$20 a Week

For the 1924 silent film, see Twenty Dollars a Week.

$20 a Week is a 1935 American melodrama film directed by Wesley Ford and starring James Murray, Pauline Starke, and Gwen Lee. It was released on February 2, 1935.

$20 a Week
Directed by	Wesley Ford
Written by	L. V. Jefferson
Produced by	Burton L. King
Starring	Pauline Starke James Murray Gwen Lee
Cinematography	Arthur Martinelli
Edited by	Fred Bain
Production company	Alexander Brothers
Distributed by	State Rights Ajax Pictures
Release date	February 2, 1935 (1935-02-02) (US)[1]
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Sally Blair, a feisty young stenographer is in the employ of a Mr. Warner, an insurance agent who fancies his chances. She accepts a date even though she had made plans with the new salesman, Peter Douglas. Warner takes Sally to a nightclub and, in a private room, tries to kiss her. She retaliates by punching him. Warner, for reasons unknown, promotes Sally to his personal secretary. Later, at a wedding, Peter proposes to Sally. The next day, Peter's mother, who believes Sally is after his money, warns her to keep away from Peter. Naturally, they end up getting married.^[2]

Cast

• Pauline Starke as Sally Blair
• James Murray as Peter Douglas
• Gwen Lee as Ann Seymour
• Dorothy Revier as Linda Davidson
• William Worthington as Mr. Davidson
• Andy Rice Jr. as Mac Tierney
• Bartlett Carré as Jimmy Dale
• Glorian Grey as Mamie
• Bryant Washburn as Warner
• Vessie Farrell as Mrs. Douglas

Production

In November 1934, Rob Eden's story, $20 a Week was purchased by the independent producer Burton L. King, with the intent of making the film independently and distributing it through Ajax Distributing Corporation.^[3] The film was to be the first in a series of four pictures.^[4] By the end of the month King had formed his production house, Four-Leaf Clover Productions, and had signed Pauline Starke to star in the film.^[5][6] In December the name of the production company had become Ajax Pictures, and $20 a Week was the first of 10 films planned by the company.^[7] By the end of December 1934 the filming on the picture had been completed.^[8] In January 1935 it was revealed that John Murray was also starring in the film.^[9]

Reception

The Film Daily gave the film a mostly negative review, calling Wesley Ford's direction "unnatural", and Al Martin's cinematography only fair. However, they did enjoy Starke's performance, saying that at times it rose "to excellent work", despite the mediocrity of the film.^[10]

References

1. "$20 a Week". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
2. "$20 A WEEK". AFI. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
3. "Burton King Buys Stories". The Film Daily. November 7, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
4. "The Hollywood Scene: Pauline Starke Signed". Motion Picture Herald. December 29, 1934. p. 51. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
5. Ralph Wilk (November 24, 1934). "A Little From "Lots"". The Film Daily. p. 4. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
6. "Pauline Starke Signed". Motion Picture Daily. November 24, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
7. "10 Pictures Planned by Ajax Pictures Corp". The Film Daily. December 10, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
8. "Coming and Going". The Film Daily. December 22, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
9. "Ajax Set for 1935-36". The Film Daily. January 21, 1935. p. 5. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
10. "Reviews of the New Films: "$20 a Week"". The Film Daily. January 22, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved January 26, 2018.

External links

• $20 a Week at IMDb 
• $20 a Week at the TCM Movie Database