Living on Velvet (1935)

The focus is on George Brent for once, not leading lady Kay Francis, in this drama about a troubled amateur pilot who accidentally kills his sister and parents when flying in the fog with a low tank of gas. So what do you do when you kill off your family, lose your pilot license and really have no other goal in life than to party your life away? Look for a rich socialite to support you! That would appear to be the case in Brent's sudden flirtation and marriage to the well dressed Francis who falls in love with his non-conformist ways from the start, even allowing him to laugh at her charming speech impediment as she recites "30 days has September", pronouncing April as "Apwil". You have to give Ms. Francis credit for allowing the script writer to include this "wefewance" to her inability to really pronounce any word with the letter "r", and the scene is more than just a cute passing reference to the well publicized deficient in her speech. They marry and are soon living in the country, against the advice of Francis's well-meaning but interfering aunt (Helen Lowell).Better known for her glamorous wardrobe more than for her slight lisp, Francis actually goes from gowns to house dresses, shockingly shown cleaning cupboards as Brent prepares to go grocery shopping. Of course, he comes back with only half of what is on the list, which is supposed to be an indication to her that he is not very responsible. To think that she gently dumped his friend Warren William (her co-star from "Dr. Monica") for Brent is unbelievable, and when she reveals that she had hoped to change him by marrying him, you know she's asking for heartache. A man like Brent's character can't be easily manipulated, and even if her intentions seem good (starting by aiding him in getting over his suppressed guilt), he's sort of like Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" to where he does wacky things just to act like he's living, even though he's only living an obvious imitation of life. One scene after a break-up has Francis laughing heartily simply just for the point of laughing to hide her pain, and it seems rather false. In fact, this being a woman's picture told from a man's angle makes this seem rather forced from the beginning, even though Brent and Francis are a good team. It's odd to see Warren William on the sidelines in this, although he does provide the wisdom in their circle of friends, making him the guiding light in the solving of the issues that Francis's character wanted to become.

Coming just before " Stranded" , a movie dealing with the plight of people left out in the cold ," Living On Velvet" ,if there were any doubt about it,shows how much Frank Borzage was an auteur.His sympathy for suffering people was infinite and the things he tells us still reverberates today.A man has lost all his family in a plane crash.So he is "living on velvet" now,playing the part of a faux bon vivant,incapable of "filling the void" .A man ("Gibraltar") will have to sacrifice his true love for a woman to give Clarence a reason to believe in life again.There are real saints in Borzage's work: Margaret Sullavan would do the same in " the shining hour" where she's willing to leave her husband she loves dearly so that two people will be happy.Like this ? try these ......"Phone Call from a stranger" (Jean Negulesco,1952) "Fearless" (Peter Weir,1993)

A young wife tries to bring her improvident husband's head out of the clouds before his dreaming spoils their relationship.What might have been a mere soap opera in other circumstances, here, thanks to high production values & a literate script, comes across as a fine, thoughtful drama. Most especially, however, the film owes a great deal to the trio of excellent performances which raise it above the ordinary.Kay Francis, crisply articulate, coolly sensual, plays the wife who wants to make a success of her marriage, but is afraid her husband will never come down to reality. George Brent, playfully sophisticated, is the pilot fleeing a terrible personal tragedy, feeling he has cheated death and life from henceforth is mere LIVING ON VELVET. Warren William takes what is essentially a supporting role and turns it into something special. As the wealthy friend of Brent's who loves Miss Francis terribly, he assumes the role of benefactor for the couple, swallowing his own disappointments in an attempt to see them successfully established in marriage. Together, the three stars enact a story well worth watching.Elderly Helen Lowell portrays Miss Francis' stern aunt. Samuel S. Hinds has the tiny role of Brent's doomed father. Slow-burning Edgar Kennedy helps to liven up a scene as an exasperated diner counterman.Movie mavens will recognize chubby Harry Holman, uncredited, as a nervous bartender.The brief & dangerous military air show flying sequence, early in the film, is especially well presented.

There's not much of a plot. George Brent piloted a plane which crashed killing his parents and sister, while he walked away with hardly a scratch. So he believes he's living on borrowed time - "living on velvet" as he puts it. But he meets Kay Francis, the fiancee of his best friend, Warren William, and they fall in love. William wants her to be happy and not only approves of their marriage, but helps them out by setting them up in a Long Island estate he rents at $4.50 a month. Still the marriage has its problems because of Brent's irresponsible attitudes about working.Although the movie is somewhat enjoyable at the melodramatic level, there is one sequence that had me in stitches. To appreciate it, you must know in advance that Kay Francis always had trouble with the letter "r", which often sounded like "w". I notice it in all her movies. Here, George Brent gently ribs her about it. The night they meet, he tells her he likes the sound of her voice, and asks her to say something nice and long. She begins "30 days has September, Apwil June..." "Apwil? Apwil?" he interrupts. "Repeat after me please 'Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran'." Miss Francis repeats it, purposely exaggerating the "w" sound and starts her poem again this time saying "Aprrril", but letting the "w" sound creep in for some of the other months. It is a very funny sequence. As star of the movie, she easily could have suppressed that dialogue, but all the more power to her for letting it stay. It raised my opinion of her considerably.