wes-connors "This story is dedicated to women," according to the introduction, "who have been fighting for their rights ever since Adam and Eve started the loose-leaf system." When "Politics" was filmed, the Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was only a decade old. And, the film deals with the wielding of political power by women as a voting group. Advocating prohibition, and shutting down speakeasies, was a main concern for women at the time.Good-natured Marie Dressler (as Hattie Burns) becomes politically active, after a young woman is shot and killed coming out of a speakeasy. She wants the liquor-selling joints closed; and, is drafted into a Mayoral run, after delivering a powerful speech at a women's rally. Ms. Dressler is supported by her tenants, best friend Polly Moran (as Ivy Higgins) and her stuttering husband Roscoe Ates (as Peter Higgins). Dressler's run for Mayor of Lake City draws opposition from men in town; so, Dressler orders the women to go on strike, denying them, "everything" in the "parlor, bedroom, and bath." The film sounds much better than it turned out. The humor, frankly, isn't too good; and, it features some unfunny and moderately offensive situations ("You look like Madame Queen" refers to an Amos and Andy character). And, the mixing of shootings and slapstick doesn't mix well, this time. Producers might have considered making the film more dramatic, focusing exclusively on Dressler and the characters played by William Bakewell (as Benny Emerson) and Karen Morley (as Myrtle Burns).**** Politics (7/25/31) Charles Reisner ~ Marie Dressler, Polly Moran, Roscoe Ates

MartinHafer Polly Moran loves her new-found prestige as a political organizer. Though she's definitely got a low-level position, she has great visions of grandeur. However, the man she's supporting as mayor isn't doing a particularly good job, as he turns a blind eye to bootleggers and the crime associated with them. It all comes to a head when there is a shooting in one of these dives and someone familiar to Moran and her friend Marie Dressler is killed. So at the next political rally when the mayor asks for questions, Dressler confronts him about the bootleggers. He makes many excuses but the bottom line is that he won't do anything--at which point Marie makes an impassioned speech and is roundly applauded. Giddy with success, Polly urges Marie to run against the incumbent mayor--at which point the sexist men gang up on poor Marie. However, instead of giving up, the ladies dig in their heels for a battle of the sexes.When I watched this Marie Dressler-Polly Moran film, I couldn't help but recognize the familiar plot. That's because in the television age this same plot was recycled many times--the most notable being on "The Andy Griffith Show" when Ellie ran for office and the men of Mayberry were against her simply because she was a female. You certainly can't blame the makers of this film, as the idea was fresh in 1931! The film isn't especially deep and won't change your life but it excels on a very simple level--it's fun light entertainment. Dressler and Moran made eight movies together and the surviving films from the series are all very pleasant and fun thanks to good writing and especially to Dressler's wonderful screen presence and charm. The only serious negative about the film is Roscoe Ates--a guy whose claim to fame in films was his stuttering schtick. Not only wasn't this "politically correct", but also wore out its welcome long before this film.

Ron Oliver A stubborn widow creates quite a stir when she enters local city POLITICS to run for mayor.MGM fashioned this pleasant little comedy/drama to showcase their surprisingly popular actress, Marie Dressler. She was beginning her meteoric rise to commence her reign as Hollywood's most popular star, a supremacy that was only cut short by her untimely death in 1934. Massive & shapeless, with a face that could stop a bus, Dressler embodied pure grandmotherly affection and the country gladly took her to their heart. She was also an excellent actress, equally adept at eliciting laughter or tears from her audiences, sometimes almost simultaneously. In the end, when cancer took her, the Mighty Marie proved utterly irreplaceable - truly one of Cinema's Grandest Ladies.Receiving equal billing is Dressler's frequent comedy partner, Polly Moran. Diminutive & buxom, Polly was a fine comedienne in her own right, and MGM kept her very busy in the early 1930's. Acid-tongued & brash, Moran was adept at slapstick and in every way was an enjoyable sidekick for Marie. Here, gentle Dressler plays Moran's benevolent landlady, uninterested in Polly's political enthusiasms until sudden violence prompts Marie into galvanizing the women of the community, with Polly giving her full encouragement. Each is rewarded, as can be seen in the movie's final moments.Stuttering Roscoe Ates appears as Polly's grumpy husband. Pretty Karen Morley is Marie's slightly duplicitous daughter, while William Bakewell is her wrong-side-of-the-law boyfriend; each are kept in the background to let the old girls shine. Also effective in very small roles are John Miljan as the local crime boss, Tom McGuire as Lake Port's corrupt mayor and lovely Joan Marsh as the tragic catalyst for the plot.Movie mavens will spot an unbilled DeWitt Jennings in the role of the Police Chief. They will also notice the movie poster Joan Marsh gazes at in her first scene. It is for THE STOLEN JOOLS (1931 - aka THE SLIPPERY PEARLS). This was a comedy charity two-reeler in which more than 50 Hollywood stars appeared, including Polly Moran.With a nod to Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the film's undercurrent is its sly look at the battle for equality between the sexes, as it explains in its preamble: "This story is dedicated to women - who have been fighting for their rights ever since Adam and Eve started the loose-leaf system."

John Seal Women were still strongly represented in the guild of screen writers in the early thirties, and their influence shows in this proto-feminist comedy drama about a matron (Marie Dressler) who decides to clean up city hall by running for office in an effort to dispatch the corrupt incumbent (Tom McGuire). She coordinates her campaign with a housewives strike and snubs the local mafioso (John Miljan), who arrives at her home with a big bouquet of flowers. Though the film is mildly pro-Prohibition, its politics are clearly in the progressive LaFollette tradition, and modern day viewers will find it in turns refreshing and depressing. Some things never change! In addition to its enlightened screenplay, the film also looks terrific and was beautifully lensed by Clyde De Vinna, whose next film would be MGM's first swipe at Tarzan the Ape Man. Strongly recommended for all.