Stand-In
| Stand-In | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tay Garnett |
| Produced by | Walter Wanger (uncredited) |
| Written by | Clarence Budington Kelland (story) Gene Towne C. Graham Baker |
| Starring | Leslie Howard Joan Blondell Humphrey Bogart |
| Studio | Walter Wanger Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | October 29, 1937 |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Stand-In (1937) is a movie about Hollywood and the film industry starring Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, and Humphrey Bogart. The picture was directed by Tay Garnett, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by United Artists.
[edit] Plot
The plot of Stand-In concerns the takeovers of Hollywood studios that occurred during the Great Depression. It opens with a shot of Wall Street and then cuts to a bank, where Fowler Pettypacker (Tully Marshall) is debating whether or not to accept an offer from Ivor Nassau (C. Henry Gordon) for "Colossal Pictures", a fictional film studio on Poverty Row. The studio has not been turning a profit, but Atterbury Dodd (Leslie Howard) advises against selling. He stakes his reputation on his mathematical calculations that show Colossal should turn a profit. Petty sends him to Hollywood as the new head of the studio.
Colossal's star actress, Thelma Cheri (Marla Shelton), and eccentric foreign director Koslofski (Alan Mowbray) are deliberately running up costs on producer Douglas Quintain's (Humphrey Bogart) jungle feature, Sex and Satan. Along with press agent Tom Potts (Jack Carson), they are conspiring with Nassau, who wants the land on which Colossal sits, to sabotage the studio. Colossal's precarious future rests on the film being a hit.
Dodd meets Lester Plum (Joan Blondell), a cheerful former child star currently working as a stand-in for Cheri. After initially rebuffing her offer to become his secretary, Dodd reluctantly accepts. Under her tutelage, he comes to see that the workers are more than just numbers. He also finally realizes he is attracted to her and that she loves him too.
When Dodd is unimpressed by a viewing of Sex and Satan, Koslofski puts the blame squarely on Quintain. Quintain had discovered Cheri and made her a star, falling in love with her in the process, but she sides with Koslofski. As a result, Dodd fires Quintain. After an audience preview confirms that the film is awful (they prefer the ape over Cheri's performance), Dodd seeks out the heartbroken producer. Once he sobers up from his drunken binge, Quintain comes up with the idea to salvage the film by cutting down Cheri's part and expanding the ape's. However, before they can do so, Pettypacker telephones Dodd, informing him that he has sold the studio to Nassau, and that Dodd is fired. Dodd convinces the initially hostile workers into rallying behind him to finish the film. Then, he asks Plum to marry him.
[edit] Cast
- Leslie Howard as Atterbury Dodd
- Joan Blondell as Lester Plum
- Humphrey Bogart as Doug Quintain
- Alan Mowbray as Koslofski
- Marla Shelton as Thelma Cheri
- C. Henry Gordon as Ivor Nassau
- Jack Carson as Tom Potts
- Tully Marshall as Fowler Pettypacker
- J. C. Nugent as Junior Pettypacker
- William V. Mong as Cyrus Pettypacker
[edit] External links
- Stand-In at the Internet Movie Database
- Stand-In at the TCM Movie Database
- Stand-In at AllRovi
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