Shopworn (1932) User Reviews (22)

has its moments

[mukava991 · 6/10 · 19 January 2008]

This fast-moving film features Barbara Stanwyck in her early period when she usually played a tough, lower-class dame with a hot temper who stands fast to her principles. This character is virtually identical to the ones she played in NIGHT NURSE, LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT and BABY FACE. Here she is a waitress who falls in love with a rather bland medical student (Regis Toomey) whose nasty and snobbish mother (an excellent and truly scary Clara Blandick) schemes with a corrupt judge (Oscar Apfel) to separate the young lovers by sending Stanwyck to one of those reformatories that pop up so frequently in films of this era. The ever-fluttery Zasu Pitts is on hand as Stanwyck's aunt - what a comedown from GREED.

In one scene Stanwyck, trying to memorize the dictionary as a means of self improvement, shows her suitor a list of words beginning with the letter "e" which she has written down. He reads them aloud, stops after "ejaculate," looks at her with some curiosity and says that even he would never use such a word. That moment immediately pigeonholes this film as pre-Code. The scene continues artfully with one-word exchanges all starting with the letter "e." Later, while Lucien Littlefeld is conversing about the Stanwyck-Toomey relationship with Oscar Apfel, a couple of lines are very clumsily overdubbed by other actors. Makes one wonder what was actually said. Late in the film there is an imaginative banquet scene in which the camera carefully pans the length of a dining table highlighting the place cards (each a little paper doll inscribed with a guest's name) while the corresponding but off-screen voices converse on the soundtrack; then the camera moves back to reveal the whole table and all of the people we have been listening to. The yard between the diner where Stanwyck works and the house where the owners live is well depicted: tattered laundry hanging on a line, overflowing garbage cans and kittens playing.

The screenwriter Robert Riskin contributes some snappy and witty dialogue. He worked quite frequently with Frank Capra, penning the scripts for IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, MEET JOHN DOE, LADY FOR A DAY and MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN, among others. All of these films address the issue of "decency" – what truly constitutes decency? Saying you are decent or actually being decent?

Momma goes Electra

[st-shot · 6/10 · 20 August 2008]

Working class heroine Barbara Stanwyck is tough as nails as she spits in "decent society's" face rather than buckle to bribe or threat as a waitress in an other side of the tracks romance with a med student in Shopworn.

The son of an overly possessive mother, David Livingston falls hard for tip chaser Kitty Lane at a local greasy spoon. Clinging mom is not about to let this happen and she wastes no time in exercising her considerable pull in getting a big time judge relative to send her to the slammer for 90 days on morals charges. Upon release Kitty goes on stage and makes it big. Six years later she runs into David, now a doctor again along with his mother still intent on keeping a firm grip on him.

There is some very ugly abuse of power that takes place in Shopworn as the son obsessed mother badgers the judge to do her corrupt bidding in getting Kitty out of the way. There are also swipes at law enforcement, the penal system and polite society, with Kitty being an ideal lynch pin for such actions. As Kitty, Stanwyck does an excellent job of vociferously exposing hypocrisy, especially in the scene where she is bribed and threatened as she throws the money in the judge's face and berates the police. The ending is contrived however and the sickeningly sweet finale is hard to swallow. Babs is too good for the lot of 'em. Mom and son (a wincingly woosie performance by Regis Toomey) don't deserve to be in the same room as her.

