Manhandled (1924) - full transcript

MANHANDLED

The world lets a girl

believe that its pleasures

and luxuries may be

hers without cost...

that's chivalry.

But if she claims them on this basis it

sends her a bill in full, with no discount.

that's reality

In Thorndyke's Thorndiyke's

Store at the end of the day.

Tired feet.

Tired hands.

Gloria Swanson as Tessie Mc Guire,

one of the mob.

The subway.

Her station.

In the Polar Star Garage.

Jimmy Hogan, mechanic by day,

taxi-driver by night.

"This thing'll save

twenty-five percent in gas -

and when I sell it to

that accessories company

in Detroit,

you'll all be working' for me"

Home, if you

could call it that.

Take me out tonight,

won't you, Babe?

You know, I gotta work!

I've had this new dress

ready for three weeks,

waiting for you to take me some place.

Be reasonable, kid! I'm going to make

a young fortune with this thing,

then we'll be married,

and I'll take you out every night!

Being married ain't any good,

not for folks, like us!

Please take me out tonight, Babe!

I'm so sick of Thorndyke's,

and bargain hunters, and pawed-over goods.

I just got to have some fun!

Can those blues, kid!

You won't have to wait much longer!

Tomorrow night I'll get

the boss to let me off,

and we'll see a good show!

And that swell Chop Suey joint afterwards!

We can dance there till one o'clock.

Okay!

A quiet morning in

Thorndyke's basement.

Pinkie Doran, who believes that

heaven will protect the working girl,

and send bracelets enough

to keep her wrists warm.

Don't buy that!

We got better stuff.

What do you mean telling a

customer not to buy our goods?

She was a friend of mine.

Chewing gum is against

the rules.

You broke another rule

when you cut that remnant!

If I hadn't there'd

have been a fight!

Chip Thorndyke's father had boasted that

he knew every employee in his great store,

but Chip's personal acquaintance

was confined to a few of the girls.

You're seen the whole works now.

Think any of these girls

would do for your heroine?

Paul Garrettson, novelist,

to whom a shop girl

was a strange but

interesting human being.

I'm afraid my heroine

wouldn't stick it out.

She'd never stand the

impertinence of the costumers!

I won't take it off!

Jimmy, my friend invented it!

Just a minute! There's a little

rebel I'd like to cultivate!

You're coming to the party

at Brandt's studio tonight,

why not bring that

little Bolshevik along?

Oh, I couldn't go!

I got a date with Jimmy!

Break It!

You know Jimmy'd rather be working!

Call him up and call it off!

How about tonight, Babe?

Tonight? Oh, I gotta work!

Maybe tomorrow night.

Run over to the Midtown Theatre and

get a couple good seats for tonight's show.

Jimmy forgot all

about our date!

You're a sap to waste our

time on that plumber,

he'll never get you any place!

At Brandt's, Tessie began

to learn about "ladies".

Have some gum?

It isn't being done!

There's Robert Brandt,

our host, he's a sculptor!

There's Bippo,

the cigarette king, he's mine!

And look what dropped in from the Follies,

Ann Pennington and Brooke Johns!

Be kind to boobs like these

and you'll ride a Rolls.

But don't fall for 'em, always leave

'em guessing when you say goodnight.

My dear Paul,

we have entirely different

conceptions of the true teleology of art.

Pure plasticity is my ultimate aim.

Pure plasticity is bosh!

Form and content are indivisible,

non-representative form is absurd.

Laughing legs.

Look out for Brant and Garrettson,

great fellows, but terrible with women!

Okay!

Get her to do some of her stunts,

they're a scream!

Allow me to present the

Countess Offernutski!

Let's drop into Brandt's for a minute.

We won't stay!

Arno Riccardi,

owner of a fashionable gown shop,

lived across the hall.

You face is strangely familiar.

Haven't we met before?

In Petrograd?

St. Moritz?

Oh, I know,

Coney Island!

