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Cast
Nancy Carroll
as Madelaine McGonagle
John Boles
as Paul Vanderkill
Buck Jones
as "Panama Canal" Kelley
Jessie Ralph
as Aunt Minnie
Clara Blandick
as Aunt Sophie
Luis Alberni
as Carlos Spumoni Bustamente
Warburton Gamble
as Stephen Eggleston
Jane Darwell
as Mrs. McGonagle
Garry Owen
as Buddy McGonagle
Betty Grable
as Lucy McGonagle
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1933
Runtime1h 10m
LanguageEnglish
CertificationNR
GenresDrama, Romance
Votes5
DirectorEdward Buzzell
WritersGertrude Purcell, Maurine Dallas Watkins
TypeFeature Film
Rating7.2 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsChild of Manhattan
About Child of Manhattan
Paul Vanderkill is extraordinarily wealthy because his grandfather happened to buy farmland in what was to become Midtown Manhattan. The Loveland Dance Hall is one of the tenants of the Vanderkill estates. To reassure his aunt Sophie, Vanderkill visits Loveland to determine whether it is as disreputable as Sophie suspects. There he meets a dime-a-dance girl, Madeleine MacGonagal, who charms him with her quaint proletarian accent. They begin a secret affair, which turns into a secret marriage when pregnancy ensues. When the baby fails to survive, Madeleine decides that since he had married her only for the baby's sake, she should make haste to Mexico to secure a divorce. There she meets Panama Canal Kelly, a former suitor who now owns a silver mine. Her plans for divorce and quick remarriage are complicated when Vanderkill arrives to confront her.
Directed by Edward Buzzell, Child of Manhattan leans on a strong ensemble — Nancy Carroll, John Boles, Buck Jones — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1933.
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