Barbara Stanwyck vs. the worst mother in the world

[marcslope · 6/10 · 14 January 2008]

Babs is a poor-but-honest small-town waitress in love with Regis Toomey (which in itself can't be easy), but she runs afoul of his mom, a pre-Auntie Em Clara Blandick, who is revealed to be snobbish, dishonest, unreasonable, and insufferably class-conscious. Even by the standards of the time, where lower-class gals always had a hard time of it crashing into society, Babs must endure endless humiliations, including ZaSu Pitts as an underwritten aunt. This Columbia potboiler, written and shot by folks who were also working on Capra early talkies at the time, is rather like Capra without Capra, and the anonymous direction doesn't allow for much style. But Stanwyck was always worth watching, and she gets to run through an impressive gamut of emotions before the hasty and unconvincing happy ending. And it's satisfyingly short.

another great performance from Stanwyck

[didi-5 · 7/10 · 19 October 2008]

As usual Barbara Stanwyck is the best thing in this film, a melodrama taking a swipe at the rich over the poor, might over right, and lots of other 'causes'. 'Shopworn''s basic story is rather improbable - Stanwyck lives out in the sticks with her father, an engineer, when he is killed in an explosion at his works. She's off to her aunt and uncle (aunt beautifully played by the reliable ZaSu Pitts) to work in their greasy spoon but soon attracts the local men with her flirty ways.

One day a customer who is rather more well-heeled comes in (a flat performance from Regis Toomey as the rich mummy's boy - Toomey would be seen in later years in the Salvation Army in 'Guys and Dolls') and Stanwyck falls badly, promising to marry him but getting packed away to a reformatory on morals charges when his ma finds out. So far, so predictable. Now she becomes a stage star - less likely - and returns to Toomey's home town to confront him.

A sparky enough script and reasonably perky acting from some of the principals - Clara Blandick as the overbearing mother for one - and a powerhouse performance from Stanwyck keep you watching. But this film doesn't really know where it is going and the happy ending feels forced and rather unlikely.

"You're hot but the coffee's cold"

[Michael_Elliott · 21 July 2012]

Shopworn (1932)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Barbara Stanwyck plays Kitty Lane, a poor waitress who one days meets David Livingston (Regis Toomey) who is of course rich and comes from a respectable family. The two fall in love and decide to get married but his rather evil mother (Clara Blandick) will stop at nothing to keep them apart. Thinking he has left her, Kitty goes out to make something of herself. SHOPWORN is pretty predictable from start to finish but the attractive cast makes the film worth sitting through and especially since it runs a very fast 68-minutes. There's no question that the screenplay could have used a little work because everything that happens seems rather predictable and unoriginal even for 1932 standards. The poor girl being looked down upon by rich people is something we've seen many times and there's really nothing new done with it here. Even what happens to the character after she becomes famous is pretty standard stuff. What keeps the film moving along so well are the performances and especially the one from Stanwyck. She delivers a really well rounded performance as she perfectly nails both the tough and tender side of the character. Toomey is also quite good as the love interest and there's no question that Blandick does a very good job as the snake-hissing villain. Zasu Pitts is wasted in a supporting role but she's got one funny scene towards the start of the picture. The ending is one you'll see coming from a mile away and at times it gets so silly that I couldn't help but laugh but there's still enough going on here to make it worth viewing.

Classic Stanwyck

[cadmandu · 7/10 · 22 October 2005]

I'm surprised no one has reviewed this at all. Well, Barbara Stanwyck made a whole lot of movies, and this one is OK. It's got Zasu Pitts and the usual suspects. Barabara Stanwyck plays a flirty waitress in a college town who takes up with a young lad from an upper class family. Interesting to see how mores have changed. Lots of golly gee lines in this one, lots of upper class snobbery. Truly a different world. In this movie at least Barbara S. doesn't play a total trollop, like Mexicali Rose. In this one she becomes a successful actress, although on the riske side. It's not clear from the film if she went from burlesque to legit, but something along those lines. Interesting flick.

Not so easy love

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 16 December 2019]

Have always been a big fan of classic film (pre-1970s) of all genres, and certainly don't have anything against comedy and romance. Far from it, there are many classics. Other than my love for classic film, the biggest reason for wanting to see 'Shopworn' was Barbara Stanwyck. Have always found her a wonderful actress and have yet to see a bad performance from her (though there is plenty more to see), one of the better ones of her generation in my view.

