Loose Ankles (1930) Review: Loretta Young is Great in This Pre-Code Mess

Is it worth the watch?

If you have an hour to kill and love seeing how weird movies were right after sound was invented, then yes. It is a total blast for anyone who likes fast-talking girls and silly plots.

If you can't stand old movies where everyone shouts their lines like they're on a stage, you will probably hate this. It definitely feels like a play that someone decided to film on a Tuesday afternoon.

The movie is called Loose Ankles, which was apparently 1920s slang for being a 'party girl.' It’s such a funny phrase that I found myself saying it out loud while watching. 💃

Loretta Young plays Ann Harper, and she is honestly way too charming for this movie. She’s only about seventeen or eighteen here, but she has this sharp energy that keeps the whole thing moving.

Ann is stuck with a will that says she can't have any 'loose ankles' or she loses her money. Her aunts are these two incredibly loud women who spend the whole movie worrying about her virtue.

The aunts are played by Louise Fazenda and Ethel Wales, and they are basically the best part. They are so judgmental but also clearly jealous of any fun Ann might be having.

I noticed that in almost every scene they’re in, they seem to be wearing hats that look like they might fall off at any second. It’s a small thing, but it made me laugh every time they nodded their heads emphatically.

Anyway, Ann decides she wants to be free of the money, so she puts an ad in the paper looking for a man to ruin her reputation. This is where Douglas Fairbanks Jr. comes in as Gil.

He is supposed to be this 'bad guy' who will get caught in her bedroom by the press. But in reality, he’s just a nice guy who needs a break. 🛋️

There’s a scene where he’s trying to act tough and it’s just not working at all. His mustache is very thin and he looks like he’s trying very hard to be a grown-up.

I really liked the chemistry between them, even if it feels a bit rushed. They spend about five minutes together and suddenly it’s true love, which is how these movies always work.

The scene where Gil is hiding in the room while the aunts are snooping around is classic farce. It’s not exactly high art, but it’s genuinely funny in a chaotic way.

I kept thinking about how much better the pacing is here than in something like Black Waters. That movie felt like it took years to finish, but this one just zips along.

There is a lot of focus on newspaper headlines in this movie. The way the press treats the 'scandal' is actually pretty similar to how social media works today.

Everyone is just waiting for someone to mess up so they can talk about it. It’s a bit cynical for 1930, but it fits the pre-code vibe perfectly.

I did notice one reaction shot of a maid that lingered for about three seconds too long. It was weirdly silent and felt like the editor forgot to cut away. 🤨

The movie doesn't really try to explain why Ann wants to give up millions of dollars just to be 'free.' I guess we’re just supposed to accept that she’s a rebel.

Some of the dialogue is so fast that I had to rewind a couple of times. They use a lot of slang that has completely disappeared from the English language.

At one point, someone mentions 'the cats' and I’m still not 100% sure what they meant in that context. It’s charming, though, in a dusty sort of way.

If you compare this to something more serious like His House in Order, it’s basically junk food. But sometimes you just want junk food.

The sets look a bit cheap, especially the bedroom scene. It feels like they just used whatever furniture was sitting in the studio basement that morning.

There’s a moment where a character escapes through a window and the way the ladder wobbles made me nervous for the actor. It didn't look safe at all! 🪜

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. has this way of looking slightly confused by his own lines. It makes him very relatable, honestly.

I also loved the random musical bits that pop up. They aren't full songs, just little snippets of rhythm that make the movie feel more alive.

The ending is a bit of a mess, if I'm being honest. Everything gets wrapped up in about two minutes because the aunts suddenly change their minds for no real reason.

But by that point, you’re already having a good time, so it doesn’t matter much. It’s the kind of movie you forget an hour after watching, but you don't regret the time spent.

I think it's interesting to see Loretta Young before she became a massive star. You can see her 'movie star' quality even when the script is a bit thin.

It’s definitely a better use of time than some other early talkies like Stolen Goods which can be a real slog. This one has actual jokes that land.

The whole 'Loose Ankles' song that plays over the credits is also a total earworm. I’ve been humming it for twenty minutes and I want it to stop.

Overall, it's just a sweet, silly relic. It captures a specific moment in time when movies were trying to figure out how to be funny with sound.

Go in with low expectations and you’ll probably find yourself smiling more than you expected. Just don't try to make sense of the inheritance laws. 📜

It’s definitely a 'watch once' kind of film. But that one time is pretty fun.