Hot Saturday (1932)

Now that I’ve seen Hot Saturday I’ve seen all six films in Universal’s slightly uneven but generally extremely good Pre-Code Hollywood Collection DVD boxed set. And while Paramount’s 1932 Hot Saturday isn’t the best movie in the set it’s a good deal of fun.

Nancy Carroll plays Ruth Brock, who works in a bank in a small American town. There isn’t a huge amount to do in this town, and the most popular leisure activity seem to be spreading malicious gossip about one’s neighbours. The only other fun to be had is dancing at the Willow Springs club and partying at the house of wealthy playboy Roland Sheffield (Cary Grant), who seems to have a limitless supply of booze on hand in spite of Prohibition.

The younger people in the town are always willing to accept an invitation to one of Sheffield’s parties. And Ruth is a normal girl who likes to get out of the house occasionally, to escape her eccentric father and her grasping, social-climbing and thoroughly despicable mother. At one of these parties Ruth joins a male bank employee, Conny, in a boating expedition on the lake. Conny tries to rape her, and then in a fit of pique when he realises he’s not going to have his way with her he dumps her. She makes her way through the woods to Roland Sheffield’s house. He’s attracted to her, and he’d certainly like to get her into bed, but despite his reputation for wickedness and his many love affairs he’s basically a decent guy. When his half-hearted attempt at seduction fails he takes it in good humour, and he’s not the sort of man who would ever force himself on a woman.

Unfortunately Ruth is potted arriving home from Sheffield’s house in Sheffield’s car at a very late hour, and the town rumour mill goes into overdrive. Although she’s done nothing she soon finds herself with the reputation of being the town whore, and she loses her job and is socially ostracised. Her only hope is an old friend of the family who has always had a bit of a thing for her. Maybe she can persuade him to marry her, and thus save herself from the fate of being regarded as a fallen woman. He’s a geologist, so she sets off in torrential rain to find his diggings. She arrives soaked to the skin, and promptly passes out. Next morning she wakes up in his tent, completely naked. But of course she realises he had to strip her naked to get her warm, so it’s OK. And he’s definitely interested in the marriage idea. The only obstacle now is the pettiness and vindictiveness of the people she had regarded as being her friends.

The movie interestingly contrasts the behaviour of Roland Sheffield, who despite being a notorious womaniser is fundamentally decent, with the small-minded viciousness of the respectable townsfolk. The hypocrisy of small-town life really takes a beating. The ending is very pre-code and manages to be both very cynical and very romantic. Ruth decides there’s only one answer to the treatment she’s received.

Cary Grant is charming, amusing and likeable as always. Nancy Carroll is an actress I’ve never noticed before, but she’s extremely good. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable if rather lightweight offering and fans of pre-code Hollywood like myself should find plenty to entertain them.



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