'Shopworn' is certainly watchable, it actually takes a lot for me to say that something is lacklustre or less. At the same time, it is a disappointment when it actually had all the ingredients to be very good and even great with the right execution and there is much better in the genre. Stanwyck comes off very well but she deserved better and there are things done pretty well, but what should have particularly worked doesn't quite and the waste of ZaSu Pitts is unforgivable.

The best thing about 'Stanwyck' in a classic example of a performance that is much better than the film itself, her character's determination, dignity, charm, sensuality and wit are all brought out brilliantly and quite relateably. The best of the rest of the actlors is by a mile a frighteningly beastly Clara Blandick. While not mind-blowing, the photography is very pleasing to look at. Especially clever in a banquet scene later on in the film.

Furthermore, the costuming and settings are handsome, and the music fits nicely and while not amazing it at least fits and is pleasant. There are a good deal of very snappy dialogue, with lines tht do put a smile on the face. The story has its charms and is not dull at least. The chemistry between Stanwyck and Regis Toomey has its moments and the direction, while not exactly special, is not the kind that is indifferent or amateurish.

On the other hand, Toomey generally is very bland and looks stiff. If he was a better presence his and Stanwyck's chemistry would have been more believable. Pitts has very little to do, and her rather subdued presence means that she doesn't really register.

Would have slightly forgiven the lack of surprises if the film didn't let itself down as much in the last 15-20 minutes or so. This portion felt rather rushed and contrived, and did it really need "to" on the somewhat convenient and saccharine way that it did?

All in all, above average for mainly Stanwyck but disappointing. 6/10

early Barbara Stanwyck; shop girl want to get married

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 14 January 2008]

In her tenth film, Barbara Stanwyck is the poor, working girl (Kitty Lane) who only wants to marry the man she loves, but his snobby rich family keeps interfering. Filmed J-u-s-t before the production code came into being, they put her away on "morals charges". Regis Toomey (competent, but Mr. monotone) stars as David Livingston, who wants to marry Kitty, but doesn't have the guts to stand up to his family. They go their separate ways, but meet up again later, when Kitty has become the successful entertainer, although they don't make it clear just what she does for a living now; Wearing rings and fancy jewelry when they meet up again, she tells him "Careful Dave, I'm a notorious, woman, and you'll probably get yourself talked about!" Oscar Apfel (always played the judge or the police chief) and Clara Blandick (Mom Livingston) team up to stop the marriage, but it all works out in the end... One of Nick Grinde's first talkies as Director. He and Zasu Pitts (Dot) had been in silent movies for YEARS before this film. Fun film, no big surprises.

"Come on in 'copper and Earn Your Pay!"

[HarlowMGM · 8/10 · 13 January 2008]

SHOPWORN is a terrific little potboiler from Columbia Pictures in 1932 starring Barbara Stanwyck in one of her first good-hearted girls from the wrong side of the tracks. Barbara stars as Kitty, a waitress with no family and no means who attracts the attention of wealthy young Regis Toomey much to his hypochondriac mother Clara Blandick's displeasure. When learning Toomey plans to marry this "cheap" girl, Blandick pulls in her pal, corrupt judge Oscar Afel to put out a warrant on Kitty in a trumped up morals charge. Virtuous Kitty angrily refuses the judges offer of $5,000 to get out of town and instead serves her sentence. Once released, she is now embittered and not quite sure she can trust Toomey either.

Now free, Kitty decides to enter a new racket where she becomes a sensation as a sexy nightclub songstress. Stage door Johnnies are all over the place and Toomey numbers among them but Kitty while still has feelings for him she remains untrusting. And old mother Blandick is still around to cause further trouble.

This movie is highly watchable mainly because of two sensational actresses, Barbara Stanwyck and Clara Blandick. Everyone knows how fantastic Barbara is, she could find truth in the most hackneyed situations and she does not disappoint with this rather standard story. The superb character actress Clara Blandick's talents are less remembered today outside of her sweet Auntie Em in THE WIZARD OF OZ but she was really in her element playing mean old bats who went out of their way to make trouble. Usually Blandick's buzzards were rural hens but her she is equally effective as a moneyed monster. Blandick holds her own with Stanwyck and proves to be one of Barbara's finest female co-stars.

