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Joan Crawford, Gene Raymond, Franchot Tone, Edward Arnold, Esther Ralston ... see more see more... , Earl Oxford , Akim Tamiroff , Jean Dixon , Leo G Carroll , Zelda Sears , Helen Ware , Gene Austin , Harry C. Bradley , Mary Forbes , Ethel Griffies , Francis McDonald , Lee Phelps , Wyndham Standing , Minerva Urecal , Charles Williams , Clarence Brown

MGM's Sadie McKee is a superb example of how the "committee" system of moviemaking in the 1930s could sometimes yield unexpected delights. It all begins when Sadie McKee (Joan Crawford) is brought to ... read more read more...big bad old New York by glib vaudevillian Tommy (Gene Raymond), only to be unceremoniously dumped in favor of actress Dolly (Esther Ralston). Cast adrift, our Sadie lands a nightclub job, where she meets genially intoxicated millionaire Brennan (Edward Arnold). Accepting his drunken marriage proposal, Sadie must endure the slings and arrows of Brennan's friends and family, who consider her a gold-digger. Meanwhile, Sadie's former boss Michael (Franchot Tone), the one true love of her life, waits and waits and waits to see what's really on the girl's mind! And as a bonus, this is the film that introduced the peppy ditty "All I Do Is Dream of You". The labyrinth plotline of Sadie McKee is proof enough that more than one screenwriter had a hand in its creation: but instead of chaos, the film is irresistibly watchable, full of unexpected plot twists and marvelous little surprises. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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76% liked it

176 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Clarence Brown

Release Date: May 9, 1934

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DVD Release Date: February 12, 2008

Stats: 19 reviews

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nice gown 1934 colored mackee
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Flixster Reviews (19)

  • dunmyer
    January 13, 2012
    dunmyer
    It's so strange that almost no one today knows about the extraordinary early career of Joan Crawford. She was America's leading lady in the 1930s and made an incredible number of wonderful little movies in that decade -- several gems per year, many with Clark Gable.

    I stumble... read mored upon movies like 1934's "Sadie McKee" while in the process of exploring Bette Davis's early movies. Now I know why Davis had such a bee in her bonnet when it came to Crawford: Davis was envious of Crawford all through the early 1930s. Crawford was the legend that Davis so wanted to become.

    It's sad today that while Davis's movies are still seen, most of Crawford's aren't even available on disc! Tragic. Everyone remembers Crawford, but more for the sideshow that her personal life became and for the performances she gave after her rediscovery in "Mildred Pierce" (1945). No one watches her early movies. There's so little demand for them that most aren't even pressed on disc.

    "Sadie McKee" has some problems, particularly when it comes to story structure. While it's a bit jumbled and tries to be too many things, it's also entertaining as hell and has some sublime moments that seem to stop time. I kept imagining myself in a theater in 1934 watching this gem flickering in the dark. Imagine going back in time to see movies in theaters in the 1930s, when cinema was still so fresh and new, still being invented. It gives me goosebumps.

    Watching Joan Crawford's early work has made me fall in love with the movies all over again.
  • jjnxn
    August 28, 2008
    jjnxn
    Rags to riches with Joan, the clothes are phenomenal the film dated.

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Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
March 2, 2008
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

A quintessential Joan Crawford vehicle of the Depression era, this melodrama centers on a working-class femme (cook's daughter) and the three men in her life: bad boy lover Gene Raymond, rich boy Fran... Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

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