Red Salute (1935) User Reviews (7)

Spoiled general's daughter spurns leftist politics for humble dogface.

[Silents Fan · 6/10 · 17 June 2000]

Barbara Stanwyck portrays Drue van Allen, the spoiled college brat daughter of General van Allen. Drue dabbles in leftist politics, sponsoring the commie lecturer, Arner (played by Hardie Albright), chiefly for the agitation value it has for her father. Robert Young plays Jeff, a red-blooded young American soldier who can't seem to stay out of the guard house. General van Allen (Purnell Pratt) encourages Jeff's interest in Drue despite his less than perfect military record in an effort to steer her clear of the foreign leftists under whose sway she has fallen. In a series of misadventures, Jeff goes AWOL and he and Drue wind up in Mexico via a stolen travel trailer. Romance ensues and Drue and Jeff put aside their political differences. They return to the USA, Jeff returns to duty, the commies are routed, and everybody lives happily ever after, at least until WWII.

In several ways this simple little film seems to presage "The Way We Were." It won't make anybody's all-time favorites list, but Stanwyck and Young go well together and are pleasant to watch.

Barbara's in love with a Communist

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 6 December 2014]

This independent film released through United Artists was Barbara Stanwyck's first venture into comedy. According to a biography of her she made this one immediately after splitting from husband Frank Fay and she was staying with Zeppo Marx and his wife.

Reading the blurb about Red Salute I can hardly believe that anyone got so worked up over this rather innocuous screen comedy. Actual fistfights occurred in the audience and the American Communist Party picketed this film probably bringing in a few more bucks at the box office as a result.

Stanwyck is an army brat, daughter of General Purnell Pratt and she's committed the foulest of sins according to him, she's in love with a Communist student Hardie Albright. But the army has the goods on him, he's not a US citizen and can be deported for something if they can find some kind of charge like inciting to riot. Mere free speech won't do it, there's that First Amendment you know.

Through a series of comical and drunken accidents she and enlisted man Robert Young leave together and even hijack a trailer from its owner Cliff Edwards. Truth be told Edwards would like to get away from that harridan of a wife he married Ruth Donnelly.

After this it becomes one of dozens of imitation films of It Happened One Night. That time on the road with Young with Cliff Edwards crooning I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now make Stanwyck see the error of her ways even if she won't admit it.

Red Salute is a pleasant and innocuous sort of film, a much better view of radical student politics of the 30s is found in The Way We Were. I also couldn't help thinking that if Albright avoided deportation he'd be in front of the House Un American Activities Committee in a dozen years.

A sequel film with that as a premise might have proved interesting.

Funny "It Happened One Night" rip-off with subtle communist leanings.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 22 June 2012]

When you've got rebellious socialite Barbara Stanwyck on the run in a cheaply made trailer driven by Ukelaile Ike and sparring with AWOL soldier Robert Young, there's bound to be amusement. Stanwyck is engaged to political activist Hardie Albright but when her papa sends her off to Mexico to get her away from him, she goes into overtime trying to get back.

Then there's Cliff Edwards, desperate to get away from harpy wife Ruth Donnelly, is more than overjoyed to be kidnapped by Stanwyck and Young after they crash across the Mexican/United States border, causing international scandal. Hilarity follows, but the communist leanings of the script are so obscure to pick up (other than "red" in the title and Albright's speech demanding a new government) that the controversy of the film in its original release is unwarranted.

Lovable Edwards sings "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now", and he's not talking about that wonderful Donnelly who can't help even being funny when playing a shrew. Comparrisons to "It Happened One Night" can't be helped, but I find this faster moving and even funnier than that slightly overlong Best Picture from the previous year. An independent release from innovative producer Edward Small, it is worthy of re-discovery.

Another under-rated

[sb-47-608737 · 7/10 · 6 May 2019]

This is another take off on the Escape Bride - aka Night Bus aka It happened One night - incidentally the first of the series pre-dating the short story (so probably the story itself was a rip-off) - of British Movie - Jessie Matthew's 'There Goes The Bride' (1932) - so one year senior to the short story.

I will for the time being overlook the propaganda (anti red) aspect - that is because unlike any other movie industry, of any other country (and I would not exclude even the 3R from the list) , Hollywood had always been the proxy for Government policies, and had been making movies to mould the public sentiment towards it. In fact it is quite unfortunate - but the Government wanted it - that the "anti-war" sentiment of the Student leader had been ridiculed in the movie - for the historians - probably the assassination of the Socialist and Antiwar icon, Jean Jaurès, (who in fact preached exactly what the Villain, Arner, was preaching) culminated in WW-1. Probably - or most likely - had he not been assassinated, the WW1 - and its result, rise of Nazis and WW2 itself was avoidable. But those are wishful thinking, with the Governments as war-hawks, financed by armament manufacturers, moulding the population through all media, may be he would have failed in long term. I will, despite my stron opposition to it, overlook this transgression, and with that, the movie in fact is quite enjoyable. As predecessor to It Happened One Night - naturally it calls for comparison. Even in that - I won't really say this wasn't in contention. But that is my opinion - I personally prefer the 'B' star, Young over superstar gable, and Barbara anyway is better looking than Colbert - and none of the two are deficient in acting faculty either. Even the suffering father, Purnell Pratt, was quite charming, as much as Walter, and probably a bit more, due to his not being as rumbustious as Connolly. Only the unwanted fiance Hardie Albright (as Leonard Arner) was a bit disappointing - here he had meatier role, but that weakness were more than compensated by Cliff Edwards (as P.J. Rooney).