Show biz history buffs will want to watch for Maude Turner Gordon in the supporting role of Mrs. Thorne. Ms. Gordon was one of the great beauties of the late 19th century and very early 20th century stage and makes as lovely and elegant a senior citizen as Stanwyck herself would a half century later.

Stanwyck is great

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 30 March 2016]

This is an early Barbara Stanwyck film, Shopworn, from 1932.

After her father dies in a construction accident, Kitty Lane (Stanwyck) keeps her promise to her dad and goes to live with his sister (Zasu Pitts). There, she works as a waitress.

It's a college town, and the guys are ga-ga over her, though she turns them all down. She falls for a bookish man, David (Regis Toomey), a medical student who doesn't seem to pay attention to her.

David comes from a good family - his father is a Judge, and his mother is possessive. She does not approve of Kitty. She fakes an illness and David finds that he must take her to a specialist in Vienna. Before he leaves, he proposes to Kitty, intending that she join them.

Everyone pretends to go along, but while packing, the police show up and arrest her for violating the public morals act, after she refuses the $5000 offered her. She is sentenced to prison for 90 days. David is told she took the money.

Upon her release, Kitty joins the Follies and makes a great success. Six years later, David visits her dressing room. She leads him on just to reject him, but later, the two talk it out and get back together. But his mother is still a pain, referring to her as "that shopworn woman."

One major scene was cut from this film - while in prison, Kitty miscarries a pregnancy, so it seems that she and David had quite the romance going.

I wouldn't say that Regis Toomey, who became a prolific character actor, and Barbara Stanwyck are well-matched. In the beginning, his role is that of an easily-influenced young man where his parents are concerned, and back in those days, this wasn't unusual. Later on he seems better able to stand up for himself. But as a couple, even when she was just starting out, Stanwyck had star quality, so it doesn't really work.

Stanwyck was a petite ball of fire, versatile, strong and charismatic, with a beautiful figure to boot. What a pleasure to see her in these early films. Watch it for her.

Wrong choice

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 21 March 2016]

Shopworn was one of those films that was old fashioned immediately upon release. I doubt we'll see a remake of it. If it wasn't for Barbara Stanwyck no one would give it any notice.

Stanwyck plays a poor but honest hash house waitress who attracts the attention of medical student Regis Toomey. Toomey is from proper society and he's tied rather neatly to mother Clara Blandick's apron strings.

Blandick might well have been the inspiration for Jane Wyman's character in Falcon Crest, a troublesome meddler in people's lives who does it because she can. Nobody's cutting mom's apron strings on her darling boy.

Really I'd have taken the money and run and had a clean conscience. I sure would have not wasted any more time on mama's boy Toomey. But Stanwyck doesn't and you have the rest of a soggy story.

She was a great actress Barbara Stanwyck to make this drivel sound somewhat plausible. Zasu Pitts is strangely subdued as Stanwyck's best friend. Why the director kept her in check is a mystery, Pitts's eye fluttering antics might have added something desperately needed for this film.

For Barbara Stanwyck fans only.

stanwyck fantastic

[sg9038 · 8/10 · 20 October 2005]

Stanwyck is angry, funny, and sweet in this movie. Also she's looks beautiful and doesn't wear much makeup. I never thought of her as a beauty before. The photography is great as well. The story is routine, but I saw it at a theater in San Franciso and the audience applauded enthusiastically afterwards. It was a surprise since all the reviews from the past said the movie was was below average. It had some great dialog, too. I don't think this movie is on TV video or DVD, but see it if you get a chance. Zasu Pitts acts like a human being and has a real role in this movie. At the end of the film, though, she becomes Stanwyck's assistant

the amazing Barbara Stanwyck

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 21 March 2016]

