Pursuit (1935)

Simply Perfect

Redundant and unnecessary.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Needing the $2,000 payment offered, broke San Francisco pilot Chester Morris (as Mitchell) accepts an offer from child protective agent Sally Eilers (as Maxine Bush). They are to accompany cute little Scotty Beckett (as Donald "Donny" McCoy) to Mexico because his widowed mother has weak lawyers and fears she will lose her son in a custody battle. Since his plane crashes in the opening mishap, Mr. Morris decides to drive young Beckett to Mexico, with Ms. Eilers going along. Of course, Morris and Eilers become a reluctant romantic couple. Beckett is reported kidnapped, with a $20,000 reward offered for his return. It turns out to be a rocky trip, with movie serial-type cliffhangers...A popular actor in the 1930s, Morris was favored in gangster crime dramas. The situation in "Pursuit" is serious, but his co-stars reveal Morris presented in a one of his lighter pictures. Cute and capable, Eilers never achieved her star potential; possibly, she would have had more luck if a single studio (like MGM) were handling her career. Morris and Eilers have good chemistry, but they're not Gable and Colbert. Fresh from the "Our Gang" kid series, Beckett is a little too sweetly layered, even without the lollipop. To hide from the police, Beckett dresses up as a girl. He also joins Morris and Eilers as a "black-face" family. The trio are inoffensive and Beckett is convincing as a little 1930s black girl.***** Pursuit (8/9/35) Edwin L. Marin ~ Chester Morris, Sally Eilers, Scotty Beckett, Henry Travers

Since the Lindbergh case, the crime of kidnapping had become so distasteful to the Hays office that it had been barred from the screen since 1934 except 1. "when the subject is handled with restraint and discretion" and 2. "when the child is returned unharmed". "Pursuit" ticked both of these boxes. Based on "Gallant Highway" a novel length story by Lawrence G. Blochman, it was filmed on highways between San Francisco and Mexico and lived up to it's title by being a fast moving story of the efforts of dare devil pilot Mitch (the always excellent Chester Morris) trying to protect little Scotty Becket from selfish relatives. Of course there always has to be a girl and cute Sally Eilers is Maxine, who tags along to see that the job is done. From the first few minutes there is non-stop action, first the plane takes off with only Donald (Beckett) aboard, then Mitch saves the day by rescuing Donald from a smashed plane, then in turn from a burning car. There is an element of Bonnie and Clyde as Maxine and Mitch evade a backwoods policeman and end up at an auto court where they encounter very pesky Henry Travers who, along with his dog, "Perfume", tails them all the way to the Mexican border. Along the way Donald is disguised as a girl and they even resort to blackface to evade the baddies!!In keeping with the Hays Code, there is really no sign of any desperate villains (there are doubts all along about C. Henry Gordon though). Henry Travers (Henry Travers, I ask you) is the only person they can't shake, he eventually abducts Donald but when he realises "Perfume" is sick, that's it - his most important mission after that is to find a vet!! There is a piece in the paper about Donald's mother being a floozie and a showgirl but as played by Dorothy Peterson she could pass for America's First Lady!! As usual Chester Morris is first rate, he had been associated with MGM from his earliest films and if he had signed an exclusive contract could have been a star of the first magnitude - but he may not have got the variety of roles he was able to find if he had. Scotty Beckett was one of the cutest child actors ever - he was originally part of "Our Gang" but he soon won roles in prominent films ("Anthony Adverse", "King's Row" etc). Unfortunately the last few years of his life were filled with unpleasant stories, including drugs and violence. A sad ending for a beautiful little boy!!

No, this little programmer from the 30's is not going to win any awards. But it is an entertaining, fast-paced action drama laced with sometimes amusing bits of comic relief. The two principals, Eilers and Morris are particularly winning, their chemistry blending nicely as they grow closer despite the odds. I was especially taken with Eilers whose verve and grit suggest an MGM version of Warner's great toughie Joan Blondell. On the other hand, for me, a little of the folksy humor of Henry Travers goes a long way, but I guess that's a matter of taste. And, of course, there's tragic little scene-stealer Scottie Beckett who later fell victim to the notorious "child star" syndrome. It's hard to believe his later life, seeing him here.Anyway, an interesting part was seeing those old flivvers of the 30's racing down narrow two- lane country roads where I could almost see Bonnie and Clyde just ahead. Yes indeed, the writers manage to string together about every cliff-hanger gimmick imaginable. So, if you don't like this particular setup, wait, there's another one just around the bend. But when you think about it, a gimmicky format is not so different from today's f-x'ed movie fare that pretty much depends on the spectacular. All in all, this little programmer amounts to an entertaining peek back into a time when kidnapping was in the headlines and Dillinger was on the loose.

The only good thing this movie has is its title.Apart from generally uninteresting performances and a ramshackle plot, it has two unforgivable ingredients: puppies being taken from their mother shortly after their birth and the three central figures in blackface.It also has a plane and its renegade pilot. It has Scotty Becket dressed as a girl for most of the story. It has Mexico (an unlikely looking Mexico.) It has a car that catches on fire. It has a man and woman handcuffed together.Henry Travers does turn in an amusing performance. But he can't save it -- even though his character has a dog named Perfume.