Well - over all another too underrated - definitely watchable movie - just one have to adjust for the misplaced prejudice.

An obvious knock off of..

[AlsExGal · 5/10 · 24 May 2020]

...the previous year's hit "It Happened One Night" by tiny Reliant Pictures. It has all of the major plot points of that film - well off gal wants to marry guy that dad does not approve of, he basically kidnaps her to get her away from the guy, but she escapes and starts the long road trip from the Mexican border (where she was being "held") back to Washington to marry the boyfriend which makes up the bulk of the running time.

What's different? IHON was made before the production code, so the starving millions were a backdrop in that film, along with Colbert's unfamiliarity with how the other half lived. Not a mention of it here. Plus, Prohibition is long over, so the boyfriend is no longer a gangster but a Communist leader trying to incite college crowds. Oh, and dad is not a capitalist tycoon, but is instead a general.

Now, Barbara Stanwyck never had a problem playing the rebel with moxey and a sparkling wit, and she is great here. But she has to play opposite man of the people - not Clark Gable but - wait for it - Robert Young! And Young isn't growly Gable as a fast talking fast thinking reporter. Instead he was a soldier headed for the brig for a bunch of bone headed stunts before Stanwyck's character and his ever meet. But he (accidentally) steals a government vehicle to escape his latest escapade with Babs along for the ride and decides he "has to" escape to....Shanghai, China???? Not exactly a cunning plan.

Young and Stanwyck have zero chemistry here. I would have a hard time believing these two characters would hit it off if they were the last two people on earth, and maybe so did the filmmakers, because Cliff Edwards is added along for most of the journey for comical and musical relief. Do you think IHON would have been better or worse if W.C. Fields had been along for the ride? That's what I thought, but believe it or not Edwards does make this film better.

Film historians and fans of Stanwyck should probably see this one. Interesting footnote - the film was re-released in 1948 as anti-Communist sympathy was rising again.

One of the more bizarre films of the age!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 27 June 2007]

It's obvious that somehow both Barbara Stanwyck (with Warner Brothers) and Robert Young (with MGM) had somehow ticked off someone in authority at their respective studios. This is the only way to explain why they were loaned out to a "poverty row" studio to make such a god-awful mess of a film. It is only due to the high quality of their acting and the welcome assistance of Cliff Edwards that the film manages to earn even a 3 on IMDb! It's just awful and hokey.

Barbara plays, of all things, a spoiled brat daughter of a general AND she's in love with a card-carrying Communist agitator!!! Considering how ardently anti-Communist her next husband (Robert Taylor) was, it's amazing he ever agreed to marry her! Though if memory serves me, Taylor himself starred in SONG OF Russia--a pro-Communist film in 1944 (when the US, for expediency sake, suddenly acted pro-Soviet since we were both fighting against Hitler). So my guess is they both just wisely agreed not to discuss either of these awful films! In Barbara's defense, her film was meant to ridicule Communism, not embrace it like SONG OF Russia! Anyway, back to the film.

Because Barbara is such an embarrassment to her dad, he arranges to have her kidnapped by an aunt to Mexico--hoping that putting some distance between her and her fiancé might cool their romance. Once there, she bumps into Robert Young, who plays a rather dim-witted enlisted man from the US Army. They argue but inexplicably, they both end up stealing a US government-owned car and crashing across the American border!! Now if none of this seems to make sense to you, join the club! As for the rest of the film, it looked like a combination of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT and I MARRIED A COMMUNIST! That's because most of the rest of the film, the pair trekked cross country as a pair of mismatched future lovers AND once rescued, she ran back to her fiancé--that is until the conclusion where Young proves two things once and for all. First, that Democracy beats Communism. Second, that just because you steal and wreck a government vehicle, illegally cross the border and go AWOL doesn't mean there will be any consequences and you get to live happily ever after!!! So after my description it probably sounds to you like a pile of crap of a film. If it DOESN'T, then I suggest you talk to a doctor immediately. This movie is bad and only worth seeing so that you can see two respected actors embarrass themselves. It's not often that you can see two famous actors perform in their worst film--together!

By the way, if you don't know who Cliff Edwards is, watch the film and listen to him sing. You will no doubt instantly recognize him as the voice of Jimminy Cricket, though he did quite a few supporting roles in films during the 30s and 40s.

Even cuter than 'It Happened One Night'

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 1 October 2018]

Just as cute and with an incredibly similar storyline and banter style as It Happened One Night, Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Young head up the cast of this adorable romantic comedy Red Salute. For some reason It Happened One Night swept the Oscars and no one's ever heard of Red Salute. Maybe this one didn't become a classic because it pokes fun at the fear of Communism; but then again, Frank Capra's comedy makes fun of wife-beating.

In this one, Barbara Stanwyck is in love with a man her father disapproves of. She's spoiled and rich, and to prevent their marriage, her dad, Purnell Pratt, tries to trick her into going to Mexico. She meets Robert Young, who's also broke and trying to find his way home, so together, they hitchhike their way back to the US. Sound familiar?

As much as I love Claudette Colbert and think she's two tons of adorable, I like Red Salute better. It's just as funny, clever, and silly, but it doesn't have the sting of winning five undeserved Academy Awards lurking in the background. Try this one out when you're in the mood for a cute romantic comedy in the afternoon.