Kitty Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) loses her father in a construction accident. With his dying breath, he tells her to be tough. She goes to work for her aunt as a waitress in a college town. The college boys are all after her. She falls for stiff medical student David despite clashing at first. His father is a powerful judge and his mother does not approve. David is going away with his mother for 6 months. He proposes marriage. The family pretends to go along in front of David but then the judge puts her away for violating the public morals act after refusing to accept his $5000 bribe. David is told that she took the payout when she's actually sentenced to prison work for ninety days. She joins the Follies upon released and becomes a big time star. Six years later, David comes looking for Kitty. His mother still refuses to accept "that shopworn woman".

This is a rather simple and weak romance. The guy is stiff and his character is lacking. He is nothing special but she is another story. A young Barbara Stanwyck is starting to gain traction and one can see the reason. She has amazing screen presence and a powerful personality. She's a rising star and overpowers her acting partner. She is something to behold.

Stanwyck's a pre-code heroine who fights for her dignity and her man.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 12 March 2011]

When waitress Barbara Stanwyck falls for wealthy Regis Toomey, she's ready to take a leap into high society with him, but his mother (Clara Blandick) won't let that happen. She is controlling of her son, and uses an apparent heart ailment to keep him at her side. She considers Stanwyck to be gosh and beneath her and has her lawyer arrange for her to be arrested on a morals charge. Stanwyck ends up becoming a burlesque star, runs into Toomey again, and this time, mother Blandick is determined that there is no way they will marry.

In a plot line often used over the years, "Shopworn" is nothing different. Stanwyck is beautifully photographed and excellent as always, but Toomey is a dreadfully dull leading man. Blandick, who will be instantly recognized as "The Wizard of Oz's" kindly Auntie Em, is unfortunately given a one-dimensional society matron role. There is nothing remotely likable about her, even though she is basically doing what she was directed to do. Zasu Pitts adds some predictable "oh dear" type comedy as Stanwyck's aunt who stands by her throughout the ordeal of her imprisonment and eventual release by becoming her maid and companion. A better film with the same theme is the same year's "Wayward" with Nancy Carroll.

The film really is too short to explain just why Blandick is so controlling, why Stanwyck became a Burlesque queen so fast after getting out of the reformatory, and why Toomey won't stand up to his mama. The ending scene between Blandick and Stanwyck seems too forced to be believable. I've seen this film numerous times (mostly its not too clear public domain print) and don't seem to remember the beginning where Stanwyck's father is killed while a mountain is dynamited, so the TCM print I saw seems a few minutes longer. At least it is in good shape. Anything with Stanwyck is worth watching, but for her pre-code films, I highly recommend her Capra films at Columbia and the ones she did at Warners. Her non-Capra Columbia films are sadly mediocre.

Great Stanwyck Classic

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 14 January 2008]

This was a surprise of a film starring Barbara Stanwyck, (Kitty Lane) who plays the role as a waitress in a small town and is liked by everyone. Kitty is a nice gal and is very much in love with a boy named David Livingston, (Regis Toomey) who comes from a rich family and he lives with his mother who loves him very much and is very protective of who he see's and what he does. As a few years pass by, David asks Kitty to marry him, but his mother interferes and contacts a judge who manages to put poor Kitty in a girls reformatory in order to prevent her son from getting married. As many years pass by, David becomes a very successful surgeon and Kitty becomes very well known. This is a very interesting love story and Barbara Stanwyck gave an outstanding performance. Sasu Pitts, (Dot) a veteran actress gave a great supporting role Don't miss this film, it is truly a great Stanwyck Classic Film.

Although an early talkie (1932), Hollywood was maturing

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 21 July 2012]

There's a certain point of time in the very early 1930s that marks the difference (for me) between modern film-making, and the creaky, clumsy early talkies. It varies from project to project and studio to studio. I just couldn't quite make myself watch Columbia's/Stanqyck's 1931 pic "Ten Cents A Dance", which seemed way too dated, but I enjoyed this Columbia/Stanwyck pic made just a year later. It seemed more modern.

