''Soak the Rich'' is a 1936 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...

and Charles MacArthur, and starring Walter Connolly,

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

, Mary Zimbalist,

Lionel Stander Lionel Jay Stander (January 11, 1908 – November 30, 1994) was an American actor, activist, and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He had an extensive career in theatre, film, radio, and television that spanned nearly 70 years, ...

Ilka Chase Ilka Chase (April 8, 1905 – February 15, 1978) was an American actress, radio host, and novelist whose career spanned stage, film, and television. Born into a well-known New York family, she made her stage debut as a child and later became a ...

and Alice Duer Miller. It was released on January 17, 1936, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

Plot

Humphrey Craig is a tycoon who has endowed a university. His idealistic daughter Belinda enrolls there, hoping to get some idea of the 'real world'. When Professor Popper lectures his students on the merits of a 'soak-the-rich' tax bill, Craig (who opposes the bill) gets Popper fired. Meanwhile, Joe Muglia is the leader of a band of radicals on campus. When the radicals protest the dismissal of Popper, Belinda falls in love with Buzz Jones, a radical, handsome idealist .

Cast

* Walter Connolly as Humphrey Craig *

as Kenneth "Buzz" Jones *Mary Zimbalist as Belinda "Bindy" Craig *

as Muglia *

as Mrs. Mabel Craig * Alice Duer Miller as Miss Beasley * Francis Compton as Tulio * Joseph Sweeney as Capt. Pettijohn *John W. Call as Sign carrier *Edwin Phillips as Lockwood *Robert Wallsten as Tommy Hutchins *George Watts as Rockwell * Percy Kilbride as Everett *Isabelle Foster as Jenny *Edward Garvey as Dean A. S. Phillpotts *Allan Ross MacDougall as Keats *Cornelius MacSunday as Craig's butler

Reception

Frank Nugent of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote, "Collegiate radicals come in for a rather cruel lampooning at the hands of those old die-hards, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, in the antic pair's latest picture, ''Soak the Rich'', which moved into the Astor last night. Their spoofing of youth in revolt is frequently amusing and the quality of the dialogue proves that the premier filmmakers of Astoria have lost none of their wit. The same, alas, cannot be said of their sense of direction."

References

External links

* 1936 films Paramount Pictures films American comedy films 1936 comedy films Films directed by Ben Hecht Films with screenplays by Ben Hecht Films with screenplays by Charles MacArthur American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub