Every Day's a Holiday
Cast & Crew
A. Edward Sutherland
Mae West
Edmund Lowe
Charles Butterworth
Charles Winninger
Walter Catlett
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In turn-of-the-century New York, Peaches O'Day, a noted female con artist, is wanted by the police. Having a grudging admiration for Peaches, Captain Jim McCarey tells her to leave town so he does not have to arrest her. Peaches manages to befriend Von Reighle Van Doon's butler Larmadou Graves, and the three become friends. They attend a gala New Year's Eve celebration at Rector's, a posh club, and there Peaches' manager, Nifty Bailey, hits on the idea of introducing Peaches in a stage show as Fifi, a famous French performer, thereby allowing her to perform in New York in disguise. Peaches goes to Boston to elude the law, but returns and impersonates Fifi, wearing a black wig, financed by Van Doon. When Peaches rebuffs the advances of the crooked chief of police, John Quade, he becomes enraged and orders that McCarey close the show due to non-existent fire hazards. When McCarey refuses, Quade takes his badge. As Fifi, Peaches visits Quade at his office to regain his favor, and while he is out of the room, she steals her criminal record, as well as those of Quade's henchmen. Both McCarey and Quade become wise to Peaches' disguise, but when Quade threatens her, McCarey throws him out of her dressing room. Peaches then proposes that McCarey run for mayor against Quade. Quade's men kidnap McCarey just prior to his speech in Madison Square Garden. Peaches keeps up the campaign for McCarey, vowing that she will run if he does not reappear. Finally, McCarey breaks loose from the kidnappers and appears just in time to make his speech and knock Quade silly. It is then revealed that Peaches herself had Quade's men kidnap McCarey to strengthen his public appeal, and she paid them off by giving them their police files. McCarey wins the campaign and Peaches.
Director
A. Edward Sutherland
Cast
Mae West
Edmund Lowe
Charles Butterworth
Charles Winninger
Walter Catlett
Lloyd Nolan
Roger Imhof
Herman Bing
Lucien Prival
Adrian Morris
Francis Mcdonald
John Indrisano
George Rector
Chester Conklin
Irving Bacon
Allen Rogers
John "skins" Miller
Otto Fries
Louis Armstrong
Crew
Stanley Adams
Basia Bassett
Joseph Cantling
Hoagy Carmichael
Emanuel Cohen
Sam Coslow
Ray Curtiss
Hugo Grenzbach
Wiard Ihnen
Gordon Jennings
Joe Nadel
Le Roy Prinz
Earl Rettig
Schiaparelli
Leo Shuken
George Stoll
Karl Struss
Jo Swerling
Barry Trivers
Mae West
Mae West
Adolph Zukor
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Nominations
Best Art Direction
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Information in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library reveals that in August 1937, the PCA insisted on the following: "a) That the large number of offensively suggestive, or double-meaning, lines would be omitted; and, b) The excessive and unnecessary drinking and drunkenness would be deleted, and all drinking toned down to an absolute minimum." In addition, the following changes were recommended: "Peaches, Van and Graves will not be shown as drunk, and the business of cutting the pane of glass in the store window will be clouded in such a way as to get away from any definite detail of crime. The suggestion that Peaches is a thief will be cleared up by a line to the effect that a check will be sent for the goods in the morning....The business of Peaches kissing Quinn [possibly an error for Quade], to be followed by a slow fade-out, will be shot in such a way that there will be no possible indication of a sex affair between the two. This is important. Neither will it be indicated, at any time, that Peaches is a promiscuous woman, having associated heretofore with the 'Spanish fellow' and 'Frenchy.' It will also be clearly established that, at no time does Peaches live in the same house with Van and Graves." In an August 1937 letter to Joseph I. Breen, director of the PCA, producer Emanuel Cohen noted that "the basic characterization of Miss West in this picture is completely different from anything she has ever done before. There are no sex contacts nor sex situations that could possibly arouse the criticism that her picture previously received. I think this is the most important thing to consider in this West picture." Here, Cohen refers to the complaints from the State and local censor boards and the Hays Office regarding previous West films.
As noted by the Variety review, this film was considered "less flagrantly sexy than previous Mae West screen exhibits." New York Herald Tribune noted that "the new Mae West film...is clean and dull. The offering has almost none of the salty speech and suggestive gesture which have made the star the high priestess of innuendo." Despite these reviews, the PCA still received letters of complaint about the film, such as the letter from the San Francisco Motion Picture Council, which felt the film was "definitely vulgar." A pre-release advertisement in Hollywood Reporter announced the Paramount production Sapphire Sal, a gay nineties musical to be produced for the 1937-1938 year. This May have been an early title for this film. According to press information, Joseph Cantling, former newspaperman, was technical advisor for a correct reproduction of a turn-of-the-century political rally. In her role as "Fifi," Mae West reenacted a scene from Camille in the manner of Sarah Bernhardt. West reportedly wore seventeen gowns in this film.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1938
Released in United States 1938