Here, a waitress falls in love with a wealthy son of a domineering mother Stanwyck and Regis Toomey, while the mother is played by Clara Blandick (Auntie Em in "The Wizard Of Oz"). Mother uses an overblown heart condition to break up the young couple. When that fails, a powerful friend of the mother has Stanwyck jailed on a bogus morals charge. But Stanwyck is strengthened by adversity and becomes a successful showgirl. Will Stanwyck and Toomey reunite? There are some interesting twists here.

Stanwyck is very, very good here. My respect for her as an actress has grown substantially as TCM has been highlighting some of her early films. We have forgotten what a formidable actress she was. Regis Toomey was...interesting here. Very pleasant, but just a tad stiff...you can see why he never became a top draw, but I rather enjoyed him here.

There are a few spots where the direction of the film came up short, the omost obvious being the scene where the then successful actress tells Toomey off. It just doesn't fit the situation, although handled differently it might have. And the ending is all to quick, with the mother suddenly relenting and blessing the marriage...right after she was about to murder Stanwyck and/or commit suicide. But that's the way some of these old films are, and at least this one mostly handles the story pretty well.

It's worth mentioning character actress Zazu Pitts here. Unfortunately, in her later years (and I do remember her in the 1950s), Zazu Pitts became a bit of a caricature of herself. But here, not that long after being an actress in silent films, she was still entertaining, and not over the top.

You can enjoy this film if you like older flicks, although it probably won't end up on your DVD shelf.

Film: average. Stanwyck: awesome.

[gbill-74877 · 7/10 · 2 April 2016]

This is a pretty ordinary little film about a young waitress (Barbara Stanwyck) who falls in love with a wealthy college student (Regis Toomey) who will go on to become a doctor, and how his mother strives to break up their relationship. I rounded it up a bit because of Stanwyck's performance; she is such a natural and has a couple of great scenes. I also liked how she was such a strong woman - her character was toughened by her father's death, and she stands up to unwanted advances while waitressing, endures being sent away to a woman's reformatory on morality charges, and tells Toomey off when he returns to her after she's made it as a dancer. Being committed for trumped up morality reasons is outrageous today, but it was reality then, and the mother had also considered getting her committed to an asylum, a real practice stemming from the 19th century. If you don't like 'em or they're threatening in some way, lock 'em up. The ending is unfortunately a little dippy, but you could do worse than watch this one, and it's almost entirely due to Stanywck.

One of the great scenes has her throwing money in a guy's face after he tries to bribe her into leaving town to get her out of Toomey's life: "What are you trying to make of me - what you wish I was? Something cheap and common, something that money can buy? Well, you can't. Nobody can! You and the nice, decent people who sent you here are the real cheap ones, trying to put a price on something there isn't any price for! If that's being decent, I'm glad I'm common! If that's being rich, I'm glad I'm cheap, and I'm gonna stay cheap! Because no matter how cheap I am, I'm not for sale!"

Stanwyck Shines in Standard Melodrama

[CJBx7 · 7/10 · 1 September 2014]

Barbara Stanwyck stars in SHOPWORN (1932) as Kitty Lane, a young woman who has to move to the city when her father dies after a work accident. She is taken in by her aunt Dot (ZaSu Pitts) and works in a diner frequented by college students who are always hitting on her. Unfairly, she acquires a reputation as an "easy" girl, and this complicates things when she falls in love with David (Regis Toomey), a wealthy young man whose selfish mother (Clara Blandick) will stop at nothing to prevent the two from marrying.

The plot of SHOPWORN is standard melodrama – boy loves girl from "the wrong side of the tracks", the good girl with an undeserved bad reputation, the overly possessive mother, the uppity disapproving blue bloods, etc. As such, there are very few surprises here and the peripheral characters are very one-note. The ending is rather predictable. There is also a misunderstanding (based on a lie) between Kitty and David that causes them to separate for a long time, and Kitty finds success as an actress in an unlikely plot twist. It does have some pre-Code innuendos that I found rather surprising, especially when the college students at the diner hit on Kitty. There are some witty exchanges between Kitty and David that make the movie livelier in spots as well.

