User reviews

Corny Pre-Coder about a peckerwood (Richard Barthelmess) on a Southern plantation who is torn between the poor cotton pickers and the greedy plantation owner, all while falling for the owner's seductive daughter (Bette Davis). Davis is the whole show here, giving a fun performance that borders on camp. Even her straight lines seem humorous thanks to her risible Southern accent. The movie's most memorable scene is when Bette drawls "I'd like to kiss you but I just washed my hair" and runs away while a sexually frustrated Richard Barthelmess stares after her. Barthelmess is just short of terrible in this, doing all of his acting in close-ups of his constipated face. Berton Churchill, Erville Alderson, and Russell Simpson are all good in supporting roles.

It's a film that's hard to take seriously at times but, if you stick with it, there is a decent 'message movie' here, the kind Warner Bros. excelled at in the 1930s. The interesting thing about the movie's pro-labor rights message is that, while the plantation owner is a villain, so are the poor workers. They include a slimeball who forces Barthelmess' widowed mother into marrying him in an unsettling scene. Their leader's another piece of work, gleefully planning to blackmail Barthelmess into helping them. So no "white hats and black hats" here; just different shades of despicable. But it's not a movie you watch for the story as much as for the performance of a young and attractive Bette Davis. She's really a treat to watch. My favorite scene is when Bette invites Barthelmess up to her room to seduce him. It's both sexy and unintentionally funny. Which pretty much sums up Bette Davis in this movie and why you just have to see it for her.

With all the emphasis on Bette Davis in this film, it is easy to overlook the musical interest. I counted four different musical groups, each assigned to a different "class". There was the marching band at the funeral (black used at a poor white event), the jug band (white, at the poor white party), the jazz band (black, at the rich white party), and the blues singer. This is a surprisingly rich array of styles.

Interestingly, only the blues singer (Clarence Muse) is credited.

The workingman's studio, better known as Warner Brothers, did most of its social commentary films with an urban setting. Which in itself makes The Cabin In The Cotton a very unique product to come out of this studio. It's not a bad film, could have been better in delivering its message with a lighter hand. But what the Brothers Warner did was go back on an old standby.

Watching The Cabin In The Cotton this morning put me in mind of a much better film in which Preston Sturges satirized the making of films like these. If you remember in Sullivan's Travels, director John L. Sullivan played by Joel McCrea wants to make films like these, the epic he wants to do is entitled Oh Brother Where Art Thou. But in order to sell it he's advised to make sure it has 'a little sex'.

Which brings me to why The Cabin In The Cotton is remembered today at all. It's because of what Bette Davis brings to the film, a little sex. This film was a big milestone in her career as she plays the hedonistic daughter of that old southern planter Berton Churchill who keeps his sharecroppers, black and white, in virtual peonage.

The lead Richard Barthelmess plays a bright young sharecropper's son and Churchill takes an interest in him, sending him to school to be educated because he has no son to help run the old plantation. What he does have is one sexpot of a daughter to keep Barthelmess on the side of the rich and privileged instead of finding true love with one of his own class in Dorothy Jordan.

Churchill has been systematically exploiting the sharecroppers with high interest and cheating them on price. They in turn have been stealing cotton and selling bits of it on the black market. Henry B. Walthall and Russell Simpson have been leading the quiet peasant's revolt which threatens to get open and nasty. I'd have to say that the ending of the film has a forced and obvious conclusion both romantically and socially, but you'll have to see it for yourselves to find out.

The Cabin In The Cotton is a dated, but historically valid film about conditions in the old Confederacy before the New Deal. But the sex that Bette Davis brings to her role is timeless.

This film is probably most important because it showcases two stars - Bette Davis and Richard Barthelmess - whose careers are traveling in opposite directions. Barthelmess actually headlines here, but he is a silent star whose career is on the decline, and he has a hard time getting parts after 1934. Bette Davis is a star on the rise, in only her first year of her contract with Warner Bros. where she will become a major star.

Unlike many silent era stars, Barthelmess' problem was not his voice but his acting style. He was just a little too wooden to turn in a truly dynamic performance, and this film is no exception. The story is pretty interesting - Barthelmess plays Marvin Blake, a sharecropper's son who is educated by the plantation landowner and ends up keeping his books. His loyalty is torn between the planter who is sponsoring him, and whose daughter attracts him, and the sharecropper families with whom he grew up. The planter owns everything and is always charging high fees and interest via the company store and thus cheating the sharecroppers out of what they need. The sharecroppers have cooked up a plan to short the planter some of their cotton and sell it themselves and reap the rewards.

