Marion Davies as Tillie Jones
23 December 2016
Unlike the other reviewer, I've actually seen this film.

Based on the popular comic-strip character which ran in newspapers from 1921-1959, this feature film from MGM stars the ever-delightful Marion Davies as Tillie the Toiler aka Tillie Jones, the quintessential flapper of the 1920s.

Tillie has a boyfriend Mac (Matt Moore) who gets her a job in his office as secretary to Mr. Simpkins (George Fawcett), and old fuss budget tyrant. The office is run by Mr. Whipple (George K. Arthur) who puts the moves on Tillie and takes her to lunch. There they see the rich millionaire Pennington Fish (Harry Crocker) who is attracted to Tillie and invites her to the fancy Piracy Club. Tillie decides to land herself a rich Fish.

Tillie lives as home with her mother and sister and overbearing brother-in-law (Bert Roach) and their kid. While she wants to marry Penny Fish, she still depends on good old reliable Mac for everything. After she lands the Fish and meets his mother, she learns that Mac is leaving town and discovers it's Mac she really wants.

Standard story doesn't give the stars much to work with. Davies makes a funny entrance when she gets an ash in her eye while walking down the street and is blinking madly. All the men think she's winking at them and follow her. Tillie is, as usual oblivious. The intertitles are funny and the pacing is good.

Davis is gorgeous in her dark bobbed hair and wears some short skirts. Moore and Arthur are solid in their rather confining roles. Crocker as Fish plays the stolid hero without much flair. Claire McDowell plays Ma Jones, Gertrude Short plays Bubbles, Mary Forbes plays Mrs. Fish, and James Murray is one of the admirers.

When you look at the films of Marion Davies, you realize that she rarely played dumb. Tillie is a tad on the dumb side, but Davies manages to keep her light and funny. She has a head on her shoulders, it's just not hers.
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