The film is redeemed somewhat by the caliber of the performances. Barbara Stanwyck is always worth watching, and her charm, fire, wit and charisma help to bring some life to the rather cookie-cutter plot. Regis Toomey is good as David, sometimes a little cloying during the love scenes but effective when he defends his love and stands up to his mother. Clara Blandick plays the mother about as well as her character could have been played, revealing an unhappy, self-centered woman whose "love" for her son is mostly obsessive fixation and a desire to control him. The cinematography and editing are professional, if not outstanding, except for the first part where Kitty's father is killed as the result of an explosion.

Overall, SHOPWORN isn't really a great movie, but fairly serviceable and not very long (1 hour 12 minutes). Worth seeing mostly for Barbara Stanwyck's performance. SCORE: 7/10

Great early Stanwyck

[audiemurph · 9/10 · 14 January 2013]

TCM recently featured Barbara Stanwyck as their star of the month, giving them an opportunity to show a good number of the numerous films she pumped out very early in her career with Warner Brothers and Columbia. It is fascinating to watch several movies with the same star immediately one after another, because this way you get to determine how good an actor really is: do they become tiresome, or do they have staying power?

Barbara Stanwyck was the real thing. Thanks to her understated skills, I found myself appreciating her more and more, the more films of hers I watched. By herself she could pull even the weakest script into something worth watching.

"Shopworn", a typical quicky, was one of the best from those early days. Her range of talent was immense, playing, within this one film, a poverty-stricken waif and a successful Broadway star, playing happy and sad, incensed and appreciative, kindly and outraged, always with a dignity and slight detachment that are wondrous to watch. Again, it is sometimes only by watching multiple films of hers in succession to these nuances start to really make themselves known.

This is a strong film, with a very good cast. Regis Toomey is very likable as Stanwyck's love interest, and Clara Blandick and Oscar Apfel, as Toomey's mother and her consort, are deliciously manipulative and evil. Zasu Pitts adds a little mild comedy to the proceedings, providing a nice contrast.

Look for some very brave and quite interesting camera angles and panning sequences; one particularly good shot was taken of Stanwyck reaching under her bed for a suitcase - the camera is at floor level, shooting the scene from under the bed! Very unique and perhaps a little experimental for the time.

I highly recommend this fast-paced little film; and highly recommend seeking out early Barbara Stanwyck gems like this!

Just like a Jean Harlow movie!

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 3 November 2018]

Of all the pre-Hays Code films Barbara Stanwyck made-and there were tons-Shopworn might be my favorite. Jean Harlow must have been busy and the studio didn't want to wait for her, because this is a typical Jean Harlow vehicle. If you liked Hold Your Man and The Girl from Missouri, rent Shopworn and see Stanwyck's Harlow impression.

Barbara plays a low-class diner waitress who flirts with all her customers. She attracts the attention of the wealthy Regis Toomey, but his mother, Clara Blandick, can't stand the idea of her son sullying himself with someone so low. I loved seeing Regis and Clara in leading roles, since I only remembered Regis as Brother Arbide in Guys and Dolls and Clara as the secretary in The Girl from Missouri. Seeing them younger and with more meat to their parts made this truly feel like an old movie.

Clara goes to great lengths to prevent her son from marrying the low-class waitress, and it's both shocking and completely realistic to see how far she goes. This is a great romantic drama that could only have been made in the 1930s. The idea that a loose woman is the greatest evil in the world just doesn't translate in today's world. I loved stepping back in time and soaking up the magic of Shopworn. Jean Harlow fans should totally check it out.

