Skyscraper Souls (1932)

Too much of everything

Really Surprised!

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Most of the reviews have overlooked an important supporting player -- the building. I haven't yet determined the shooting site used but suspect Radio City was used in part. This deco dazzler did as much as the plot to convey the era and style of the story. The details of the doors and furniture were just as inviting as the story itself.Perhaps missed by viewers were the elevator clicks used to announce car arrivals -- no ding-dong, bing, or bells for the Seacoast Building The acting far outshone the cheesy fare of the period - With the exception of sight gag in the drugstore it was conveyed by and for adults.The print I viewed on AMC (I think) was immaculate with great sound. Only wish a DVD version were available.

Although Skyscraper Souls develops several good characters, the primary focus is on Warren William the ruthless William Randolph Hearst like tycoon who is obsessed with not only building, but totally owning the world's tallest skyscraper. To emphasize the point of how big this building is, the New York City background shows the newly constructed Empire State Building quite a few feet shorter than Warren William's edifice.All the other characters in the film revolve around William like so many planets to his sun. Beginning with of course his long suffering wife Hedda Hopper and this may very well have been her best acting part, before she became one of the reigning gossip columnists of movie land. Hedda's not even trying to hold on to him other than financially, Warren just writes her check as she needs in and she keeps her free spending ways. The Marion Davies of the story is Verree Teasdale, William's eternal secretary/mistress who knows where all the bodies are buried in his business. A young woman working as a stenographer in his bank, Maureen O'Sullivan has captured William's attention, but Teasdale watches her like a mother hen and Teasdale's the jealous type. Young bank teller Norman Foster is courting Maureen, but he hasn't a prayer with William intruding on the picture.These are the personal associates, but the business ones are also revolve around William as he is determined to break any one who wants to gain control of his building. Chief among his rivals is George Barbier who is quite the rich womanizer himself, but is hardly in William's class for brains.Coming out in 1932 I'm not sure how the movie-going public took to this story about the rich playing with stocks, so many lost their own nest eggs to just such speculation. William is the kind of tycoon people loved to hate that year.The climax of Skyscraper Souls comes at a big price for William. He gets his edifice, but loses everything else. Let's just say it's quite the melodramatic ending, but still effective. Although the film is firmly dated in the Great Depression, Skyscraper Souls will still grab you by the emotions and by the wallet.

Skyscraper Souls (1932) *** (out of 4) Pre-code drama in the same vein as GRAND HOTEL, which was also produced by MGM. This time out the story centers on an entrepreneur (Warren William) who will stop at nothing to own a 100-story building that he helped create. While William tries to take over the building, he also sets his eyes on a virginal woman (Maureen O'Sullivan) who is also being looked at by a poor bank clerk (Norman Foster). This is a much talked about film because of all the pre-code nature, which includes William trying to sleep with every female in the film and other goodies such as murder and suicide. Quite a bit of bad stuff happens in this film and that certainly makes it stand apart from other movies of the decade but there's no denying a stronger story would have made the movie even better. I think the by the numbers story is the main weak link because while watching the thing you can't help but already know what's going to happen and how it's going to play out. This familiar territory is a weak point but it doesn't take away from the fun. William is devilishly good in his role and you can't help but believe his character who is evil enough to not let anyone stand in his way. O'Sullivan, right off TARZAN THE APE MAN, does a great job as well and really sells the innocence of her character. Foster, Anita Page, Gregory Ratoff and Wallace Ford also turn in nice supporting performances. Fans of this film will also want to catch EMPLOYEE'S ENTRANCE, which features Williams in the same type of role and co-stars Loretta Young and Ford.

"Skyscraper Souls" is something of a poor man's "Grand Hotel." Instead of the Barrymore brothers, Greta Garbo, Wallace Beery, and Joan Crawford, we get Warren William, Jean Hersholt, Hedda Hopper, and Maureen O'Sullivan, but as was often the case in the 30s, MGM's second team plays as well as their first.For all its stars, "Grand Hotel" now seems pretty creaky and its characters generally not very engaging. The Weimar Berlin setting doesn't help matters; you can almost feel the sense of decay and resignation. "Skyscraper" is it's polar opposite. Although New York is in the grip of the Great Depression, you can't help but be swept up in the picture's vitality. The market may be crashing, but people haven't lost their spunk, especially William's ruthless tycoon, who's just thrown up a 100 story building - try finding one of those in Berlin."Skyscraper" moves at a fast pace and its multiple plot lines mesh together quite well. Although it was made 70 years ago, both the financial and romantic entanglements seem very modern. Dave Dwight certainly would be at home in today's board room and most of the women come across as surprisingly contemporary. They aren't exactly feminists, but these girls don't take things lying down.Highly recommended to film buffs, students of the Depression era, and anyone who enjoys modern melodrama.