming a guitar and singing an utterly woeful ballad, “Chant of the Jungle.” The music does nothing to enhance the ridiculous “jungle” setting, and is made even more laughable by the mismatched lyrics and choreography. One of the musicians has an unfortunate and distracting habit of staring straight into the camera.
The music does not improve after the opening number. Once on board a ship bound for New York, we are introduced to the song “Something Wonderful.” Played on a record player, the use of music not created by on-screen musicians is rare during this period, and is a tiny glimmer of director Jack Conway’s future potential (he went on to direct many hit films, including A Tale of Two Cities (1935) and Libeled Lady (1936)). The innovation stops there and “Something Wonderful” is later reprised four more times, with little effect.
There are many moments in Untamed that had the right intentions, but their execution fails. This is particularly true of the fight scene half-way through the film. Whilst at a lavish party at Uncle Ben’s house in New York, a fight is announced between Bingo’s would-be lover Andy, and another guest. The party guests are instructed to enjoy the fight “quietly,” so as not to anger Uncle Ben (Ernest Torrence). While the announcement is humorous, the fight is poorly choreographed and strangely filmed. It looks like a scene from a silent film, and is a lost opportunity for a comedic scene.
Untamed suffers from a lackluster script and poor pacing. The screenplay was written by a team of writers who went on to great success, (including Frank Butler who was twice nominated for Best Screenplay Oscars, and won for Going My Way in 1944), but, like their musical counterparts, their talents are not evident here.
Unusually, there are two women in the screenwriting team - Sylvia Thalberg and Lucille Newmark. Despite penning sixteen films, there is scant information available about Thalberg — apart from the fact that she was the sister of producer Irving Thalberg (an MGM producer who was instrumental in the film company’s success). Lucille Newmark had a short career in Hollywood, and there is also currently very little information about her career.
The representation of women in Untamed is infuriating. The film’s premise tells us that a woman can only be gutsy and independent because she has been raised as a “wild child” of the jungle. Crawford is wonderful, and it is easy to see why she became such a huge star. She is immensely watchable, and shines despite the awful material. The other women in the film, played by Gwen Lee, Gertrude Astor, and Grace Cunard, are jealous, conniving gals who exist only to be wined and dined by the men.
Apart from seeing an early Crawford performance, the best part of Untamed is the costume design. The party scenes, with stunning dresses by Adrian, are particularly lovely to watch. Adrian worked as head of wardrobe at MGM for over twenty years, and ran a successful couture business with stores on both coasts.
Most of the cast and crew went on to great success in Hollywood, though with the exception of the music team, not in musicals. Untamed is a film that makes you say, “well, they had to start somewhere!”
0 Comments