Mae Clarke usually played unlikable women at this stage of her movie career, characters the audience didn't root for. She was jilted, cussed at and in one case, had breakfast food shoved into her face...she seemed to deserve this. So it's a bit interesting to see her play a good girl in FLAMING GOLD, a decidedly likable chick who gets involved with an equally likable guy (Bill Boyd).
Clarke was borrowed from MGM where she was under contract, so maybe this explains why she got the rare chance to play against type. She may have leapt at the chance to do a sympathetic role in a script that had been rejected by one of RKO's lead actresses, such as Constance Bennett or Helen Twelvetrees.
As for Boyd, he had been appearing in a series of dramatic precode pictures, on the verge of his most famous role (Hopalong Cassidy). Here he does a decent job as a hardworking oil driller who's trying to strike it rich in Mexico with his pal (Pat O'Brien).
Part of the main conflict that occurs in the story concerns Clarke's former profession. She had been employed as an escort which is how she met Boyd when he took a recent trip to New York City. Of course, Boyd is rather naive, and he just went to dinner with her and fell in love with her...but viewers can surmise that as an escort, she often prostituted herself.
She soon marries Boyd without telling him the truth about her sordid past. But when she joins him at his place in Mexico where he is still drilling for oil, she has to deal with third wheel O'Brien who is much wiser to the ways of the world. O'Brien quickly deduces that Clarke is not a wife from a traditional background.
O'Brien feels a need to protect Boyd, fearing his friend will get hurt if Clarke wants to return to her old ways. After all, she could get tired of this cozy arrangement, leave Boyd and head back to the life she knew in New York. Part of O'Brien's interaction with Clarke when Boyd is out in the field, has him insulting Clarke and trying to break her down. These are interesting scenes, and the two performers had previously costarred in the 1931 version of THE FRONT PAGE.
While O'Brien grapples with whether to tell Boyd everything he knows, we see that Clarke is no gold digger or opportunist. She genuinely loves Boyd and intends to make their marriage work. Eventually, O'Brien realizes Clarke has heart in the right place, and he decides to be more supportive. They go from bickering to bantering.
Speaking of Pat O'Brien, he did a similar film later at Warner Brothers with a similar title: FLOWING GOLD (1940). He was teamed with John Garfield and Frances Farmer in that one.
As for this film, FLAMING GOLD is not a prestigious big budget affair. However, it does give us three strong character studies from three solid performers. And that, along with some good action sequences, makes it worth any viewer's time.
Clarke was borrowed from MGM where she was under contract, so maybe this explains why she got the rare chance to play against type. She may have leapt at the chance to do a sympathetic role in a script that had been rejected by one of RKO's lead actresses, such as Constance Bennett or Helen Twelvetrees.
As for Boyd, he had been appearing in a series of dramatic precode pictures, on the verge of his most famous role (Hopalong Cassidy). Here he does a decent job as a hardworking oil driller who's trying to strike it rich in Mexico with his pal (Pat O'Brien).
Part of the main conflict that occurs in the story concerns Clarke's former profession. She had been employed as an escort which is how she met Boyd when he took a recent trip to New York City. Of course, Boyd is rather naive, and he just went to dinner with her and fell in love with her...but viewers can surmise that as an escort, she often prostituted herself.
She soon marries Boyd without telling him the truth about her sordid past. But when she joins him at his place in Mexico where he is still drilling for oil, she has to deal with third wheel O'Brien who is much wiser to the ways of the world. O'Brien quickly deduces that Clarke is not a wife from a traditional background.
O'Brien feels a need to protect Boyd, fearing his friend will get hurt if Clarke wants to return to her old ways. After all, she could get tired of this cozy arrangement, leave Boyd and head back to the life she knew in New York. Part of O'Brien's interaction with Clarke when Boyd is out in the field, has him insulting Clarke and trying to break her down. These are interesting scenes, and the two performers had previously costarred in the 1931 version of THE FRONT PAGE.
While O'Brien grapples with whether to tell Boyd everything he knows, we see that Clarke is no gold digger or opportunist. She genuinely loves Boyd and intends to make their marriage work. Eventually, O'Brien realizes Clarke has heart in the right place, and he decides to be more supportive. They go from bickering to bantering.
Speaking of Pat O'Brien, he did a similar film later at Warner Brothers with a similar title: FLOWING GOLD (1940). He was teamed with John Garfield and Frances Farmer in that one.
As for this film, FLAMING GOLD is not a prestigious big budget affair. However, it does give us three strong character studies from three solid performers. And that, along with some good action sequences, makes it worth any viewer's time.