By Frank Miller
Vagabond Lady
Brief Synopsis
A department store owner's sons compete for his secretary's heart.
Cast & Crew
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Sam Taylor
Director
Robert Young
Tony Spear
Evelyn Venable
Josephine Spiggins
Reginald Denny
John Spear
Frank Craven
"Spiggs" Spiggins
Berton Churchill
R. D. Spear
Film Details
Also Known As
The Girl Is Mine
Genre
Comedy
Romance
Release Date
May
3,
1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Hal Roach Studios, Inc.; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 15m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8 reels
Synopsis
Department store magnate R. D. Spear and his son John, descendants of the House of Spear, established in 1872 by Roger Spear, are dedicated to preserving the family tradition of "the undying dignity of mercantile enterprise." Meticulous in every matter of business and faithful to their motto, "dignity always," R. D. and John pride themselves on their refined tastes and highbrow endeavors. So much so, that when they receive a message announcing the arrival of John's wayward brother Tony, who has been adventuring in the Orient on his boat the "Vagabond Lady," they take every precaution to insure that he be kept away from the classy store customers. "Spiggs" Spiggins, the store janitor who is always drunk, is an old school chum of R. D.'s, so though he threatens to fire him, he cannot bring himself to do it. While Tony has been away, Spiggs's daughter Josephine, also a store employee, has been dating John, who has proposed marriage to her. When the happy-go-lucky Tony finally arrives, straight from the docks, he sends his family into a panic as he disrupts the quiet operation of the store with his loudness and uncouth manners. Though Josephine, who used to take part in Tony's youthful escapades, now fashions herself to be a refined woman, she still is able to appreciate the reprobate's spontaneity and zest for life. John, however, shuns Tony's reckless lifestyle and insists that they all attend an opera show rather than a circus. The next day, when Tony tells John that he took Josephine to the circus instead of the opera, John tells him that he has proposed marriage to her. John then enlists Tony's help in convincing Josephine that, though he engages in less cultured activities, he actually believes in the virtues of "poise, culture and dignity." Tony obliges his brother, but when he takes Josephine to a boring lecture, she resists his newly found interest in intellectual pursuits and insists that he take her to see his boat. Later, to her father's delight, Josephine announces that she will not marry the stodgy John after all. Josephine soon changes her mind, however, when Tony embarrasses her at a diving exhibition. As a result, she accepts John's marriage proposal. Upset at the news of Josephine's marriage plans, Tony takes to the sea, only to be joined by the drunken Spiggs, who refuses to give his daughter away to John at her Westport wedding. Believing he is doing the right thing, Tony decides to hold Spiggs on board his boat until he can sober him up and deliver him to the wedding. But when Josephine arrives to fetch her father, she misunderstands Tony's motives and believes that he is trying to spoil her wedding. Unable to dislodge her father from the boat, Josephine stays with him as the boat sets sail into bad weather. Once at sea, Josephine and Tony quarrel bitterly, but end their fight in an embrace, professing their love for each other. The next day, when Josephine discovers Tony missing, she believes he has deserted her and decides to go ahead with her wedding plans. Meanwhile, Tony rushes to Westport to stop the wedding, and just as they are about to seal their vows, Tony interrupts the ceremony and convinces John that Josephine is not a suitable bride for him. Tony then steals Josephine away to marry her himself.
Director
Sam Taylor
Director
Cast
Robert Young
Tony Spear
Evelyn Venable
Josephine Spiggins
Reginald Denny
John Spear
Frank Craven
"Spiggs" Spiggins
Berton Churchill
R. D. Spear
Ferdinand Gottschalk
Mr. Higginbotham
Forrester Harvey
Corky Nye
Dan Crimmins
Willie
Claire Dubrey
R. D.'s secretary
Shirley Chambers
John's secretary
Lya Lys
Pat
Nena Quartaro
Mike
Fuzzy Knight
Swan
Herbert Vigran
Edgar
Nora Cecil
Miss Perkins
Harry Todd
Crabby clerk
Fred Walton
Minister
George Kirby
First butler
Lowden Adams
Second butler
Beaudine Anderson
Messenger boy
Grace Goodall
Miss Jones
Ed Armand
Elevator boy
Max Barwyn
Head waiter in cafe
Ludwig Lowey
Head waiter at Biltmore pool
Noah Young
Man in man-hole
Ivan Linow
Man in man-hole
Edgar Norton
Chauffeur
Sam Flint
Boat captain
Louis Natheaux
Third mate
Lee Phelps
Pilot
Lew Kelly
Old cronie
Robert E. Homans
Old cronie
Gwen Zetter
Maid of honor
Eleanor Kingston
Bride's maid
Dulcey Day
Bride's maid
Consuelo Baker
Bride's maid
Dorothy Stockmar
Bride's maid
Herman Bing
Department head
Arthur Hoyt
Department head
Ferdinand Munier
Department head
Tom Ricketts
Department head
Samuel T. Godfrey
Department head
Bee Nigro
Department head
Charles K. French
Department head
Eleanor Vandevere
Department head
Harry Northrup
Doorman
Donald Haines
Office boy
Allen Connor
Elevator starter
Ray Deravenne
Waiter
Monte Shaw
Hotel manager
John H. Elliott
Master of ceremonies
Chester Gan
Japanese man
Victor Wong
Japanese man
Ben Taggart
Detective
Bill Gould
Detective
Stanley Blystone
Detective
Rose Plummer
Old woman
Elizabeth F. Rhoades
Old woman
Rosa Gore
Scrub woman
Dorothea Wolbert
Scrub woman
Arthur Millett
Dock official
Richard Kipling
Dock official
Frank G. Fanning
Dock official
Harry Dunkinson
Dock official
