- Actors: Cary Grant, Edward Arnold, Frances Farmer, Jack Oakie, Donald Meek
- Directors: Rowland V. Lee
- Producers: The Toast of New York (FR)
- Format: Import, PAL
- Subtitles: French
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Run Time: 109.00 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B001L2FJTI
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 226,859 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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France released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), French ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Allegedly based on two factual works, Bouck White's The Book of Daniel Drew and Matthew Josephson's The Robber Barons, RKO's The Toast of New York is a largely fanciful account of the career of 1870s financier "Jubilee Jim" Fisk. As played by Edward Arnold in his usual "tycoon" mode, Fisk was a likable scoundrel who finagled his way into the upper rungs of Wall Street as much for fun as for profit. The film conveniently ignores Fisk's involvement with the infamous Tweed Ring, and skims over his complicity in 1869's "Black Friday," one of the most disastrous events in American economic history. We are also offered a sanitized version of Fisk's notorious mistress Josie Mansfield, who as played by Frances Farmer is an apple-cheeked lass who regards Fisk only as a loyal friend. Cary Grant is along for the ride as "Nick Boyd," a thinly disguised version of Fisk's actual partner in crime Ned Stokes. Too costly to post a profit, Toast of New York is nonetheless fine non-think entertainment, kept alive by a superb supporting cast ranging from Donald Meek as Daniel Drew and Clarence Kolb as Cornelius Vanderbilt to such bit players as Laurel & Hardy perennial James Finlayson, who plays the inventor of a self-tipping hat! ...The Toast of New York (FR)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Toast of New York is directed by Rowland V. Lee and features a screenplay collectively written by Dudley Nichols, John Twist and Joel Sayre. It's adapted from two stories, "The Book of Daniel Drew" written by Bouck White and "Robber Barons" written by Matthew Josephson. It stars Edward Arnold, Cary Grant, Frances Farmer, Jack Oakie and Donald Meek.
Jim Fisk-half genius, half clown-began life with empty pockets, a pack on his back, and a Yankee gift of gab.
Loving a uniform-always in the front of every parade-he became the Barnum of Peddlers, and then skyrocketed into "high finance" in Wall Street, where in a few brief years he startled a nation with his colourful career.
But in 1861-before the first guns of the Civil War were fired-he was still an obscure peddler-somewhere south of the Mason and Dixie Line.
Jim Fisk was a very interesting man in the world of finance, his life and death certainly had enough about it to warrant a film being made about him. Sadly this particular biopic is dull, where even the fact that the makers fictionalised some of the plot fails to make it worthy of further viewings. Annoying as well is that RKO really put big money into the production, and you can see that up on the screen in the sets, costuming and the number of people who are in it. It was a troubled production, and numerous stars were linked to play the key roles, and with the Hays Office casting their censorship shadow over things, it's perhaps unsurprising that the film ended up a flop at the box office. The tone is uneven, with the comedy an uneasy fit, and there's not a great deal to laud in the acting. Arnold gives it bluster and Farmer is sweet, while Grant is forced into yet another suit and asked to be a romantic interest. Oakie has his moments, but they are few, while best of the bunch is Meek as Daniel Drew.
Disappointing and it perhaps would have been better served being a straight drama and sniping 20 minutes off of its run time. 4/10
Jim Fisk-half genius, half clown-began life with empty pockets, a pack on his back, and a Yankee gift of gab.
Loving a uniform-always in the front of every parade-he became the Barnum of Peddlers, and then skyrocketed into "high finance" in Wall Street, where in a few brief years he startled a nation with his colourful career.
But in 1861-before the first guns of the Civil War were fired-he was still an obscure peddler-somewhere south of the Mason and Dixie Line.
Jim Fisk was a very interesting man in the world of finance, his life and death certainly had enough about it to warrant a film being made about him. Sadly this particular biopic is dull, where even the fact that the makers fictionalised some of the plot fails to make it worthy of further viewings. Annoying as well is that RKO really put big money into the production, and you can see that up on the screen in the sets, costuming and the number of people who are in it. It was a troubled production, and numerous stars were linked to play the key roles, and with the Hays Office casting their censorship shadow over things, it's perhaps unsurprising that the film ended up a flop at the box office. The tone is uneven, with the comedy an uneasy fit, and there's not a great deal to laud in the acting. Arnold gives it bluster and Farmer is sweet, while Grant is forced into yet another suit and asked to be a romantic interest. Oakie has his moments, but they are few, while best of the bunch is Meek as Daniel Drew.
Disappointing and it perhaps would have been better served being a straight drama and sniping 20 minutes off of its run time. 4/10
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Toast of New York is definitely an odd item - a huge budget biopic about 19th century fraudster Jim Fiske and his battles with Daniel Drew and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Edward Arnold is the right man for the role, easily overshadowing second billed Cary Grant with his force of personality, but it's hard to root for a `hero' whose aim is to bankrupt America. What next, George Soros, the Musical? It's never less than watchable but while Billy Wilder and Izzy Diamond could have turned this into a blistering black comedy, it's beyond the writers to make it work as a rags-to-riches-to-rags drama. It does have one rather beautiful song, 'The First Time I Saw You' that even manages to survive Frances Farmer's flat foghorn drone delivery.
The French DVD - released as L'Or et la Femme - offers an acceptable but not outstanding transfer with English soundtrack and removeable French subtitles.
The French DVD - released as L'Or et la Femme - offers an acceptable but not outstanding transfer with English soundtrack and removeable French subtitles.
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