Editing Mervyn LeRoy (section)

=== 1935: ''Oil for the Lamps of China,'' ''Sweet Adeline,'' ''Page Miss Glory,'' and ''I Found Stella Parish'' ===

[[Oil for the Lamps of China (film)|''Oil for the Lamps of China'']], an adaptation of the [[Alice Tisdale Hobart]] novel, is an examination of an American oil company in China, centering on its paternalistic and humiliating treatment of an ambitious company man, played by [[Pat O'Brien (actor)|Pat O'Brien]]. [[Josephine Hutchinson]] portrays his long-suffering wife. LeRoy effectively employed cinematic techniques of montage, structural parallels in settings, chiaroscuro lighting and musical leitmotifs to develop atmosphere and convey O'Brien's struggle, ending in his vindication.<ref>Canham, 1976 p. 149: LeRoy presents a "...paternalistic [oil] 'Company'..." rather than the "ruthless" organization that author Hobart described in her novel [and] a happy ending tacked on..." And p. 150: filming methods and effects discussed.</ref><ref>Baxter. 1970: p. 84-85: "A tough and complex study [of the] Company's all pervading influence" in the life of its employees. And: His spouse's "wifely pride and despair" at her husband's struggle: "The film pulls few punches."</ref><ref>Miller, 2007 TMC: "Alice Tisdale Hobart's book had spent more than a year on the best-seller list while also attracting attention for its attack on the heartless management policies of U.S. oil companies. Some of that spirit was retained in Warner Bros.'s film version..."</ref>

LeRoy returned to light comedy and romance in 1935 with a film adaptation of [[Sweet Adeline (musical)|stage production]], the 1929 [[Jerome Kern]] and [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] play, starring [[Irene Dunne]], followed by a [[Marion Davies]] vehicle [[Page Miss Glory (1935 film)|''Page Miss Glory'']], (filmed for [[William Randolph Hearst|Hearst's]] [[Cosmopolitan Pictures]]), and ''[[I Found Stella Parish]],'', with [[Kay Francis]] in a sentimental, "''tour-de-force''" performance.<ref>Thames, 2007 TMC: "...based on a stage musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein that debuted on Broadway September 3, 1929."</ref><ref>Canham, 1976 p. 150: See here for films with Davies and Francis</ref><ref>Baxter, 1970: Baxter makes no mention of these films in his overview of Thirties films.<br />Miller, 2004 TMC: On Hearst and Davies<br />LoBianco, 2014 TMC: "...a story so perfectly suited to her talents..."</ref>