What Price Hollywood? (1932) | |
| Director(s) | George Cukor |
| Producer(s) | Pandro S. Berman (associate), David O. Selznick (executive) |
| Top Genres | Drama |
| Top Topics | |
Featured Cast:
What Price Hollywood? Overview:
What Price Hollywood? (1932) was a Drama - Black-and-white Film directed by George Cukor and produced by David O. Selznick and Pandro S. Berman.
SYNOPSIS
Cukor's movie breakthrough was a film that producer Selznick considered to be a fairly straight reportage of backstage Hollywood. Bennett, a waitress at the Brown Derby, convinces sozzled director Sherman to squire her around Hollywood and get her a screen test, a toe in the movie waters that leads to Oscars, romance, suicide, marriage, separation, and reconciliation. Cukor revisited the scene of this early success with the more melodramatic A Star is Born (1954).
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Academy Awards 1931/32 --- Ceremony Number 5 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Writing | Adela Rogers St. Johns, Jane Murfin | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Constance Bennett discovers “What Price Hollywood?”
By Stephen Reginald on Jan 27, 2026 From Classic Movie ManConstance Bennett discovers “What Price Hollywood?” What Price Hollywood? (1932), directed by George Cukor, is a poignant Pre-Code drama that explores the meteoric rise and tragic fall associated with Tinseltown fame. The story follows Mary Evans (Constance Bennett), an ambitious wa... Read full article
What Price Hollywood? (1932): Starring Constance Bennett
By 4 Star Film Fan on May 30, 2022 From 4 Star FilmsHere is a film so completely attuned to Hollywood celebrity and fandom in its heyday. We open on Hollywood fashion magazines full of stockings and lipstick, and glossies of Greta Garbo & Clark Gable. Then, Mary Evans (Constance Bennett) pushes her retractable bed into the wall to head off to her... Read full article
WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD? PART TWO
By Terry on Oct 25, 2015 From Stardust and ShadowsIn the first part of this series I took a capsule look at the Studio System with a nod to the use of drugs in order to produce and package the huge amount of product. It was not a complete look as many smaller operations such as PARAMOUNT PICTURES, RKO and the Poverty Row companies such as PRC, and ... Read full article
WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD? PART ONE
By Terry on Jun 21, 2015 From Stardust and ShadowsTHE STUDIO GATES This is a slightly different look at the Hollywood myth – mainly because we are going to take a ?hardboiled? look at some of the ideas that nostalgic sites gloss over. Not all sites do yet this is an important part of the Hollywood story.? Gloss over, just as the major studios... Read full article
Pre-Code Crazy: What Price Hollywood? (1931)
By shadowsandsatin on May 2, 2015 From Shadows and SatinIn previous months, my Pre-Code Crazy pick has always been a film that I?ve seen numerous times before. And while I was initially quite certain that this month?s selection also fit into that category, it turns out that I?d actually never seen it before! Oh, I?d seen the film?s beginning countless ti... Read full article
See all What Price Hollywood? articles
Quotes from
Julius Saxe: It's going to be terrific! Weddings are my speciality!
Maximillan 'Max' Carey: Wedding? What wedding?
Mary Evans: Mine. Darling aren't you going to congratulate me?
Maximillan 'Max' Carey: What for? It'll never last.
Lonny Borden: What won't last?
Maximillan 'Max' Carey: My liver and a movie star's marriage.
Mary Evans: We know your liver won't last darling!
Miss DuPont, the Interviewer: Oh how do you do?
Mary Evans: How do you do Miss DuPont?
Miss DuPont, the Interviewer: My what a lovely place!
Mary Evans: This is my husband.
Miss DuPont, the Interviewer: How do you do Mr. Borden?
Lonny Borden: How do you do.
Miss DuPont, the Interviewer: I didn't dream you were so handsome. What a pair of lovers! Oh I must have a photograph of you looking at each other just like that.
Mary Evans: Well, let's sit down.
Miss DuPont, the Interviewer: Thank you.
Mary Evans: Come on Lonny.
[Mary grabs Lonny's arm and pulls him down to sit]
[last lines]
Lonny Borden: Oh Mary? Aren't you going to say hello?
Mary Evans: How'd you find us?
Lonny Borden: Detectives. I kidnapped Jackie because I realized I'd never be able to get in to see you any other way.
Mary Evans: Why'd you come?
Lonny Borden: Well among other things, I've a rather important mesage here from Mr. Saxe. I'll read it. "Dear Mary. Just bought a new story. It'd make a good comeback for you. You go to prison for the man you love. Exhibiters interested. Mother and I send love. Julius Saxe." There is a p.s.
[he turns the message over and pretends to read a p.s]
Lonny Borden: "You better re-marry Lonny Borden. He adores you, he always has, cause he realizes that he isn't good enough for you but he'll do anything if you only take him back." It's true. Honest and a whole lot more!
Mary Evans: Then... than you didn't go to Hollywood just to take Jackie from me?
Lonny Borden: Well of course not dear. I came out to help if you needed it.
Mary Evans: Oh Lonny.
Lonny Borden: Let's have dinner together tonight, huh? There's a hotel here with a magnificent main dining room, a thirty piece orchestra, orchids.
Mary Evans: Suppose I said no?
Lonny Borden: Well you know what happened last time.
Mary Evans: Lonny!
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Facts about
Max Carey was modelled after Lowell Sherman himself, who was known to be an alcoholic, as well as silent film director Marshall Neilan and actor John Barrymore (who was Sherman's brother-in-law at the time).
David O. Selznick wanted Clara Bow for the role of Mary Evans, but she turned it down when she was offered more money from Fox.
read more facts about What Price Hollywood?...
