Goin' to Town (1935)

33% of users liked it
(13 ratings)

Mae West is Goin' to Town in this elegant post-Production Code vehicle. West plays Cleo Borden, a nouveau riche cattle rancher who hopes to crash into high society. Though she is willing to subject herself to "refinement" lessons, she still has a high old time puncturing the pretensions of those… More Mae West is Goin' to Town in this elegant post-Production Code vehicle. West plays Cleo Borden, a nouveau riche cattle rancher who hopes to crash into high society. Though she is willing to subject herself to "refinement" lessons, she still has a high old time puncturing the pretensions of those around her: when aristocratic Ivan Valadov (Ivan Lebedeff) haughtily announces that he is the backbone of his family, West gives him the once-over and replies "Then your family'd better see a chiropractor." Through the connections of her husband-by-convenience Fletcher Colton (Monroe Owsley), Cleo is able to move freely among the glitterati of Southhampton but is forced to rely on her tried-and-true "street smarts" when she crosses swords with haughty villainess Grace Brittony (Marjorie Gateson) at a Buenos Aires race track. Through it all, aristocratic British engineer Edward Carrington (Paul Cavanaugh) awaits the opportunity to claim Cleo for his own -- as if anyone could ever "own" our fiercely self-reliant heroine. The film's highlight is a society operatic gala, in which Mae West delivers a serious (and most effective) rendition of "My Heart at Thy Still Voice" from Samson and Delilah. In a more characteristic vein, the star gets down and dirty (well, at least semi-dirty) with "He's a Bad Bad Man, But He's Good Enough for Me." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 11 min.
Directed By: Alexander Hall
Written By: Mae West
Genres: Romance, Classics, Comedy

On DVD: Aug 4, 1993

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Goin' to Town managed to more-or-less play by the rules and still emerge as a good Mae West picture.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It ought to be amusing, but wasn't.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

No Featured Audience Ratings Found…

Cast

            Mae West as Cleo Borden

            Paul Cavanagh as Edward Carrington

            Gilbert Emery as Winslow

            Ivan Lebedeff as Ivan Valadov

            Tito Coral as Taho

            Marjorie Gateson as Mrs. Grace Brittony

            Fred Kohler as Buck Gonzales

            Monroe Owsley as Fletcher Colton

            Grant Withers as Young Fellow

            Adrienne D'Ambricourt as Annette

            Luis Alberni as Signor Vitola

            Lucio Villegas as Senor Ricardo Lopez

            Mona Rico as Dolores Lopez

            Paul Harvey as Donovan

            Francis Ford as Sheriff

            Wade Boteler as Foreman of Ranch

            Stanley Andrews as Engineer

            Irving Bacon
            
            Eugene Borden
            
            Albert Conti as Head Steward

            Franco Corsaro as Italian Officer

            Nell Craig as Society Woman

            Andreas De Segurola as President Racing Association

            Robert Dudley as Deputy

            Virginia Hammond as Miss Plunkett

            Sheldon Jett
            
            Lew Kelly
            
            Leonid Kinskey as Interior Decorator

            Tom London
            
            Frank McGlynn Sr. as Judge

            Charles McMurphy as Policeman

            Bert Moorhouse
            
            Ted Oliver
            
            James Pierce as Buck's Gang

            Tom Ricketts as Indian Seller

            Cyril Ring as Stage Manager

            Julian Rivero as Bet Taker

            Bert Roach
            
            Dewey Robinson as Bartender

            Henry Roquemore as Match King

            Sid Saylor
            
            Sammy Stein
            
            Rafael Storm as Senor Alvarez

            Laura Treadwell
            
            Morgan Wallace as J. Henry Brash

            J.P. McGowan
            
            Jack Pennick as Dancing Cowboy

            Stanley Price as Attendant

            George Guhl
            
            Pearl Eaton as Girl

            Harold Entwistle as Colton's Butler

            Vladimir Bykoff as Lt. Mendoza

            Germaine DeNeel
            
            Max Lucke
            
            Thomas Monk as English Butler
See full cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started