Review of Skyscraper Souls (1932) by Ken T — 17 Oct 2010

Early 1930s portrait of a ruthless banker David Dwight (Warren William) who will stop at nothing to get what he wants including women and keeping the status of his wealth - his skyscraper which towers over the Empire State Building in New York.

He is married, but is seeing another woman who is aging so he has set his sights on the beautiful Lynn Harding (Maureen O'Sullivan) who herself has recently started a relationship with bank clerk Norman Foster (Tom Shepherd).

Dwight looks only for personal betterment without caring who he impacts - the movie does remind people of the current attitude of corporate America and certainly would have resonated back in the early 30s as a result of the depression.

It is hard to believe however that a character as stunning and seemingly smart as O'Sullivan would be in a position to choose between becoming the lover of a married rich man or to become the wife of an oafish, jealous and penniless man.

The sets are quite amazing and William delivers a convincing portrait of the ruthless businessman. A decent film from pre-code 30s Hollywood.