No Marriage Ties (1933)

By Frank F

An enjoyable film that has a few pre-code themes that would have required a few changes if filmed a year or two later. Bruce Foster (Dix) is brilliant, but also a failure. A failure to the bottle, a failure at marriage and a failure at work. In a drunken stupor he meets Peggy Wilson (Allan), who is also a recent failure, eyeing him in the bar. She is a failure as an artist and love, broke, far from home and near desperation. They strike up a friendship and understanding. Bruce stumbles into an advertising job, bringing Peggy along with him. They both succeed, at least for a while. At this point in the film begins the theme of Bruce being a charlatan, bringing disgrace to everything he touches. This message is the weakest point in the film. You get the sense that several scenes are missing that would support this theme. Despite these failings the film is still worth a watch.