It's really hard to take sides in this film because everyone seems so unsympathetic - both sides are stealing from the other without any remorse or much redeeming value for that matter. It is worth a look if you can find it, although it is not yet on DVD.

"Cabin in the Cotton," made in 1932, is famous for a blond, 23-year-old Bette Davis saying, "Ah'd love to kiss ya, but ah just washed mah hairah," a completely meaningless line that she made fun of in the '70s when she was touring with John Springer.

She's very pretty here, and plays the haughty daughter of a planter who's after Richard Barthelmess.

The film is a serious one, made during the depression, about the plight of sharecroppers who are exploited by planters. It's actually a compelling story. Unfortunately, I have never been a fan of Richard Barthelmess in sound films, so there for me, it falls short.

Worth seeing, and if you're a Davis fan, don't miss this.

The problems of Capital and Labor are well explored in this tight little drama set amongst cotton tenant farmers and their landlords. Striking cinematography and excellent direction, from Michael Curtiz, combine with a first-rate and intelligent screenplay to create a memorable film. The two sides are well presented, both good and bad, and, although the solution for reconciliation is never really explained, the result opens up areas for debate that are still relevant today.

The performances from everyone are very fine - the supporting cast is an extraordinary group of unique faces and personalities. And then there is Bette Davis, in one of her first roles, looking sensational (platinum blonde) and being very naughty - an implied nude seduction is a highlight - as is that famous line. She eats poor Richard Barthelmess for breakfast, spits him out at lunch, and devours his remains for dinner. Barthelmess' performance is wonderful - he was one of the best actors of the silent era and here is strong in one of his rare talkies. He is so good that he almost makes you forget that he is far too old for the idealistic boy straight out of school that he is supposed to be playing. Great film - see it.

Cotton-picking farm boy Richard Barthelmess (as Marvin Blake) is saddened by the sudden death of his father, who was conflicted by young Barthelmess' growing fondness for higher education. In order to support his poor family, Barthelmess goes to work for the sharecroppers' miserly plantation owner, Berton Churchill (as Lane Norwood), who also pays for his schooling. Alas, an educated Barthelmess causes political trouble for his fatherly employer.

Barthelmess is really too old to be playing a school-age kid. The costume, lighting, and make-up do not hide the strain. Fortunately, Barthelmess, a fine actor, would follow this with some more suitable roles, like "Heroes for Sale" (1933). "The Cabin in the Cotton" has good direction (by Michael Curtiz), an interesting story, and a finely-wizened supporting cast. Barthelmess' leading ladies are sweet Dorothy Jordan (as Betty Wright) and sassy Bette Davis (as Madge Norwood). Ms. Davis, who delivers the memorable line, "I'd like to kiss ya, but I just washed my hair," is outstanding.

***** The Cabin in the Cotton (10/15/32) Michael Curtiz ~ Richard Barthelmess, Bette Davis, Dorothy Jordan, Berton Churchill

For those who are looking for a thoughtful and socially relevant Hollywood film, Cabin In The Cotton is it. The movie is rather quaint, even compared to other films of its time, but that's part of its charm.

The subject matter is unusual, in that both the struggling sharecroppers, and the wealthy land owners are portrayed as flawed individuals. Bette Davis performance as Madge gave her an early career opportunity to impress critics. Unlike her future roles, though, it isn't large or challenging. There is enough there to allow her to be a vulnerable,spoiled, and sexy minx. She also has eccentric dialogue and a glamorous wardrobe. Richard Barthelmess, in the lead role, as well as the supporting players, give very authentic performances. The cinematography is striking,giving the film a realistic rural atmosphere. A powerful and intelligent scene near the end reminds us that, in any profession, the necessary relationship between labor and management will always be a difficult battle.

It's the Planters vs. the Tenants (but the producers object to taking sides!). Hilariously hoary drama from First National Pictures involves a studious young man, son of Southern cotton-pickers, who graduates from school and takes a job as bookkeeper to a surly land-owner who wants to know who's been stealing his cotton. The boss's firebrand daughter is played by a very young, very blond Bette Davis, easily slipping into Southern Belle mode while pulling some real zingers out of the musty script ("I'd love to kiss ya, but I just washed mah hair...'bye!"). The leading role is played by former silent-screen star Richard Barthelmess, who hasn't adjusted his acting techniques to this improved movie-medium and looks woefully stiff (with a pasty, silent-era make-up job). Dorothy Jordan is the poor girl he loves--she's pretty lively, but this is really Davis' show. ** from ****

Interesting film about the plight of planters vs. share croppers in 1930s South. Richard Barthelmess plays a share cropper's son who is good at school and is sponsored by a planter (Berton Churchill). Although the boy becomes a bookkeeper for him he 's caught between the two worlds and the two girls from each side of town: the planter's daughter (Bette Davis) and a share cropper's neighbor (Dorothy Jordan).

