Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
JohnHowardReid
Katharine Hepburn (Eva Lovelace), Douglas Fairbanks, Jr (Joseph Sheridan), Adolphe Menjou (Louis Easton), Mary Duncan (Rita Vernon), C. Aubrey Smith (Robert Harley Hedges), Don Alvarado (Pepe Velez, the gigolo), Fred Santley (Will Seymour), Richard Carle (Henry Lawrence), Tyler Brooke (Charles Van Dusen), Geneva Mitchell (Gwendolyn Hall), Helen Ware (Nellie Navarre), Theresa Harris (maid), Jed Prouty (Seymour), Robert Greig (Roberts), Mildred Washington (Emma), Arthur Rankin (Frank), Max Wagner (smoker in diner), Leroy Johnson (janitor), Nathan Curry (elevator operator), Helene Chadwick (secretary), Shirley Chambers (party guest), Louise Carver (Miss Roberts), Robert Adair (butler), Sana Rayya.Director: LOWELL SHERMAN. Screenplay: Howard J. Green. Based on an unproduced stage play by Zoe Akins. Photography: Bert Glennon. Film editor: William Hamilton. Art directors: Van Nest Polglase and Charles Kirk. Costumes: Walter Plunkett. Music: Max Steiner. Make- up: Mel Burns. Set decorator: Ray Moyer. Special effects supervisor: Harry Redmond, senior. Music orchestrations: Bernhard Kaun. Assistant director: Tommy Atkins. Sound recording: Hugh McDowell. RCA Sound System. Producer: Pandro S. Berman. Executive producer: Merian C. Cooper.Copyright 17 August 1933 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall, 17 August 1933 (ran 1 week). U.K. release: 24 March 1934. 8 reels. 74 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Stand-in steps into leading part at the last minute and becomes an instant success.NOTES: Best Actress, Katharine Hepburn. Other Oscar nominees were May Robson in Lady For A Day and Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade. Re-made as Stage Struck (1958) with Susan Strasberg and Henry Fonda under Sidney Lumet's direction.COMMENT: A filmed stage play. Almost no attempt is made to extend the movie's scenes outside the original stage area. The opening and closing sequences in the theater, a brief episode in a coffee shop, and a short montage of the heroine trying out in vaudeville, modeling, etc., are the only exceptions that come to mind. For the First Act or so, the movie does have a bit of pace and style, but Sherman seems gradually defeated by the talky and restrictive script, and even the actors tire of infusing life into their persistently superficial, one-dimensional characters. Nonetheless, Miss Hepburn acts with verve throughout, and certainly looks appropriately emaciated. Sherman has kept Fairbanks and Menjou subdued, so as not to draw attention away from her, but Mary Duncan and Geneva Mitchell are delightfully catty as established stars. Right at the very end, a new character (the dresser) is suddenly introduced to explain the meaning of the title.The plot is the hoariest of all show biz pix. This certainly dates the movie, — as does Glennon's now long-out-of-fashion habit of over-lighting all the faces. Thanks to Hepburn's cult status (her third picture, her first Academy Award), Morning Glory is still occasionally aired on TV. Despite the movie's faults, Hepburn makes a viewing worthwhile; — and Max Steiner has contributed one of his most haunting and lovely themes.
vincentlynch-moonoi
If you're looking for a strong plot, I think you'll be disappointed with this film. The plot is...well, what I expect in many early 1930s film.If you looking for interesting acting, then you'll like this film. Of course, the focus is on Katherine Hepburn, who turns in a most interesting performance. I enjoyed watching a very different role for C. Aubrey Smith. Adolphe Menjou is also quite good here, as is Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.Simply from a history perspective, you should watch this film at least once.
gladysmichael
Yes Katherine Hepburn did a great job and got an Oscar for her role as Linda Lovelace in this 1933 film. It was good to see her in her youth and her first great performance.I was also impressed with the role performed by Mary Duncan, the gorgeous blond actress. I had never seen her before and it looks like Morning Glory may have been her last performance in movies. I am going to see if I can download some of the other movies she was in to see what character she played. Mary's bio states that she lived until 1995 and was 97 when she passed away - I see in this role the satin and lace bombshell that predates, Harlow, Monroe and Madonna.
