Personal Maid (1931) Review: A weirdly fast Pre-Code drama

Is this movie worth your time today? If you have a soft spot for those early 1930s movies where the plot moves like it's being chased by a car, then yes. It is great for anyone who likes Pre-Code films that don't care about being 'proper.' You will probably hate it if you need your main characters to make smart, logical decisions about who they date.

The first thing that hit me was the name of the family patriarch. Gary Gary. I actually had to pause for a second to make sure I heard that right. His parents must have been very tired or just really loved their own last name.

Nora Ryan is played by Nancy Carroll, and she is an Irish girl who wants a better life. She gets a job as a personal maid for the Garys. The movie doesn't waste any time getting her into the middle of their family drama.

Mrs. Gary is stressed because her son, Dick, got kicked out of college. Nora is sent to pick him up from the train station. This is where the movie gets a bit uncomfortable for a modern viewer.

Dick starts flirting with Nora almost immediately. He is sort of a jerk, honestly. He even tries to trick her out of some money his mother gave her for the trip.

The script says Nora is repulsed by him but finds him 'irresistible.' I don't really buy it. If a guy tried to steal my bus fare, I wouldn't find him charming, I'd find him a problem.

But Nancy Carroll plays it well. She has these big, expressive eyes that make her look innocent, but you can tell she’s got a bit of a backbone. She looks genuinely annoyed by him half the time.

It reminds me a little bit of the family chaos in Bad Sister. There is that same feeling of wealthy people just being absolutely terrible to each other while the help watches.

There is a scene where Nora goes to report Dick’s behavior to Grandpa Gary Gary. The old man just gives her some money to keep her quiet. It’s a very cynical moment for a movie from 1931.

Then the movie pulls a weird trick. Suddenly, Nora isn't a maid anymore. She moves into a 'lavish hotel' and starts living under a different name.

I’m not 100% sure where the money for a fancy hotel suite came from. Maybe the copper magnate gave her a huge tip? The movie just sort of skips over the math of it all.

She meets Peter Shea, who is the grandpa's business manager. Pat O'Brien plays him, and he is actually really good. He has that fast-talking, reliable energy that makes you wish Nora would just settle down with him instead of the college dropout.

The whole vibe of the hotel scenes feels like Let Us Be Gay. Everyone is wearing incredible clothes and talking about their feelings in very fancy rooms.

I loved the little details in the background. The way the phones look like they weigh ten pounds. The stiff uniforms the maids have to wear that probably crunched when they walked.

There is one shot of Nora in a dress that has these weird wing things on the shoulders. She looks like she’s about to take flight. 1930s fashion was truly something else.

The pacing is very bumpy. One minute we are in a gritty New York apartment, the next we are in a high-society romance. It feels like two different movies were glued together in the middle.

The dialogue is snappy, but it feels like the actors are just waiting for their turn to talk. They don't really listen to each other. But I guess that fits a family as self-centered as the Garys.

Grandpa Gary Gary is the best part of the movie, even if he is a grouch. He has this way of looking at people like they are bugs he’s about to step on.

The ending comes out of nowhere. It feels like the director realized they only had five minutes of film left and needed to fix every relationship in the story.

Everyone suddenly realizes they love someone else. It's a bit of a mess, but it’s a fun mess.

It is not a 'profound exploration' of anything. It’s just a weird, fast-paced story about a girl who deserved a much better boyfriend than the one the movie gives her.

If you like seeing 1931 New York sets and Nancy Carroll looking fed up, you’ll enjoy it. It’s short, it’s a bit silly, and it has a guy named Gary Gary.

Random notes from my watch:

• Gene Raymond’s hair is very blonde. Like, distractingly blonde.
• The train station scene feels like it was filmed in a refrigerator.
• I want one of those old-school telephones for my desk.
• Nora's Irish accent is there, then it’s gone, then it’s back.

Overall, it’s a decent little relic. Not a masterpiece, but it’s got that Pre-Code edge that keeps it from being boring.