THE TOAST OF NEW YORK is very much a period-piece, with Dudley Nichols's and John Twist's screenplay providing delightful one- liners for a top-notch trio of comic talents - Edward Arnold, Cary Grant, and Jack Oakie, supported ably by Frances Farmer and bolstered by memorable cameos from stalwarts of the Hal Roach era such as Billy Gilbert.
The story is a straightforward one about three conpeople who manage to make fools out of high financiers like Daniel Drew (Donald Meek), and Cornelius Vanderbilt (Clarence Kolb) in the era immediately following the American Civil War. We have to admire the tricksters' sheer chutzpah, especially that of Jim Fisk (Arnold), whose brazen courage and indomitable spirit carry him through a series of scrapes towards financial and material success. Grant's Nick Boyd is a little more cautious, but shows a unique facility in speaking different accents, notably an RP form of British English with distinct echoes of Noel Coward.
Halfway through the film the tone changes abruptly, as Fisk achieves so much success that he begins to reveal megalomaniac tendencies strongly reminiscent of Donald Trump. He wants to corner the entire gold reserve of the United States, and is is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his aim. By doing so he loses the support of Nick, as well as that of his erstwhile fiancée Josie Mansfield (Farmer).
The historical moral of the film becomes painfully evident, as director Rowland V. Lee evokes the mood of the Wall Street Crash (that took place only eight years previously to the film's release), which was caused by similar reckless speculations. If Fisk were to achieve his aim, it would ruin the majority of respectable Americans. Needless to say prudence reigns with the intervention of the government, which releases unlimited gold to put Fisk out of business, with a levelheadedness clearly designed to evoke F. D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies. Speculators are out; the common good must prevail. Fisk passes away having acknowledged his follies.
THE TOAST OF NEW YORK is clearly intended as an ironic title, referring to the ways in which big business can so easily get out of hand if not effectively policed. That point of view is still as important today as it was nearly eighty years ago on the film's first release.
The story is a straightforward one about three conpeople who manage to make fools out of high financiers like Daniel Drew (Donald Meek), and Cornelius Vanderbilt (Clarence Kolb) in the era immediately following the American Civil War. We have to admire the tricksters' sheer chutzpah, especially that of Jim Fisk (Arnold), whose brazen courage and indomitable spirit carry him through a series of scrapes towards financial and material success. Grant's Nick Boyd is a little more cautious, but shows a unique facility in speaking different accents, notably an RP form of British English with distinct echoes of Noel Coward.
Halfway through the film the tone changes abruptly, as Fisk achieves so much success that he begins to reveal megalomaniac tendencies strongly reminiscent of Donald Trump. He wants to corner the entire gold reserve of the United States, and is is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his aim. By doing so he loses the support of Nick, as well as that of his erstwhile fiancée Josie Mansfield (Farmer).
The historical moral of the film becomes painfully evident, as director Rowland V. Lee evokes the mood of the Wall Street Crash (that took place only eight years previously to the film's release), which was caused by similar reckless speculations. If Fisk were to achieve his aim, it would ruin the majority of respectable Americans. Needless to say prudence reigns with the intervention of the government, which releases unlimited gold to put Fisk out of business, with a levelheadedness clearly designed to evoke F. D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies. Speculators are out; the common good must prevail. Fisk passes away having acknowledged his follies.
THE TOAST OF NEW YORK is clearly intended as an ironic title, referring to the ways in which big business can so easily get out of hand if not effectively policed. That point of view is still as important today as it was nearly eighty years ago on the film's first release.