David Allen
Morning Glory (1933) starring Katherine Hepburn, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Adolph Menjou, and C. Aubrey Smith is a wonderful movie starring the incredible (4 Best Actress Academy Awards) Katherine Hepburn giving a "star" performance in a "star vehicle" show aimed at dazzling audiences with wonderful acting exhibitions, and succeeding completely.It is a stage play presented unpretentiously in movie form. Seeing Mornging Glory (1933) starring Katherine Hepburn is like going to a stage show, a dramatic Broadway stage show of quality part of the great tradition of Broadway (NYC USA) stage show performances given in huge numbers during the 1920's and early 1930's, during the historic period in USA cultural history when stage plays were the most important and honored form of performing, story telling art, and movies were not yet at all considered a serious art form, but rather were (justifiably) ranked with and compared to circuses and amusement parks (the owner of Loew's Inc., also owner of MGM movie studio during the 1930's and Louie B. Mayer's boss was Nicholas Schenck, who also owned New Jersey amusement parks, his work before he entered the movie business).Morning Glory (1933) starring Katherine Hepburn depends completely on actor performances, and the movie is essentially an exposition of wonderful (incredibly skilled) actor work with only simple movie settings, and no cinema camera, editing, music, special effects, or director "auteur" tricks or emphases.It's a movie carried completely by the actors in the show, and one can see good actor work clearly and for long, sustained periods in this movie in a way almost never seen in other movies.See Morning Glory (1933) starring Katherine Hepburn to see fine, skillful, talented, inspired, disciplined acting at it's best, presented during a cultural period in USA history when such acting was honored and emphasized, and when the subjects and depictions presented by good actors were intelligent, worthy, and culturally impressive and honorable.It's a breathtaking movie made during the early days of movie talkies, and before the oppressive Hays/ Breen "Hollywood Self-Imposed Censorship" Office imposed it's infamous code on cinematic art in 1934.The sound is not always good (mikes were placed back then in flower arrangements and actors sometimes failed to "talk into the flowers" with the result that voices could not be heard clearly), and the only flashy visual parts of the movie are montages showing the Times Square lights and panorama of 1933, and hands clapping superimposed over depictions of actors on stage and audiences reacting to stage performances, and of course the elegant white tie and tails and gowns for the ladies dress part of parties and backstage scenes in the movie.The big thing about Morning Glory (1933) starring Katherine Hepburn is actor performances of astounding quality...the fact that this movie gave great actors a chance to work out and show the audience their stuff.George Lucas and his "Industrial Light And Magic" movie special effects factory were not needed to make Morning Glory (1933) starring Ktherine Hepburn a success and an honored movie....one which should be honored for more than Katherine Hepburn's justifiably praised and awarded leading lady actor performance.--------- Written by Tex Allen, SAG Actor. Visit WWW.IMDb.Com and choose "Tex Allen" "resume" for contact information, movie credits, and biographical information about Tex Allen. He has reviewed more than 42 movies posted on WWW.IMDb.Com (the world's largest movie information database, owned by Amazon.Com) as of January 2011. These include: 1. Alfie (1966) 29 July 2009 2. Alien (1979) 24 July 2009 3. All the Loving Couples (1969) 17 January 2011 4. All the President's Men (1976) 16 November 2010 5. American Graffiti (1973) 22 November 2010 6. Animal House (1978) 16 August 2009 7. Bullitt (1968) 23 July 2009 8. Captain Kidd (1945) 28 July 2009 9. Child Bride (1938) 24 September 2009 10. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) 22 September 2010 11. Destination Moon (1950) 17 January 2011 12. Detour (1945) 19 November 2010 13. Die Hard 2 (1990) 23 December 2010 14. The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (1993) 19 November 2010 15. Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) 26 July 2009 16. King Solomon's Mines (1950) 1 December 2010 17. Knute Rockne All American (1940) 2 November 2010 18. Claire's Knee (1970) 15 August 2009 19. Melody Ranch (1940) 10 November 2010 20. Morning Glory (1933) 19 November 2010 21. Mush and Milk (1933) 17 January 2011 22. New Moon (1940) 3 November 2010 23. Pinocchio (1940) 6 November 2010 24. R2PC: Road to Park City (2000) 19 November 2010 25. Salt (2010) 24 August 2010 26. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) 21 January 2011 27. Sunset Blvd. (1950) 1 December 2010 28. The Forgotten Village (1941) 21 January 2011 29. The Great Dictator (1940) 1 November 2010 30. The King's Speech (2010) 19 January 2011 31. The Last Emperor (1987) 20 January 2011 32. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) 9 January 2011 33. The Man in the White Suit (1951) 5 August 2009 Written by Tex Allen, SAG-AFTRA movie actor. Visit WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen for more information about Tex Allen. Tex Allen's email address is
[email protected] Tes Allen Movie Credits, Biography, and 2012 photos at WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen. See other Tex Allen written movie reviews....almost 100 titles.... at: "http://imdb.com/user/ur15279309/comments" (paste this address into your URL Browser)
