The Toast of New York

Overview

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!

Product Details

Release Date:	03/23/2009
UPC:	0883316140406
Original Release:	1937
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W, Full Frame]
Language:	English
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	42,858

Editorial Reviews

The factual accuracy of The Toast of New York could just about fill a thimble, which puts it on a par with so many Hollywood biopics. For those unbothered by the blatant distortions and outright lies, however, Toast is a pretty darn entertaining little rise-and-fall story -- or, more to the point, rise-and-death story. It's all nonsense, of course; the story that Dudley Nichols, Joel Sayre, Derek N. Twist and John Twist have concocted is the kind of implausible but delightful tomfoolery that Hollywood excelled in. If it's unbelievable, it's still entertaining, and most important of all, it gives corpulent, gravel-voiced Edward Arnold the chance to play one of his patented "rich schemer" roles. At the time Toast was made, Arnold had something of a lock on this kind of part, and with good reason: no one else was ever as much fun in them. He holds the film together, even when the screenplay threatens to run it off the rails. He gets some very valuable help in this area from a young, just-about-a-star Cary Grant, whose own particular charm was also helpful in parts like this, which are on the shady side. Frances Farmer is also quite good, which is impressive considering how incredibly dull her part is as written, and the supporting cast is just ducky.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler