The film is reported to have earned $444,000 in the United States and Canada and $111,000 elsewhere, for an overall total of $555,000. With regard to the film's "box office" or the number of theater-ticket buyers it attracted, Skyscraper Souls generated an appreciable profit for Cosmopolitan Productions and MGM. The acting they contribute gives the picture all its value.William makes the most of a financial giant who's ruthless in his business and romance methods. From the stately Verree Teasdale to the dimpled Maureen O'Sullivan, his femme support is extra special, while the underlined men, including Norman Foster, Jean Hersholt and Wallace Ford, are no slouches. On loan from Warners, he's in good company in this cast. Warren William mooches away with the works. At the Capitol the picture was geared far beyond natural length to run 99 minutes. In this instance the players are hardly more than a pair of crutches to make a lame plot's limping a bit easier. Mordaunt Hall, the respected film critic of The New York Times in 1932, also praised the storyline of Skyscraper Souls, calling it "a rich measure of entertainment" and "replete with suspense and vitality." However, the weekly trade paper Variety-also one of the more influential reviewers in the entertainment industry at the time-disagreed with The Film Daily and The New York Times regarding their positive opinions about the film's plot, although Variety did give generally high marks as well to the cast's performances:įirst-rate cast and production dropped on a bush-league scenario, a not uncommon occurrence. Also, with the present revival of upward activity in the stock market, it has a timeliness angle that should give it much added value. General theme of the story-the mad desire of everyone from bank presidents to the lowest man in the street, to climb up the ladder of fortune-gives the picture a wide appeal. Love interest and sex appeal also play their part in the action. The title gives only a part hint of the tale, which revolves around William, an idealist whose career just about runs the gamut of big business and stock market manipulation, with the crooked and the straight both involved in the dealings. Warren William and his excellent supporting cast, by their consistently interesting performances, are enough to keep this story alive even if it weren't an engrossing and attractively staged big town romance. The paper cited in particular the film's "swell cast" and the broad public appeal of its "fast-moving" plot, especially within the highly unstable environment of the United States' depressed economy at that time: Upon the release of Skyscraper Souls in the summer of 1932, The Film Daily, a widely read trade paper among movie-industry personnel and theater owners, gave the production a very positive review. Henry Roquemore as Man Who Loses His Hat.Dennis O'Keefe as Stock Brokerage Clerk.Boris Karloff as Man Approaching Ticket Counter.Jesse De Vorska as Sol - Vinmont's Associate. ![]() ![]() Reginald Barlow as Brewster's Associate.Richard Alexander as Man Tom Bumps Into.
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