Politics (1931)

When a young girl is accidentally caught up, and killed, in a gunfight, "Hattie Burns" (Marie Dresser) decides that something has to be done about this lawlessness. She confronts the town's useless mayor "Tom Collins" (Tom McGuire) but he proves as much use as a chocolate parasol, so she mobilises her friend "Ivy" (Polly Moran) and they set out their own manifesto to take office and clean up their town. Dresser is wonderfully cast here - she has the look of a woman you would never want to cross mixed with a cuddly, grand-maternal charm (and wears the frocks to match), and her chemistry with Moran and, to a lesser extent, with the poor old, hen-pecked - "Higgins" (Roscoe Ates) keeps this moving along well as they battle the corruption, indifference and plain old misogamy to shake things up. It's fun, this - all about the performances, and they deliver fine. The script is nothing much to write home about, and the ending - well, that's not going to throw any surprises our way, but it doesn't hang about and pokes one in the eye to the supercilious men folks....