To Please A Lady

Year: 1950

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Brown

Review

started on my barbara stanwyck boxset now that the abbott and costello one is done. this is about a hotshot race car driver (clark gable) and a very successful columnist (stanwyck) who both have strong personalities. she doesn’t think much of him and even thinks he’s guilty of killing a man because he doesn’t let another driver by while a race is going on. they have a push-pull relationship for most of the film. he chases her and she retreats when he exhibits traits that remind her of the attitude he had after the other racer died. essentially he writes it off as something that happens when you race, and that he’s not guilty of anything. “it’s all part of the game” as omar might say. eventually she understands his point of view after a column she runs “causes” the subject to commit suicide. in the final race (indy 500) he allows another driver to pass during a crash and loses the race as a result (he drives into the dirt and crashes). this selfless act and her newfound perspective allow them to finally be together.

other than gable’s somewhat mysogynistic manhandling of stanwyck early in the film, this is a pretty great little film and i don’t know why i hadn’t heard of it before. there’s a lot going on here and both actors are up to the task.