Friends of Mr. Sweeney (1934) User Reviews

Loosen Up with Charlie Ruggles

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 14 August 2011]

Mild-mannered Charlie Ruggles (Asaph "Ace" Holliday), editorial writer for a New York weekly, loosens up a little after getting drunk with sexy secretary Ann Dvorak (as Beulah Boyd). Rotund school chum Eugene Palette (Wynn Rixey) arrives for a visit, then he and Mr. Ruggles revisit wild youth as "Friends of Mr. Sweeney". The carousing brings Ruggles head-to-head with a corrupt politician he's been ordered to write up in a flattering article, by stuffy editor Berton Churchill (as Franklyn P. Brumbaugh). Robert Barrat (as Alexis "Alex" Romanoff) is a funny Russian friend. The cast appears to be having a great time, and it's contagious. Watch for Ms. Dvorak to changes dresses in an early scene, and model her lingerie.

****** Friends of Mr. Sweeney (7/27/34) Edward Ludwig ~ Charlie Ruggles, Ann Dvorak, Eugene Palette, Robert Barrat

Introducing the original Mr. Cellophane.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 22 November 2013]

You really could walk right by him, look right past him, and never even know he's there. He's Charlie Ruggles, the writer of a magazine who was once a star athlete in college and now the milquetoast of Manhattan. But the night out on the town with an old college chum (Eugene Palette) turns him into a tiger. So does the presence of his pretty secretary (Ann Dvorak) who isn't afraid of changing her rather risqué dress in front of him with the office shades opened and a rather prim and proper head secretary looking on in shock.

The tell-tale sign of his invisibility comes when he heads out to lunch and the counter man ignores him, Ruggles constantly repeating his order while other ruder customers keep getting the server's attention. When the counter man does finally notice him, Ruggles realizes its too late and just asks for his check. But with shady dealings going on behind the scenes of his editor's office, Ruggles may just end up being one to save the day.

The hulking Robert Barrat and the imperious Dorothy Tree play a Russian couple who interrupt Ruggles' planned evening alone with Dvorak, and who do you think Ruggles ends up in bed with? Berton Churchill plays the portly editor while Eugene Palette is seen briefly as Ruggles' pal. Thanks to Ruggles' light-hearted deadpan manner, this comedy is a step above the usual programmer level even though a lot of the plot entanglements end up being rather convoluted with just a wisp of clever dialog thrown in here and there.

Who's Mr. Sweeney?

[boblipton · 7/10 · 4 April 2024]

Charles Ruggles is an editorial writer made meek and mild by decades of working under the stifling Berton Churchill. When Ann Dvorak takes an interest in him and old college friend Eugene Pallette comes to town and they go off on a tear, he finds his old fire and writes his editorial his way.

Director Edward Ludwig doesn't add much to this movie, but the cast is good, and Eugene Pallette gives one of his best performances in this worm-turning comedy. Ruggles moves nicely nicely from a milsop to a man willing to assert himself. With Robert Barrat, Dorothy Tree, and an uncredited etra role by Fred MacMurray.

Friends Of Mr. Sweeney Forgotten Charles Ruggles Star Vehicle

[gerrythree · 8 September 2007]

If not for TCM showing Warner Bros. 1934 movie Friends of Mr. Sweeney around 1997, I wouldn't even know it existed. The movie cannot be described as pre-Code because its release date is July 28, 1934, yet the TCM broadcast version does not have the MPPDA logo on it and there is no certificate number shown in the credits. Even stranger, when Warner Bros. premiered this movie in New York City on July 31, 1934, the venue was the Mayfair movie theater, not a Warner Bros. theater. Friends of Mr. Sweeney is a star vehicle for Charles Ruggles, who plays the role of Asaph Holliday, once a real go getter in college who has withered away working as an editorial writer for The Balance, a dull political magazine. Somehow, after meeting Rixey, an old college friend, he changes as he gets involved with a crooked politician, the operator of a gambling den and his secretary, Beulah Boyd, played by a great looking Ann Dvorak.

There is one scene where Ms. Boyd, told that her dress was inappropriate attire for the office, takes it off in the office, shows she is wearing a slip, and puts on a more reserved outfit. A woman in a slip was a scene that you saw in a movie like Night Nurse, but not one that usually passed the censorious Joseph Breen, the foaming at the mouth anti-Semitic Production Code Administrator who enforced the stringent Code put into effect on July 1, 1934.

In some ways, Friends of Mr. Sweeney reminds me of another 1934 Warner Bros. movie, Hi, Nellie! Both are set in locales in or near Greenwich Village, both deal with journalists on the outs who improve their lots by going against crooked political types. The cynicism and slanted view of life in Friends of Mr. Sweeney peg the movie as pre-Code. It is too bad for Charles Ruggles that one of his best roles was in a movie that was given the bum's rush on its release, to avoid problems with the Production Code. By being released in the middle of the summer, considered a dead time for first run movies until the 1970s, Warner Bros. guaranteed this movie would vanish from sight fast.

If I hadn't taped this movie from the TCM broadcast about 10 years ago, I would not have a copy now, since I have not seen it listed once on the TCM broadcast schedule since then.

friends of .... mister holliday.

[ksf-2 · 8/10 · 16 April 2024]

Some major comedy greats in this one. Charles ruggles was a hollywood regular, and ann dvorak was HUGE in the 1930s, into the 1940s. Eugene pallett was a bigger than life character, although if you read his story, he was not a good neighbor. Ace holliday is a reporter for the paper, and beulah is his assistant; the boss is just never pleased with what holliday turns in, so ace is determined to get ahead. He finally gets up the courage to ask out beulah. Co-stars berton churchill as the boss. He's the straight man, playing the serious guy, as ruggles stumbles and stutters whenever he's around the boss. Holliday can't even stand up to romanoff, the loud, russian bully. When a corrupt politician tries to buy his way into office, what will they do?? And when holliday gets in hock over his head, what will he do then? Directed by ed ludwig. I had seen a couple of ludwig's films, but they were all just so-so. Story by elmer davis. He had several of his novels made into film. It's another B film from warner brothers, but a good opportunity to see ruggles, dvorak, and pallette! It's actually pretty good!