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