Love Means Spanking a Woman

[view_and_review · 2/10 · 13 February 2024]

Tubi certainly has a nice catalog of Barbara Stanwyck movies. After finishing "Forbidden" "Baby Face" came on, and after that "Shopworn" came on. I hate to say that only "Baby Face" was worth watching.

The writers in the '30's just couldn't help themselves. They had to always try to put a moral, principled man opposite a morally loose or indifferent woman who would fall for said man and straighten herself out. In "Shopworn" Kitty Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) got a lecture from David Livingston (Regis Toomey) about leading on the boys who frequented her diner. He even said, "If I were your brother or cousin, I'd spank you," which was the common language for morally upright men. Some even went so far as carrying out the spanking (see "Professional Sweetheart" (1933)) after which the shrew would be properly tamed.

Even though David didn't spank Kitty, you knew she would be into him. Afterall, no other man cared enough about her to want to spank her straight.

With such an awful start the movie couldn't right itself. Their romance was interrupted by a meddlesome mother (Clara Blandick) much like the mothers in "Silver Cord" and "Another Language." Helen (David's mother) would stoop to faking ill to make her son concerned about her over everything else (a move done in "Silver Cord" and "Another Language" as well). She even referred to Kitty as "shopworn," which I had to look up. It means faded, soiled, or otherwise impaired by remaining too long in a store. Obviously, Kitty hadn't been in a store, but the implication was that she'd been around.

"Shopworn" followed a rather predictable pattern. The two lovebirds were separated due to outside forces which meant that they'd eventually run into each other again to resume their romance.

It didn't help the movie that Regis Toomey was terrible. I mean flat out trash. He couldn't have been more stiff and monotone. Barbara is no Oscar award winner herself, but compared to Regis Toomey she was Katharine Hepburn.

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"I'm glad I'm cheap....

[kidboots · 8/10 · 26 November 2014]

....if you and your kind are the decent ones"!!! This was one of the "Stanwyck Showdowns" that were becoming an essential part of her films. She had a few in this pot boiler but boy was she put through the wringer. If she only realised it, her earliest scene in the mining camp was going to be the happiest in the movie but just before her father dies (in a mining explosion) he tells her to get out of this town and make something of herself by any means available. First step up the ladder is her aunt and uncle's diner - her uncle is one of those types frequently seen in Bab's movies - the sanctimonious male, quick to berate her for being cheap and vulgar but equally quick to ogle her as well!! Showdown no. 1 - "your ideas could use some fresh air"!! But Kitty (that's Babs) needs all her artillery for the big one - the smother mother!! And Clara Blandick gives the role all she has - you know, the type who feign heart attacks when things aren't going their way!! Regis Toomey plays David, the bookish mother's boy who develops a backbone almost at the last minute. He played his part a bit too well - he just lacked the charisma to pull him out of the also ran actors!!

They are all set to marry when Mrs. Livingstone has one of her turns, convinces David to accompany her to Europe and for the icing on the cake has Kitty thrown into a reformatory on a trumped up morals charge. Years pass and Kitty, with her aunt in tow (for all Zasu Pitt's billing she doesn't have much to do) is now the toast of Broadway and it is really nice to see Barbara in a revealing pre-code showgirl outfit and seeing that she was a showgirl before movies came along, it would have been nice to see her dance a few steps but oh well!!

David looks her up, having heard a watered down version of what happened from his dear mother and is eager to start again!! Kitty can't believe it - nor can the audience, Toomey just sounds as though he has more pluck than the part requires - David Manners was really needed here!! Once again Kitty is talked around and once again Mrs. Livingstone comes gunning (literally!!) What will happen - who doesn't know!!!

When Warners Bros. agreed, in 1932, to pay Barbara Stanwyck $50,000 a picture due to her increased popularity at the box office she asked Columbia to match it but Harry Cohn refused. When he finally did, her next two films weren't worth the effort. "Forbidden" was an overlong soggy soap opera and "Shopworn" was a trite programmer whose plot would not have been out of place under the Mayfair of Majestic banner.