The Golden Arrow (1936)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

hyped garbage

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

. . . America's Moral Compass--the eponymous Warner Bros. film studio--warns viewers with THE GOLDEN ARROW. "Daisy," an alleged $12 million woman, falls head over heels for the first decent man she meets--"Johnny," a $1,560-per-year guy. Johnny reluctantly agrees to Daisy's proposal for a "fake marriage," which will supposedly allow her some time to hunt down a "real" husband. Johnny has principles, and he's well aware that IF Daisy actually is sitting on a hoard of twelve million bucks (or about $1.2 billion, adjusted for inflation), she's as contaminated by these Filthy Riches as anything King Midas ever touched. Warner accurately depicts Daisy's chain of corruption as somewhat of a circular firing squad, filled with back-stabbing rivals, two-faced sycophantic leeches, and general Enemies of the People. GOLDEN ARROW's opening scene literally involves Rich Nihilists firing crossbow bolts to shatter the light bulbs of the ordinary folks within their range. This type of mindless vandalism against the Basics of Civilization and Public Safety epitomize the threat Warner always sees posed by the Greedy Fat Cat One Per Centers. Fortunately for her, Daisy is actually a Pure-Hearted Poor gal, so when she finally comes clean with Johnny about her own immunity to the Lure of Lucre they can live happily ever after.

George Brent is a reporter sent to interview an heiress. She is supposedly the heir to a face cream fortune. He interviews her on her yacht. They fall for each other in bathing costumes.It turns out (quite early) that she is not an heiress. She part of an advertising campaign for the cold cream.The movie follows the ups and downs of their romance.The supporting cast does little to buoy it up. Davis and Brent carry the picture. Though it's fairly predictable, it is also fairly entertaining. It's far from her best. But, especially considering its obscurity in her oeuvre, it's not one of her worst, either.

Weak film about facial cream heiress Daisy Appleby (Bette Davis) and her escapades in Florida, where she lounges around her yacht in unflattering swimsuit, and gets herself chased around the Casino by all sorts of European barons and dukes after her for her money. When she meets a reporter (George Brent) who is such a normal, straight-laced, and somewhat handsome All-American guy, she quickly falls for him. Then, to get the fortune hunters off her back, she convinces him to enter into a "marriage of convenience" with her, but in actuality, she is in love with him - and, not completely who she seems either.Well, this movie is pretty so-so. Bette Davis is great, as usual, but George Brent is a real stiff here, and the actress who plays Daisy's rival, "the richest girl in the world", is really, not a very good actress. Eugene Palette adds a spark of life to this film, but, unfortunately, only has a few brief scenes. Probably best for Bette Davis fans only.

Bette Davis plays a woman who is pretending to be an heiress to a cosmetic company, Daisy Appleby. George Brent plays Johnny Jones, a reporter. They become friends, and she convinces him to enter into a marriage of convenience. Her - to keep away fortune hunters, Him - to have finances to write his book. He is expected to play to her every whim, and appear in all the newspapers. Not liking this, he cosies up to Hortense, daughter of an oil tycoon, who informs him that Daisy is not all she seems. I don't really know alot about Bette Davis, but this is a delightful comedy, mostly due to the timing of both lead actors, and Bette Davis' facial expressions. She really does have expressive eyes, doesn't she?