As the war between the planters and croppers increases, Barthelmess is caught in a moral dilemma. He knows the croppers are stealing cotton and he knows they burned down the local mercantile (owned by the planter) because they think they've destroyed the the records. But Barthelmess has an extra set.

The film is a little slow and maybe too old fashioned but the subject matter is interesting and of course the film features Davis' famous line, "I'd like to kiss ya, but I just washed my hair. Bye!" Aside from that the film offers Barthelmess in his last starring role and good performances by Churchill and Henry B. Walthall as a crippled cropper.

Also co-stars David Landau, Virginia Hammond, Russell Simpson, Tully Marshall, Dorothy Peterson, Hardie Albright, and Clarence Muse.

Worth a look

In the deep south, the Blakes are a poor tenant farming family picking cotton for wealthy landowner Lane Norwood. The father sends his only son, Marvin Blake (Richard Barthelmess), to school and works himself to death. Lane's daughter Madge Norwood (Bette Davis) hires Marvin for her store and keeps him with his studies.

This is a pre-Code drama. I would like a more specific time and place to nail down the situation. There are some brutal subject matters although this movie is not about the black folks. I've seen Barthelmess before. He retired after the war. His acting style in this reminds me of the silent era. It stands out from the others and is a little awkward, but that does fit his character. Of course, the bigger name is Bette Davis. Sometimes, I do wonder if screen presence is more recognition than acting power. In this case, Bette is playing the sassy flirt which allows for some big acting.

Michael Curtiz was none too happy having Bette Davis thrusted upon him when he was directing October 1932 "The Cabin in the Cotton." Producer Darryl F. Zanuck saw some spunk in the young actress that the Hungarian director failed to see. Besides a lead in George Arliss' 1932 "The Man Who Played God," Davis' roles were minor playing mostly meek characters. Her part as Madge Norwood called for a head-strong, devious sexpot that the director felt demanded a more hardened, experienced actress.

"Are you kidding?" huffed Cortez to Zanuck when he was told Davis was going to be the lead in his film. "Who would want to go to bed with her?" Having no choice in the matter, the director expressed throughout the shoot his lack of confidence in her right to Davis' face. He described loudly so everyone could hear that she was a "lousy actress," and followed up under his breath that she was a "nothing, no good sexless son of a b" when filming her love scenes with actor Richard Barthelmess. Davis, though sensitive to his insults, let his comments slide off her. "Mr. Curtiz," said Davis years later, "was a monster as he was a great European moviemaker. He was not a performer's director. You had to be very strong with him. And he wasn't fun. Cruelest man I have ever known. But he knew how to shoot a film well." Hard to believe, but the two ended up making seven films together.

"The Cabin in the Cotton," focused on the confrontation between a plantation owner in the Deep South and his sharecroppers. The script was adapted from a 1931 Harry Kroll novel of the same name. Barthelmess stars as Marvin Blake, a sharecropper's son whose ambition is to get a school degree instead of remaining in the fields picking cotton all day. Davis is Madge, the plantation owner's daughter, a free spirit who sides with her father. To be fair, the book and the Warner Brothers' picture doesn't take sides; both are ripping each other off. The farmstead owners are more secretive and clever by cooking the books, while the sharecroppers are visibly stealing from the plantation owners.

In one sense, "The Cabin in the Cotton" is a transformative movie transitioning from Hollywood's silent era to sound films. Davis in later years talked frankly about one of silent movie's greatest actors, Richard Barthelmess, and his acting style. "He did absolutely nothing in the long shots, followed basic stage directions for medium shots, and reserved his talent for the close-ups," noted the actress. "In that way it was necessary to use his close-ups almost entirely." Meanwhile, Barthelmess, 37, said of the 24-year-old Davis, "There was a lot of passion in her, and it was impossible not to sense that. One got the sense of a lot of feeling dammed up in her, a lot of electricity that had not yet found its outlet. In a way it was rather disconcerting - yes, I admit it, frightening."

Modern film reviewer Stacia Jones wrote, "Bette Davis' Madge is one of the few reasons to watch this film. Highly sexual and confident, Madge smokes, parties, and when leaving the car of a rich boyfriend, breezily tells him, 'Better luck next time!' She's modern in both style and acting. Her appearance is in stark contrast to Barthelmess' aged silent movie star look."

