I've never seen Williams Haines play it so straight in a MGM drama. Here he's radio comedy writer Bill Grimes who is deeply in love with one of the players there, Laura O'Neill (Madge Evans). The problem is Haines is married to a woman who has lost complete interest in Haines with the exception of his monetary support. She doesn't care what he does personally as long as he brings home the bacon. Meanwhile, Laura is a pretty sensible girl, but her sisters are another story. Sally (Anita Page) is becoming quite the player in New York City nightlife via connections she makes at work - she's also got a job at the radio station. Into town comes baby sister Honey (Joan Marsh), and Laura is concerned that Sally will teach their baby sister her eat, drink, and be merry ways.
The first half of the film thus has some heavy stuff going on, but it is lightened by the behind-the-scenes look at radio work in progress. Particularly amusing are the scenes with Grimes trying to get sound effects right such as him arguing with the props man that their avalanche does not sound like an avalanche or that the "sick dog" sound he is making is not right for the dog food commercial they need to make. Grimes loses his job after the comedy he writes begins to lose its edge, and things go downhill fast. Add an incidental shove that turns out to have deadly consequences, and you have quite a drama on your hands.
Harry Beaumont did a good job of keeping this film moving without letting it get away from him. With things moving back and forth between Bill and Laura's romance, then to the radio station, then to Honey and Sally's partying with both the new and old money of the city, this thing could have turned into an incoherent mess in a hurry. Instead it all comes together quite nicely at the end with the individual pieces of the story holding your interest on their way to their joint conclusion.
To see how well the MGM assembly line could craft a tale in the early 30's and to see William Haines hold his own in a serious role, give this one a try.
