Whirlpool (1934)

This will be of interest to classic movie fans interested, not only in Jean Arthur, but in seeing the transformation of her career from those fragile Paramount heroines to a few feisty young women in low budget RKO films of varying personalities. This started the most memorable stage of Arthur's film career, playing a series of career girls (usually reporters) who had motivations they didn't always reveal to the men they were using for various reasons. In this case, she's a reporter who goes to interview a powerful businessman (Jack Holt) after seeing his picture in the paper and wanting to find out his true identity. He's involved in criminal activities, having risen to the top of the rackets, and she believes he's an honest businessman. Of course, there's a back story, and that is the old "Enoch Arden" theme of "back from the dead".This starts off with the back story, of Holt's marriage to the pretty Lila Lee, and his subsequent incarceration for manslaughter. Lee is horrified to find out that he supposedly died in a prison escape attempt, but Holt arranged it so she'd be able to go on with her life and not wait for him. Twenty years pass and Lee is now re-married, ironically to the judge who sentenced Holt. He is overjoyed to find out he has a grown daughter and they begin to spend precious time together much to the chagrin of Donald Cook, Arthur's long-time beau. Of course, it's all innocent, but cosy lunches between the two spotted by Cook have him believing otherwise. Holt's enemies find out the truth and threaten to spill the beans. Not wanting to break his wife's heart a second time, Holt makes drastic decisions, bringing his whirlpool of a life full circle.Having seen a few films with Jack Holt over the years, I mainly recalled him from a few film stills which make him look pretty hard, not at all the typical leading man. He makes a crack here in regards to that, telling Arthur that he's not really photogenic. Lee, however, is very photogenic, and when Arthur surprises him with a picture of how his wife looks now, Holt is touched by her beauty. Other than the opening, however, Lee has only a few scenes with Arthur towards the end, the film changing its structure several times as it tells its familiar but well crafted tale. Allen Jenkins offers a lot of amusement as Holt's driver, especially as he re-accounts the traffic tickets he got from various policemen while waiting for Holt to finish his lunch with Arthur.A delightfully obscure film thankfully released on DVD with some other obscure Jean Arthur films I have been searching for over many years, "Whirlpool" is combination carny/crime/prison/parental love/soap opera. Columbia, other than its Grace Moore operettas and of course the Frank Capra films, was lesser known among Hollywood studios, and did turn out some little gems along the way. While this may not be an outstanding entry in their early 30's catalog, it is slightly better than average with some interesting performances, some sparkling dialog of pre-code nature, and a glimpse of the magic Arthur would soon achieve when she took on gangster Edward G. Robinson in that comedy gem "The Whole Town's Talking" and Gary Cooper in the brilliant "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town".

This film was recently shown on TCM as part of a series of Jack Holt films. This is a great thing about TCM, in that it allows, by seeing several films in a row featuring a particular actor, to really get a good feel for the range of the actor, and to help you determine how much you might like that actor; and, happily, on Jack Holt day, I have found another very likable and interesting actor to look forward to seeing in other films. This is a sleeper of a great film; the scenes between Jack and Jean Arthur are genuinely touching, especially the recognition scene, which is beautifully underplayed; they truly complement each other's style. Some of the other reviews are mildly critical of some of the dated dialogue, but I have always found that to be part of the charm of old films. I don't need "realistic" dialogue; that is already a part of everyday life. Alan Jenkins is funny as always, but Jack's acting, traveling back and forth between toughness and tenderness, is lovely.

Jack Holt and Lila Lee play a couple of married folks who work for the carnival. When a fight breaks out, Holt accidentally kills a man and is sent to prison for 20 years. However, his wife is pregnant and vows to wait for him. He knows this is NOT practical and he sends a forged letter to her saying he'd been killed while trying to escape. This is because Holt loves her very much and wants her to have a life and not be stuck with a man in prison.Years pass and now Holt is a free man. He wanders about for a few years until he is located, somewhat by accident, by his daughter (Jean Arthur). Arthur is a reporter, so her discovering his identity isn't really that hard to believe. I loved this next portion, as seeing Jean reconnect with her father after all these years of thinking him dead was very sweet--and very well done. Lovely music and cinematography really make these scenes work! Holt has made Arthur to protect his identity--after all, her mother is very happily married to another man AND everyone hearing she is accidentally a bigamist would sure hurt her! However, a bit later, Holt learns that a guy he knew from prison has been accused of a serious crime and he COULD exonerate the man--after all, he knows this criminal is not guilty for this new crime. BUT, to testify would also mean revealing his true identity!! How all this is handled is very exciting and results in an ending you cannot forget.For a simple film, this sure is a good one--a great tear-jerker and a plot that is pretty unique and worth your time. If you like old films, see this one. If you don't, then....well, see it anyway!

I only caught the last third of this film the other morning, but it was enough to show me what a wonderful job Jack Holt does as a little girl's father. Because even at twenty-one, she is still his little girl. It makes everything that follows worth it. I have two (eleven and five), and the end of the film breaks my heart. Some other films that feature moments of paternal love include: China Doll (Victor Mature); Desperate Hours (Fredrick March); Kramer vs. Kramer (Dustin Hoffman); The Taking of Peggy Ann (look for David Soul on this one); The Green Berets (Jim Hutton); True Grit (the other Duke saying goodbye to Mattie Ross); It's a Wonderful Life (George Bailey with Zsu Zsu's petals); Man on Fire (Denzel Washington parleying for the life of his ward); Twilight Zone - Episode: Little Girl Lost; Way to go, Duke.JKHolman