Davis, quoting directly from Kroll's novel, said one of the more famous lines comedian impersonators of hers loved to mimic. Madge, leaving her father's store, says energetically in her Southern drawl to Marvin, who works there and whom she is attracted to, "I'ld like ta kiss ya, but I just washed my hair."

Described as a political film, coupled with love, betrayal, and valor "The Cabin in the Cotton" successfully touches on everything that it promises. There is no denying that fact. Bette Davis plays the sultry love interest. Richard Barthelmess plays the hokey, dumbfounded man caught in the middle. The stage is set, angry plantation owners, angry growers, but (…and here comes the first analogy…) it feels as if "The Cabin in the Cotton" is a house, and while our players and writer may be doing the best they can, the foundation of it all was rushed, crafted by items found at a refuse lot, not new material. This film represents the idea of quantity over quality. Warner, head of the studio at the time, knew that he could use these raw goods and create a political mafioso about the current American economic standard. The problem, which became apparent 15 minutes into the film, is that this film has no direction. The cloud of romance is in one corner, the air of politics is in another, and then we have this deep lacking history of the south that seems to loom all around like a fog - yet none blend together. None built together a strong enough foundation, or subsequent walls, to make "The Cabin in the Cotton" anything more than just an opportunity to see Bette Davis use good lines.

Watched within a group, this reviewer was the only one to question the "Cabin in the Cotton" point. What was the focus of this film? When did poor construction pass for great film-making? From the opening definition of the obscure family to the over-hyped courtroom scene in which the point that two wrongs obviously make a right – nothing is defined or developed. But, let's begin at the start. Our actors. Bette Davis, playing a New York Southerner was worth the 78-minutes alone. She was handed some of the greatest lines, some of the sauciest scenes, and completely went perpendicular to her co-star, Barthelmess, who – honestly, didn't feel comfortable going from silent to sound. He was a classic example of a star that may have been big during the silent era, but couldn't translate well beyond that. As he lurched around everything in this film, he successfully was able to demonstrate that no chemistry was needed to act with Bette Davis. Then, with no emotion for nearly ¾ of the film, he is asked to inspire at the end. He is asked to raise his voice, demonstrate his chops, and ultimately fail miserably. If we couldn't believe that he could "woo" Bette Davis, why would I believe that he could inspire a group of angry men? I couldn't. The remaining actors fell into two categories; either angry or angrier. There was little sympathy coming from anyone, much less our main actors. Again, I ask, why would I then feel emotion for this film?

With our actors causing problems over problems (the excuse, "It was made in 1932" doesn't cut it), you are left with the story. Does "Cabin in the Cotton" work with just the story, as our characters (again, outside of Bette Davis) flounder throughout – does this political film work? To me, it did not. The lacking construction of developing the poor characters makes this film fail, on every level. Director Michael Curtiz, obviously working for the Hollywood factory, didn't even bother finishing scenes. He provided us with Point-A (the boy), Point B (the crime), Point C (the courtroom) and nothing else. There was a random lynching which was used to heighten an already depressed emotion, but it failed. When our only reaction between Barthelmess and his crew was anger, why would he be upset by a lynching? The consistency just wasn't there. Rumor had it that Mr. Norwood provided an education for Barthelmess' character – but again, my argument, there wasn't any connection between anyone. No connection between Barthelmess and his ladies, none between Barthelmess and the cotton pickers, none between him and the plantation owners – nothing. The glue to the film isn't even strong enough to keep our central guys together, why would it care about the background? Questions plague this review, but they plagued me while watching this film. I understood the political nature of the film, I loved Bette Davis' line, but everything else was atrocious. There was no redeeming value to this film, perhaps political, perhaps love story – who knows!?

As this review wraps, I continue to think perhaps I have misjudged what this film represents. Maybe it was only supposed to be a political film, an allegory to the truth of what conditions were like in the south, or in the USA, but then I think about other films, like "My Man Godfrey" made four years later – and how well developed that film was. Why couldn't "Cabin in the Cotton" be more like that? Why did our lead actor have to be so horrid at his job? Questions that will remain unanswered through the cinematic time vault. For anyone new to "Cabin in the Cotton" beware, it is worthy of only seeing a young Bette Davis … nothing else.

Overall, in case it wasn't obvious, "Cabin in the Cotton" was a failure. Davis, and her lines, allow for one star, but that is it. Nothing worked, from the acting to the direction to the construction of the film, it just didn't work from one scene to the next. The value of this film was missing. What was this film? Political. Love story. Random family? Nothing made sense, and while I will remain in the minority, I ask you to revisit this film and see what makes it spark. In the end it was a wasted 78 minutes.