I thought you were

in a hurry!

How would you like

to pose for me?

How much do you

earn now?

Eighteen per.

I'll pay you sixty per!

I'm not sure that I approve

this scheme of yours!

She's my discovery, you know.

With a healthy man,

love's only rival, sleep.

Who was that guy?

They're for tonight!

Why didn't you tell me?

I've got a better job,

I'm going to pose for an artist!

Don't you see, Kid, you

can't play with fire?

You don't know how!

TESTS M0NDAY. COME TO

DETROIT FACTORY AT ONCE

DETROIT ACCESSORIES COMPANY

Did Chip Thorndyke

bring you home?

I'm going to Detroit

tonight, Kid.

So Tessie climbed out of Thorndyke's

basement happy in the thought that

she was keeping pace with Jimmy in

his struggle to rise in the world.

It's the most insincere piece

or work I ever turned out,

a bricklayer could do better"

And it's all your fault!

Women always inspire our masterpieces,

and prevent our achieving them.

My heroine has been confirming

an old theory of mine,

all women love to skate on thin ice.

It's lucky for me you

dropped in to see Mr. Brant!

I didn't come to see Brandt,

I came to find you.

Step into my place just a

moment and I'll tell you why.

I certainly didn't expect a man

like Mr. Brandt would get fresh...

Now s'pose I'll back to Thorndyke's!

Not necessarily. That's I want

talk to you about.

I've been thinking of your impersonation

that night at Brandt's party.

I'm sure you could get

away with it in real life.

You know how rich American

women workship titles.

Now if I had a Russian countess to

pour tea in my shop every afternoon.

How much will

you pay?

Seventy-five a

week to start.

No more clothes like These!

I'll provide your gowns,

for you must look the part of the street,

in restaurants, wherever you go!

Okay! I'll take the job!

Within a week, Riccardi's shop

boasted real Romanoff nobility,

and in spite of her mishap

at Brandt's Tessie felt that

her feet were now firmly set

on the ladder of fortune.

It's Pinkie!

[SPEAK RUSSIAN]

Please, please don't speak of Russia"

Any reference to her unhappy country

causes the Countess untold sorrow!

You're doing splendidly, Countess,

but you must see a little more of life,

you must let me take you out occasionally.

Hello Countess, how about dinner

and theater tonight? Chip.

If you really think I ought to go out more,

Mr. Thorndike often asks me.

He knows everybody and

gives wonderful parties.

I don't know... Thorndike's a great

fellow, bur terrible with women!

Okay!

Mr Thorndike warned me against

Mr. Brandt and Mr. Garrettson,

Mr. Garrettson warned me against you,

now you warn me against Thorndyke!

You must all be members

of the same club!

If the road tests are satisfactory

your fortune is made.

There was no day which Tessie did not end by

an affectionate pilgrimage to "Babe's room".

I LOVE YOU

MORE AND MORE

At Riccardi's party Tessie

realized for the first time

that Jimmy was right,

she couldn't play with fire.

Step aside, madam,

I'm a millionaire!

Dear Tessie, will pick you up

for dinner, Riccardi's party, Chip.

Isn't it pretty late in the game

to be getting so particular?

After Garrettson, and Brandt, and Riccardi?

What did you do it for, Kid?

All the time I was

putting the deal across in

Detroit I was thinking of you,

doing it all for you!

Why Babe, these clothes don't belong to me,

they're Riccardi's, they're part of my job!

I suppose these finger marks

are part of your job, too!

You're like the goods you hated

to sell in Thorndike's basement,

rumpled, soiled, pawed over.

Manhandled!!

Don't you love me

any more, Babe?

Then it's, all over?

Dear God, show him the truth!

Bring him back to me...

I don't want anything but him!

I LOVE YOU

MORE AND MORE

If you love me as I love you,

no knife can cut our love in two, Tessie.

That's for tomorrow.

You're manhandling me!

Okay!

Subtitles: Kilo