Call Her Savage (1932)

Silent screen "It Girl" Clara Bow made only a handful of 'talking pictures', the most famous of which is arguably this pre-code gem. Sometimes the plot of a movie is just so crazy that I can't think of anything better to say in a review then just summarize the plot. This movies only ninety minutes or so long, but they cram a whole lot of outrageousness into that brief run time, I'll try to summarize as quickly as I can.

Late nineteenth century wagon train. Wagon master having an affair lady in the group, even though his own wife and daughter are in the train as well. Old timer thinks wagon masters behavior will bring God's rather on the group. Indians attack the wagon train. Before he dies old timer warns wagon master that the sins of the father will be visited on the next 3-4 generations'. Wagon master laughs this off.

18 years later wagon masters daughter has married an ambitious young man who is away from home a lot trying to make his fortune in the railway business. While husband is away wife has an affair with an Indian prince, baby conceived, when born baby girl doesn't look Indian so wife never tells husband who raises girl as his own.

18 or so years later again (chronology in this film doesn't seem to add up by the way, they go from wagon trains to the 1930's in about 40 years). Nasa Springer (the baby from earlier) has grown into a wild young woman (Bow) who lives on Texas ranch with parents. Father sends Nasa to finishing school in Chicago, planes to marry her off to son of business associate. Two years later Nasa graduates from school, has become local tabloid fodder as wild girl "Dynamite Springer", does not want to marry dad's business associates son, so she elopes with playboy from prominent banking family. Father more-or-less disowns daughter.

For reasons not really explained Nasa and husband don't live together, husband off on business ventures, wife lives lavishly off allowance, parties a lot, appears to have affairs. Nasa gets visit from lawyer, husband sick, dying in New Orleans, wants to see her. Nasa goes to visit husband in private hospital, husband has gone crazy, tries to rape Nasa. Nasa, takes little money she has an moves into tenement house in New Orleans, is pregnant with unknown mans baby. Nasa has baby and takes him home to tenement house to live.

Some time later Nasa running low on money, reluctantly decides she must work as a prostitute to live. Nasa goes out to solicit work, leaves son in care of young girl, maybe 10 or 12 in the tenement house while she goes out. While Nasa is out successfully landing a customers, child molester who is after the babysitter accidently sets fire to tenement house,  son suffocates to death. Nasa arrives back at burnt tenement house just as half Indian boyhood friend arrives to tell her that her grandfather (presumably the wagon master from earlier) has died and left her hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Nasa presumably morns baby, this would have had to happen between shots, divorces husband, takes new money and moves to New York City.  Nasa hires young man to show her the town, the two start to fall in love, Nasa discovers young man is actually the son of another millionaire, this one in the mining industry. Mining heir tells skeptical father he wants to marry Nasa, father tells son Nasa is no good, has shady past, but aggress to have her over for dinner. Boyfriends father invites Nasa's now ex-husband and his new wife to dinner, fight ensues, young man breaks off engagement.

Nasa depressed, seems she plans to drink herself to death, but gets message that her mother is dying in Texas. Nasa goes to Texas, she tells her daughter who her real father was, Nasa gets more information on her biological father from half Indian friend, turns out he committed suicide over Nasa's mother many years ago. Nasa tells half Indian friend that they are both half casts, and now her crazy life makes more sense somehow. Movie ends.

I told you, a pretty crazy flick. **