Down to Their Last Yacht (1934)

(On Cable TV, January 2022) Probably the most interesting thing about Down to Their Last Yacht is that it’s one of a surprisingly small number of films from the 1930s to acknowledge the Great Depression—were you to see films from that period without knowing better, you would be convinced that it was a decade of prosperity in which the main topic of discussion among Manhattan elites was marriage and remarriage. But this acknowledgement of financial problems remains the pretext for comedy: Here, a family of formerly rich socialites is reduced to renting their yacht to richer families. But that only leads the film to its second half, as a charter cruise is interrupted by running aground on a deserted island and a primitive tribe ran by a lovesick white queen. (This somehow happens within sailing distance of New York City but never mind because the film doesn’t.)  It’s all rather dull, unfortunately. Even the somewhat racist last half of the film fails to register as offensive because it’s so dull. The singing and dancing are wasted, failing to lift this up. It’s not exactly bad—there are a few one-liners, a gruff performance from Ned Sparks, a bit of interest in seeing the depiction of fallen riches… but it’s really nowhere near what it could have been. At least Down to Their Last Yacht doesn’t really outstay its welcome at barely 64 minutes.