Tiffany was another independent studio who had a prestigious release ("Journey's End") in 1930 but never found anything of the same calibre for it's remaining years. (Grand National was in the same boat when they were able to release James Cagney's initial independent efforts in the late 1930s - they also floundered afterwards). Tiffany was the crème de la crème of the independents and for the time it was around managed to secure some big names - Kay Johnson, Ben Lyon, Helen Chandler, Bela Lugosi etc.
Unfortunately not for this movie - Rex Lease, Tiffany's utility man, was still a handsome leading man overlooked by the majors, however in 1931 in "The Utah Kid" he found a new home and career out on the range as a cowboy hero and later as a villain. In fact the top star in this silly bedroom/haunted house farce is Paul Hurst would you believe?? He plays Paul Morgan, a jealous (he has every reason to be) but mushy cop whose sentiment sees goofy heir Peter Foley (Lease) let off with a warning as he speeds his way to the airport so he can marry sweet Alice (Vera Reynolds) ahead of his rival (Robert Livingstone, another future cowboy star). He has to marry before midnight (yes, it's one of those!) or else the $800,000 inheritance will fall to cranky Uncle Foley (Charles Sellon) who is wheel chair bound.
Enter Julie - Paul's flirtatious girl friend who has the men at her office in a spin -"Poppa's rough today", "You'd bring out the John Gilbert in any man"!!! Vera Reynolds may have the female lead but she is pretty wishy washy next to vivacious Nina Martan who, as man hungry Julie, skips from bedroom to bedroom in a very fetching pair of lounging pyjamas. Martan seemed pretty active in movies in 1930, 31 - then no more. All roads lead to Uncle Foleys's old dark house and pretty soon the romantic comedy becomes a "things that go bump in the night" spoof with secret panels, wild cats wandering around at night and the old "who turned off the lights" trick. Even for 1930 audiences had probably seen all this before!!
Unfortunately not for this movie - Rex Lease, Tiffany's utility man, was still a handsome leading man overlooked by the majors, however in 1931 in "The Utah Kid" he found a new home and career out on the range as a cowboy hero and later as a villain. In fact the top star in this silly bedroom/haunted house farce is Paul Hurst would you believe?? He plays Paul Morgan, a jealous (he has every reason to be) but mushy cop whose sentiment sees goofy heir Peter Foley (Lease) let off with a warning as he speeds his way to the airport so he can marry sweet Alice (Vera Reynolds) ahead of his rival (Robert Livingstone, another future cowboy star). He has to marry before midnight (yes, it's one of those!) or else the $800,000 inheritance will fall to cranky Uncle Foley (Charles Sellon) who is wheel chair bound.
Enter Julie - Paul's flirtatious girl friend who has the men at her office in a spin -"Poppa's rough today", "You'd bring out the John Gilbert in any man"!!! Vera Reynolds may have the female lead but she is pretty wishy washy next to vivacious Nina Martan who, as man hungry Julie, skips from bedroom to bedroom in a very fetching pair of lounging pyjamas. Martan seemed pretty active in movies in 1930, 31 - then no more. All roads lead to Uncle Foleys's old dark house and pretty soon the romantic comedy becomes a "things that go bump in the night" spoof with secret panels, wild cats wandering around at night and the old "who turned off the lights" trick. Even for 1930 audiences had probably seen all this before!!
