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Customer Reviews of They Call It Sin

MEDIOCRE PRE-CODER WITH A YOUNG LORETTA.
A Kansas girl joins a New York chorus and needs to be rescued from a villanious producer: Travelling salesman Jimmy Decker (David Manners, God help us all) falls in love with a young Kansas beauty Marion Cullen (Loretta, natch - at 19) even though he's engaged to Enid Hollister, his bosses daughter. Marion is a talented composer, and when her foster parents reveal that she's really the illegitimate daughter of a showgirl, she leaves for NYC. Once there, she discovers Jimmy's engagement, and realising that he cannot do anything for her, she and dancer Dixie Dare (the cute, 29 year-old Una Merkel) interview with the notorious theatrical agent Ford Humphries (Louis Calhern - who was once married to Natalie Schafer in real life). Humphries is impressed by Marion's talent and beauty and and he offers her the use of his apartment. Marion gently turns down his "kindly" offer - but they keep seeing each other somehow...A fairly interesting flick for Pre-Code fans. Look for 57 year-old Elizabeth Patterson - aka Mrs. Trumbull - as Mrs. Cullen.

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Teenage Loretta Young fight off wolves in the big bad city
Marion Cullen (Loretta Young) is a young Kansas farm girl and church organist who follows sweet-talking salesman Jimmy Decker (David Manners) to New York. Of course, she does not know he is engaged to his boss's daughter (Helen Vinson) and is now all alone in the big bad city. Marion has looks and talent but you know what things are like on Broadway. Producer Ford Humphries (Louis Calhern) wants Marion for more than her songwriting skills and the now-married Jimmy is still very much interested in her. But so is his best friend, Dr. Tony Travers (George Brent). Consequently, Marion has to choose not only which man, but which type of life she wants to live. Fortunately, Marion has also become friends with chorus girl Dixie Dare (Una Merkel), who pretty much steals every scene with her down to earth appraisals of all these shenanigans. This 1932 film is a pre-Production code effort, so things are a bit more adult than you normally find in films from this era. Director Thorton Freeland tries out a few cinematic techniques involving camera angles in telling the story, which is pretty much pure melodrama. Most viewers will be surprised because this is still a teenage Loretta Young, who had already appeared in over three dozen films (including as an Arab child in the classic silent film "The Sheik"). This might not have been her first starring role, but it is the earliest one of her movies that you can still pick up on tape and watch. For her fans, this will be a treat, even if the frankness of the film comes as a surprise.

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Pre-code drama has some high points
Although this is a typical pre-code melodrama, slow andpredictable, the stars are great to watch. The beautiful LorettaYoung appears as the heroine, a small town 'good' girl, who falls for the guy from the big city. After finding out that the guy is engaged, Loretta sets her sights on Broadway. She meets Una Merkel while waiting for a show job interview. Una is probably the best 'pal' supporting actress of her day. She brings wit and charm to an otherwise slow production. (also a revealing lingerie scene!). This film is recommended for fans of Loretta or Una Merkel or for fans of pre-code dramas. I liked the movie and I really liked Loretta Young. She was one of the most talented actresses to come out of Hollywood in the 30's.