Theodore Lorch
Dock official
Wilfred Lucas
Dock official
Julia Griffith
Vangie Beilby
Carol Wines
Crew
Clemence Amy
Women's Wardrobe
George Baker
Screenplay clerk
R. L. Baldridge
Assistant props
George Becker
Stand-in for Reginald Denny
Ed Bernoudy
Assistant Director
Harry Black
Wardrobe Assistant
George Bourne
Assistant Camera
Bernard Burton
Film Editor
Frank Butler
Original Screenplay
Jack Casey
Makeup
Jack Coffee
Props
Arden Cripe
Assistant props
Catherine Dilter
Hair
Paul Eagler
Process Photography
Paul Finer
Assistant props
Tom Flood
2nd Assistant Director
L. A. French
Supervisor
A. Goode
Assistant props
L. B. Hayes
Standby carpenter
Harold King
Sound Assistant
Irving Klein
Assistant process Camera
Oscar Lagerstrom
Sound
Joe Macdonald
Assistant set dec
Jack Mackenzie
Photography
L. W. Neal
Standby carpenter
M. G. O'neill
Wardrobe
R. H. Pagase
Second Sound man
Elmer Raguse
Recording Engineer
William Randall
Sound
Hal Roach
Presented By
Stan Rogers
Art Director
Don Sandstrom
Props
Pat Scott
Stand-in for Evelyn Venable
Harvey Shepard
Stand-in for Robert Young
Dave Smith
Assistant Camera
W. L. Stevens
Set Dresser
Sam Taylor
Company
William H. Terhune
Supervising Film Editor
Stuart Thompson
2nd Camera
Frank Uecker
Gaffer
H. A. Wasden
Sound Assistant
Peggy Zardo
Hair
William Ziegler
Assistant cutter
Film Details
Also Known As
The Girl Is Mine
Genre
Comedy
Romance
Release Date
May
3,
1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Hal Roach Studios, Inc.; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
Distribution Company
Loew's Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 15m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8 reels
Articles
Vagabond Lady (1935) -
Between 1927 and 1938, comedy genius Hal Roach released all of his films through MGM. In rare cases, like this one, the studio even provided him with production budgets. With this picture, the result was a much more lavish production than was usual for him. It was so impressive, in fact, that MGM bought the picture from him outright and released it as an MGM production. The role of a devil-may-care playboy competing with more conservative brother Reginald Denny for the heart of their working class childhood sweetheart (Evelyn Venable) provided a nice showcase for studio star Robert Young, who rarely got to undertake such showy roles, while Frank Craven got some great opportunities for scene stealing from his role as Venable's hard-drinking father. The film also offers a rare chance to see Venable, best known as the romantic heroine of Death Takes a Holiday (1934), kick up her heels in a screwball role. Producer-director Sam Taylor had been with Roach for decades, writing some of Harold Lloyd's top films and even directing the classic Safety Last! (1923). Writer Frank Butler was another Roach standby and had written for such comedy greats as Mabel Normand, William Haines, Marie Dressler, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
Vagabond Lady (1935) -
Between 1927 and 1938, comedy genius Hal Roach released all of his films through MGM. In rare cases, like this one, the studio even provided him with production budgets. With this picture, the result was a much more lavish production than was usual for him. It was so impressive, in fact, that MGM bought the picture from him outright and released it as an MGM production. The role of a devil-may-care playboy competing with more conservative brother Reginald Denny for the heart of their working class childhood sweetheart (Evelyn Venable) provided a nice showcase for studio star Robert Young, who rarely got to undertake such showy roles, while Frank Craven got some great opportunities for scene stealing from his role as Venable's hard-drinking father. The film also offers a rare chance to see Venable, best known as the romantic heroine of Death Takes a Holiday (1934), kick up her heels in a screwball role. Producer-director Sam Taylor had been with Roach for decades, writing some of Harold Lloyd's top films and even directing the classic Safety Last! (1923). Writer Frank Butler was another Roach standby and had written for such comedy greats as Mabel Normand, William Haines, Marie Dressler, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
By Frank Miller
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
While the Cumulative Copyright Catalog, 1912-1939 lists Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Corp. as the copyright company of this film, the film itself lists Hal Roach Studios. A working title for the film was The Girl Is Mine. Although Hollywood Reporter pre-release news items list actors Mariska Aldrich, Feodor Kolin and Bobbie Koshay in the cast, their appearance in the released film has not been determined. Other Hollywood Reporter pre-release news items indicate that production on this picture was halted in mid-February due to director Sam Taylor's bout with the flu. According to a Daily Variety pre-release news item, Ed Bernoudy filled in for Taylor during his illness. A 26 January Daily Variety article notes that actor Frank Craven replaced Joseph Cawthorn, who fell ill. According to the article, all footage featuring Cawthorn was scrapped.
The file for the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library indicates that in December 1934 the PCA informed Hal Roach Studios that the script contained a number of "objectionable details," and requested that it remove any "suggestion of effeminacy in the appearance or manner of the floor-walker"; delete the word "tramp"; avoid the appearance of brutality in filming a "Corky's" fight scene; and to use care in shooting "prolonged or passionate kissing."
