Claudette Colbert, Popcorn, and Why The Gilded Lily (1935) Still Charms

If you love old movies where people talk incredibly fast and eat popcorn on park benches, you need to watch this tonight. Rom-com fans who miss when chemistry didn't require CGI will eat it up, but if you need a fast plot, you will probably get bored very quickly.

Honestly, the whole movie is basically an excuse to watch Claudette Colbert be charming. She plays Marilyn, a regular typewriter girl who meets up with her reporter friend Pete (Fred MacMurray) every Thursday to eat popcorn and people-watch.

They have this weird, bickering friendship that feels so real. MacMurray is constantly throwing popcorn at his own face and calling her "No-Good," which is a pretty terrible nickname if you think about it.

Then she meets this English guy, Charles (played by a very young, very slick Ray Milland). He pretends to be a regular working guy, but surprise! He is actually a fancy British lord.

When the truth comes out, Pete writes a story about how Marilyn rejected a lord. Suddenly, she is the "No-Good Girl" and becomes a massive nightclub star just for being a jilted commoner.

It is a totally ridiculous premise. Like, why would anyone pay to see a girl sit on a stage and drink club soda just because she got lied to by an Englishman? But Colbert somehow makes you buy into the absurdity. 🍿

There is this one scene where she has to perform in London, and she is clearly terrified. Her singing voice is nothing special, but her sheer panic is so funny and endearing.

I kept thinking about Lady by Choice while watching this. Both movies have that specific 1934-1935 gritty-but-sweet vibe, though this one feels a bit more relaxed.

Some parts of the film definitely drag. The whole middle section where she is in England feels like it goes on for about fifteen minutes too long.

And the ending is... well, it is a bit of a mess. She has to choose between the two guys, and the way she makes her choice feels incredibly sudden. Like, she literally just runs out of a room because the movie ran out of screen time.

But then you get another scene of them on that park bench, and you just sort of forgive the sloppy writing. It is just a warm, comforting watch that does not try to be anything grander than it is.