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"Upper World" from 1934 is a Depression-era drama about the lifestyles of the wealthy. Railroad magnate Alex Stream, his wife, and son, Tommy, live in a posh
home on Long Island. They are surrounded by servants who cater to their every need. All is not idyllic, however. Mrs. Stream is an active member of high
society whose time is spent, it seems, at parties and on vacations. Neglected by his wife, Alex begins a love interest with a show girl, Lily. They are able to
conceal their affair from everyone except Lily's conniving stage manager, Louie. Louie decides to blackmail Alex, but his scheme fails when Alex refuses. A gunfight follows, and Louie accidentally kills Lily. Alex then shoots Louie in self defense. Eventually, the police connect Alex to the sootings. In the meantime Mrs. Stream, tired of her empty life, reconciles with Alex. Alex is acquitted and he, his wifr, Tommy, and the chauffeur set off for England and
a second honeymoon. Dickie Moore has a small role as Tommy.
"Upper World" from 1934 is a Depression-era drama. Typical of many Depression era films, this one deals with the lives of the wealthy.
The film is set in a posh neigborhood of New York City (Long Island) during in the present time of the film, 1934. Of course the Depression was raging at the time.
The main characters are railroad magnate Alex Stream, his wife, and son, Tommy. ALex Stream was played by Warren William, a leading man of the 1920's/1930's. The beautiful Mary Astor played Mrs. Stream, and in a very early role Ginger Rodgers portrayed Lily. Dickie Moore has a small role as Tommy. Dickie was 8 years old when the film was
made. He was already veteran of Hal Roach's "Our Gang" series. Dickie usually played bright, tough, resilient little guys with a heart of gold. In one
scene he would take no guff from even the biggest and toughest guys, and in the next scene he'd hug and kiss his mom and tell her he loves her.
The Stream family is surrounded by servants who cater to their every need. All is not idyllic, however. Mrs. Stream is an active member of high
society whose time is spent, it seems, at parties and on vacations. Neglected by his wife, Alex begins a love interest with a show girl, Lily. They are able to
conceal their affair from everyone except Lily's conniving stage manager, Louie. Louie decides to blackmail Alex, but his scheme fails when Alex refuses. A gunfight follows, and Louie accidentally kills Lily. Alex then shoots Louie in self defense. Eventually, the police connect Alex to the sootings. In the meantime Mrs. Stream, tired of her empty life, reconciles with Alex. Alex is acquitted and he, his wife, Tommy, and the chauffeur set off for England and
a second honeymoon.
Dickie had only approximately 5 minutes of screen time in "Upper World", but he appeared in brief scences throughout the film and was wardrobed in a variety of clothes typical of the time for the well to do. We first see Dickie in a short pants and short sleeve sailor suit. The suit was probably light blue, and the cuffs and collar of the shirt are trimmed in (probably) dark blue and white stripes. He wears a white dickey ("Dickie's dickey" for those who favor word plays!), trimmed in dark blue. Dickie wears medium colored crew length socks and dark lace-up shoes. His sailor suit has a dark belt, and the shorts are fairly short. In one scene Dickie wears long pajamas, dark with a circular pattern, and slippers. In another scene, he wears a light colored bath robe over his pajamas. Dickie is sent off to summer camp in a long sleeved shirt and short pants, both maybe olive green in color, knee socks, and dark lace-up shoes. The uniform includes a dark neck tie and a forage cap that matches his shirt and shorts in color. Dickie and his mom appear in the judge's chambers and in the court room near the film's end. Dickie wears a light/medium colored short pants suit, medium colored ankle socks, and dark lace-up shoes. His white shirt is open, and the shirt's collar is spread over the lapels of his coat. The shorts are a bit short, which appeared to be the style then for young boys. On board ship at the film's end Dickie wears a dark, double breated top coat, long dark trousers, and a black beret. The beret looks to have a badge of some kind on the front.
The film is not particularly memorable. Dickie's early films are rarely seen anymore. Except for TCM's screenings they likely would not be shown at
all. These early 1930's films probably seemed rather dated to filmgoers within a decade of their release. The realtionship between between Alex and Lily exhibits very little passion, even by the film standards of its era. The film may be of interest to some viewers for its art deco trappings, elegant
1930's clothes, and vintage cars.
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