Grade: * out of *****

The Cabin in the Cotton (1932)

*** (out of 4)

Set in the South, this melodrama from Warner deals with the rich plant owners who continue to get everything they want while the poor "tenants" continue to grow poorer and not being able to feed their children. Marvin Blake (Richard Barthelmess) grew up as one of the poor kids but after getting an education thanks to land owner Norwood (Berton Churchill) he's put in the middle of the two sides. THE CABIN IN THE COTTON isn't a complete success but the cast is so good and the direction by Michael Curtiz is so on the mark that you can't help but be entertained. The biggest thing going for the film are the performances with Barthelmess leading the way in his part as the man caught in the middle. I thought the actor did a very good job at being torn by the two sides and you really believe everything that his character is going through. Dorothy Jordan is good as the poor girl who loves him and Bette Davis is grand as the Southern Belle who's also after him. Davis is incredibly beautiful here and she fits the role perfectly and especially the now famous line dealing with her refusing to kiss because she's just washed her hair. Churchill is also very effective in his role as is David Landau, Tully Marshall and Henry B. Walthall. The biggest problem with the film is that it's quite predictable from start to finish. Also, there's a prologue saying that the producers aren't taking sides in the matter and that they're presenting this film "as is" it is in life. Well, I think having all the poor people being whites was a bit unfair and I do think this takes away from the film. Still, fans of the stars will still want to check this out.

THE CABIN IN THE COTTON (First National Pictures, 1932), directed by Michael Curtiz, stars Richard Barthelmess, one of the more popular leading men of the silent screen, in one of his finer movie offerings in the early talkie era. With Barthelmess now forgotten as much of his many movie titles, THE CABIN IN THE COTTON has the distinction of being better known more for the presence of young Bette Davis. Billed third after Barthelmess and Dorothy Jordan, Davis is given the sort of role more to her liking than anyone could imagine, even though this is essentially a Barthelmess movie from start to finish.

Set in the South (hence the title and underscoring to Stephen Foster's famous composition of "Swanee River"), the story (based on the novel by Harry Harrison Kroll) deals with the dispute between the rich land-owners known as Planters and the poor pickers known as tenants, or Peckerwoods. Tom and Lily Blake (David Landau and Dorothy Peterson) work as tenants picking cotton for a living under Lane Norwood (Berton Churchill), a rich landowner. Noticing their elder son, Marvin, is not among the pickers, away in school getting his education, Norwood insists the young man give up his schooling and return to work. Before Tom is to discuss the future of his life to Marvin (Richard Barthelmess), Tom dies, forcing him to quit school to look after his mother and younger siblings. With Lily remarrying to Sock Fisher (Erville Alderson), at the urging of his daughter, Madge (Bette Davis), Norwood financially helps Marvin complete his education, graduating with diploma, and offering him a job working at his store. Though Madge is interested in Marvin, he is loved by his neighbor, Betty Wright (Dorothy Jordan), who becomes jealous over Marvin's attentions towards this flirtatious young lady. Later promoted to bookkeeper, aside from discovering something startling in Norwood's books, Marvin is torn between the loyalty to his own people and his gratitude towards Norwood, whose cotton is being mysteriously stolen. Featured in the supporting cast are Hardie Albright, Russell Simpson, Edmund Breese, William LeMaire and Clarence Muse.

Though an early talkie, THE CABIN IN THE COTTON seems to have all the ingredients of a silent movie under the direction of D. W. Griffith. Even its casting of former silent actors as Barthelmess, Henry B. Walthall, Erville Alderson and Tully Marshall certainly gives this movie that silent movie feel. The film is also a welcome change seeing Berton Churchill in a substantial role as opposed to his usual two minute bits as judge or crooked politician.

Even if Bette Davis never became a super star as she would become by the end of the decade, she nearly steals every scene she's in from her leading performers, Barthelmess and Dorothy Jordan. Davis most notable scenes include her singing briefly "Willie the Weeper," and featuring her now classic line, "I'd like to kiss ya, but I just washed my hair." Her Southern accent sounds authentic, indicating her fine talent so early in her career that would benefit her in the future. She is quite a vixen here.

Unseen on commercial television since Philadelphia's WPHL, Channel 17's broadcast in 1973-74, THE CABIN IN THE COTTON surfaced decades later first on TNT (Turner Network Television) from 1989-1993 and finally Turner Classic Movies (since 1994). It also consists of availability on both video cassette and DVD formats to assure its rediscovery. (***)