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Dinner at Eight


Dinner at Eight
(directed by George Cukor, 1933)



Dinner at Eight is an almost two hour long affair dealing with wealthy people - some of them socialites and some of them not so social - during the Depression who are about to get together for dinner and the theatre with Millicent Jordan (Billie Burke -- Glenda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz) and her family. This is a very entertaining and joyful movie to watch, although it does deal with issues such as adultery (lots of it), going broke and even committing suicide.

The cast includes Jean Harlow as an introverted bedbound bimbo with a fat, disgusting husband (Wallace Beery) that is not liked by Billie Burke; Marie Dressler shines as the fat, old former stage star and, unbelieveably, sex symbol and man lover Carlotta Vance, who steals the show with her loud grand entrances and exits, furs, smiles, stories, gossip, and she even takes a hilarious stint as a dog walker -- never leaving behind her precious pooch, Tarzan, anywhere she goes. Besides Jean and Marie, one of my favorites is Billie Burke -- her voice alone is powerful enough to grant her Goddess rights. High pitched, snooty and full of rage just underneath the thin surface, Billie arranges and fusses over all the inviting and dinner preparations for the big Friday night, Dinner at Eight gathering. Her biggest guests are going to be Lord and Lady Ferncliffe -- never seen -- the richest people in England. They are enough to even drag Wallace Beery's stubborn character to the party. But - oh - did I mention they're never seen? Wonder why... (you'll find out!)

The rest of the cast includes John Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore, Edmund Lowe and Madge Evans, along with some others. It is a story about interconnected lives. Details of all the dramas going on with every person are rather pointless and boring for me to mention, but it's mostly about women having affairs, men having affairs, relationships in crisis, people dying, people losing money, people needing money, a look at the fears of the wealthy during the Depression, but in the end, Dinner at Eight is a celebration of life and love and trying to have a good time even in dark periods. Yes, there is a suicide (won't say who) and another character discovers that he or she doesn't have much time to live.

It was funny watching this movie. I haven't seen many old pictures. I have an interest now in watching them, but of course, I have to go at my own pace and watch what calls to me. The DVD case to Dinner at Eight mentions that this was made a year after Grand Hotel, the Academy Award winning Best Picture of 1932 that has a similar theme/setup to Dinner at Eight. This movie is, I suppose, a copycat of sorts. I have not seen Grand Hotel, but I do own it and I will be giving it a watch soon. That one stars Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, as well as John and Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery from Dinner at Eight. I can hardly wait!

I recommend Dinner at Eight more to women than men. This is a gal's movie with lots of gal drama and comedy. But it's certainly not overbearing -- the men play huge figures in Dinner at Eight, but the ladies, especially Jean Harlow, Billie Burke and Marie Dressler, are more commanding. But I will say that John Barrymore's character is quite memorable and strong and Edmund Lowe, as Dr. Wayne Talbot, is rather dashing. The real hoot and holler, though, is Marie Dressler and this was sadly her last real film before she died in 1934.

Hmmm... what does one give Dinner at Eight, especially after you give something like The Beaver three and a half stars when it probably really deserved less....



I think Dinner at Eight is a movie that will grow on you the more times you watch it. As long as you can stand Billie Burke's acting -- but who could hate Glenda the Good Witch?