By 1922 with Gloria Swanson now a star in her own right Cecil B. DeMille thought that Leatrice Joy, an up and coming starlet and newly married to John Gilbert, had what it takes. But the relationship was stormy - she realised she had made a mistake in going with DeMille but he refused to release her, she even had her hair cut in an unattractive, close cut, mannish do but he wouldn't budge, just refused to to talk to her for a few years!! Their first collaboration was "Saturday Night", a re-working of Swanson's great hit "Male and Female" only taken a step further. This time the two sophisticates marry their servants all because of one horrendous Saturday night!!
DeMille must have used this film to introduce his new stars because Conrad Nagel was a new face as well - unfortunately though for both Nagel and Joy, their parts weren't sympathetic. She plays Iris Van Suydam, a spoiled society girl living it up on an uncle's allowance. She is engaged to wealthy Richard Prentiss (Nagel) but both of them pine for the simple things in life and think they have found the answer with their servants. Vibrant Edith Roberts who is the real star and find of the film plays Shamrock O'Day whose day-dreams turn washing rope into strings of pearls - she hangs about Tom McGuire, Iris's chauffeur who secretly treasures a little embroidered hanky from his employer!!
One unfortunate Saturday, Shamrock has an accident with the laundry from the Prentiss' household - she ends up at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a polar bear skin rug while trying desperately to save some gold fish. Richard is appalled at the snobbish dressing down she receives from his sister (Julia Faye) and offers to run her home. All seen by Iris who, to "get even", orders her chauffeur to take her on a picnic - with her "no one can tell me what to do" attitude she takes the wheel and her reckless driving sees the car stalled on a railway bridge. In a hair raising scene quick witted Tom saves the day and Iris as they both hang from the bridge to let the train pass.
I know it was the roaring twenties and anything goes - but little Shamrock was the only character to engender viewer sympathy. Leatrice Joy had a dignified beauty but her colourless personality was completely overshadowed by vibrant Edith Roberts. It was hard to believe her "I love you" declaration to Tom at the end, she didn't put her feelings across on the screen. Also, as working class as Shamrock's character was, she was the only one to realise that they were all mismatched but was powerless to stop fate!!
And so they were married - Iris finds Tom's friends low-brow but is herself roundly criticized for being "fast" when she lights up a cigarette at the table and of course Shamrock manages to embarrass Richard in front of his friends when she gets drunk (but still manages to come out looking like roses for the viewer). And that reminds me, it wouldn't be a DeMille movie without a bath scene and what a bath, an amazing fountain with spurting jets of water and of course Shamrock tries to eat the soap!! Iris realises that she was in love with the uniform of Tom the dashing chauffeur, not plain Tom, now unemployed and hunting for a job!! DeMille cryptically shows where his sympathies lie - Shamrock is forbidden by Dick's snooty sister to come down to the Halloween party in case she humiliates the family while the party looks the most idiotic, drunken orgy ever!!
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! - Can't quite work out the last scene. 7 years have passed (usually the time when people can marry again after separation or desertion) - Shamrock and Tom are having a wild time at Coney Island with their several children while over on Nob Hill Iris and Richard have just decided to announce their engagement. Now does this mean that Shamrock and Tom have decided to settle down without the benefit of clergy - or that Iris and Richard are so boring it has taken them 7 years to get around to becoming engaged again?? Just wondering.....
DeMille must have used this film to introduce his new stars because Conrad Nagel was a new face as well - unfortunately though for both Nagel and Joy, their parts weren't sympathetic. She plays Iris Van Suydam, a spoiled society girl living it up on an uncle's allowance. She is engaged to wealthy Richard Prentiss (Nagel) but both of them pine for the simple things in life and think they have found the answer with their servants. Vibrant Edith Roberts who is the real star and find of the film plays Shamrock O'Day whose day-dreams turn washing rope into strings of pearls - she hangs about Tom McGuire, Iris's chauffeur who secretly treasures a little embroidered hanky from his employer!!
One unfortunate Saturday, Shamrock has an accident with the laundry from the Prentiss' household - she ends up at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a polar bear skin rug while trying desperately to save some gold fish. Richard is appalled at the snobbish dressing down she receives from his sister (Julia Faye) and offers to run her home. All seen by Iris who, to "get even", orders her chauffeur to take her on a picnic - with her "no one can tell me what to do" attitude she takes the wheel and her reckless driving sees the car stalled on a railway bridge. In a hair raising scene quick witted Tom saves the day and Iris as they both hang from the bridge to let the train pass.
I know it was the roaring twenties and anything goes - but little Shamrock was the only character to engender viewer sympathy. Leatrice Joy had a dignified beauty but her colourless personality was completely overshadowed by vibrant Edith Roberts. It was hard to believe her "I love you" declaration to Tom at the end, she didn't put her feelings across on the screen. Also, as working class as Shamrock's character was, she was the only one to realise that they were all mismatched but was powerless to stop fate!!
And so they were married - Iris finds Tom's friends low-brow but is herself roundly criticized for being "fast" when she lights up a cigarette at the table and of course Shamrock manages to embarrass Richard in front of his friends when she gets drunk (but still manages to come out looking like roses for the viewer). And that reminds me, it wouldn't be a DeMille movie without a bath scene and what a bath, an amazing fountain with spurting jets of water and of course Shamrock tries to eat the soap!! Iris realises that she was in love with the uniform of Tom the dashing chauffeur, not plain Tom, now unemployed and hunting for a job!! DeMille cryptically shows where his sympathies lie - Shamrock is forbidden by Dick's snooty sister to come down to the Halloween party in case she humiliates the family while the party looks the most idiotic, drunken orgy ever!!
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! - Can't quite work out the last scene. 7 years have passed (usually the time when people can marry again after separation or desertion) - Shamrock and Tom are having a wild time at Coney Island with their several children while over on Nob Hill Iris and Richard have just decided to announce their engagement. Now does this mean that Shamrock and Tom have decided to settle down without the benefit of clergy - or that Iris and Richard are so boring it has taken them 7 years to get around to becoming engaged again?? Just wondering.....