Editing Ruggles of Red Gap (section)

==Reception==

Both director Leo McCarey and actor Charles Laughton received overwhelming critical accolades for their work in ''Ruggles of Red Gap''.<ref>Gehring, 2005 p. 120: "Coupled with the critical raves for Laughton were comparable kudos for McCarey.</ref> Film historian Wes D. Gehring reports that "The press was so good on ''Ruggles'' that references to the picture began to turn up in reviews of other pictures."<ref>Gehring, 2005 p. 120-121</ref>

The ''[[Hollywood Reporter]]'' titled their effusive review of the picture "McCarey, Laughton and Ruggles Tops."<ref>Gehring, 2005 p. 120</ref> [[Richard Watts, Jr.]] at the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'' described Laughton's Ruggles as "the most sympathetic hero since [[Rip Van Winkle]], and Laughton's acting was favorably compared to that of  [[Charlie Chaplin]].<ref>Gehring, 2005 p. 120: See here critical sources for Chaplin comparisons.</ref>

The ''[[New York Tribune]]'''s Howard Barnes wrote: "Leo McCarey, who may be remembered gratefully for ''Ruggles of Red Gap'', has produced and directed the film with courage, power and imagination."<ref>Gehring, 2005 p. 138</ref>
So consistently positive were the reviews that Paramount simply issued a statement directing the public to refer to press reports concerning the movie, without further comment.<ref>Gehring, 2005 p. 121: The statement was accompanied by an image of Laughton as Ruggles "with a shushing finger to his mouth." And "...the reviews so consistently strong..."</ref>

===Box office===
It was one of the most popular films at the British box office in 1935.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55724940 |title=Sex Does Not Appeal To Talkie Fans |newspaper=[[The Mail (Adelaide)]] |volume=21 |issue=1,239 |location=South Australia |date=22 February 1936 |accessdate=18 April 2025 |page=21 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>