Tillie the Toiler

Marion Davies is Tillie Jones, a modern girl on the go and on the make. This movie is based on Russ Westover's popular comic strip, which ran from 1921-1959 -- so let the carping about modern movies based on comic books cease. We are introduced in short order to the folks at her workplace and her home, and particularly to Matt Moore, who longs for Miss Davies. She, however, is looking for a rich husband and quickly captivates rich Harry Crocker, who is captivated by her, because that is the plot this movie settles on.

Alas, the copy I looked at was rather poor, a VHS rip that has been in grey-market circulation for some time. The Eastman House is said to have a good copy, but it is not generally available; as I write, it is still under copyright.

Miss Davies is excellent in the role of the always well-dressed Tillie, and the cast is filled out with some excellent talent, including George Fawcett as her boss, George K. Arthur as her foppish co-worker, Claire MacDowall as her mother, Bert Roach as her conniving brother-in-law, and Ida May as a hideous dragon from Des Moines who warns Crocker about gold diggers. I was not particularly amused by Ralph Spence's titles, which relied heavily on malapropisms and witty comments that were not particularly on the mark. Matt Moore is something of a wet rag in the hands of Miss Davies. Still, it's fast, the situations are amusing, and it's certainly a movie that, if it ever becomes available in a good print, will be worth watching.