Up Pops the Devil (1931) review - Carole Lombard is the only reason to watch

Is it worth your time?

If you love Carole Lombard and want to see her before she became a total superstar, then yeah, give it a look. It’s a fast watch and it feels very much like a time capsule of 1931 New York.

But if you hate movies where the husband is kind of a big baby about his wife making more money than him, you are going to be annoyed. It’s a movie for people who like stagey, talky dramas where everyone drinks gin out of tiny glasses.

I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a big budget spectacle. This is mostly just people walking in and out of a messy apartment in Greenwich Village.

The Setup

Norman Foster plays Steve, a guy who works in advertising but really wants to write the *Great American Novel*. He’s pretty miserable about it until his wife, Anne (Lombard), tells him to just quit and write.

She decides to go back to being a dancer to pay for his life of luxury. It’s a nice gesture, but of course, Steve’s ego can’t really handle it once the reality sets in.

The whole thing is based on a play, and you can really tell. Most of the action happens in one room that feels increasingly small as the movie goes on.

The Small Stuff I Noticed

There is a neighbor played by Skeets Gallagher who just... won't leave. He’s the comic relief, but honestly, if someone kept walking into my house without knocking like that, I’d move.

I noticed the typewriter Steve uses looks incredibly heavy. Every time he hits a key, it sounds like a hammer hitting a nail.

There’s a scene where Lombard is rehearsing her dance moves and the camera just lingers on her feet. You can tell she’s actually doing the work, which is cool to see in these early talkies.

The party scenes are total chaos. It feels like the director just told twenty extras to stand in a corner and shout at each other while the main actors try to speak.

It reminds me a bit of the atmosphere in The Cat Creeps, though that one was way more of a mystery. This is just domestic warfare.

The Husband Problem

Norman Foster is okay, but his character is such a pill. He spends most of the movie looking grumpy because his wife is out working and he’s stuck at home with writer’s block.

He gets jealous over every single guy who talks to her. It’s that classic 1930s insecurity that hasn't aged particularly well.

There’s a moment where he looks at his unfinished manuscript like it’s a pile of dirty laundry. I felt that. Writing is hard, but he makes it look like he's digging a ditch.

Lombard, on the other hand, is just glowing. Even when the script gives her some really clunky lines, she makes them sound almost natural.

Why it feels weird

The movie shifts tones really fast. One minute it’s a light comedy about a guy who can’t cook, and the next it’s a serious drama about a failing marriage and an unplanned pregnancy.

It doesn't always stick the landing. The ending feels like it was written in about five minutes because they ran out of film.

It’s similar to Daddy's Gone A-Hunting in how it treats the idea of a family falling apart. But this one tries to keep things a bit more upbeat, which makes it feel a bit shallow.

I kept waiting for the "Devil" from the title to show up. Spoiler: there is no actual devil, it’s just a metaphor for the city or temptation or something.

• The Good: Lombard’s face. The snappy dialogue. The weirdly accurate depiction of how annoying neighbors can be.
• The Bad: The sound quality is a bit crunchy. The husband is a jerk. The resolution is way too easy.
• The Odd: There’s a guy named Willie Best who shows up for about two minutes and he’s clearly there just to be a stereotype, which is a bummer to watch now.

Final Thoughts on the Couch

I watched this on a rainy Tuesday and it fit the mood perfectly. It’s not something I’d watch twice, but I’m glad I saw it once.

It’s got that Pre-Code grit where people talk about things they wouldn't be allowed to talk about a few years later. Like the pregnancy subplot—that would have been scrubbed out by 1934.

If you've seen The Big Town, you know how these urban dramas usually go. Someone gets their heart broken, someone gets a job, and the city keeps moving.

The lighting in the final scene is actually pretty decent. It gets all dark and moody, which matches the vibe of them finally being honest with each other.

I think the writer of the play probably had a very loud apartment. There’s so much noise from the "hallway" in this movie.

Anyway, it’s a decent little relic. Watch it for Carole. Skip it if you want a plot that makes total sense.

One more thing... the way they mix drinks in this movie is hilarious. It’s like 90% gin and a splash of hope.

Okay, that’s enough about this one. I need to find something a bit more cheerful next time.