Goin’ to Town (1935) in Color — Starring Mae West & Paul Cavanagh

Goin’ to Town (1935) — Buy This Classic in Color

Discover Goin’ to Town, Alexander Hall’s 1935 pre-Code comedy starring Mae West and Paul Cavanagh, now available as a professionally colorized version. Own this classic movie in color as a DRM-free MP4 digital download for just €15.00.

Plot Summary

Cleo Borden (Mae West) is a brash, sharp-tongued, gloriously self-assured dance-hall girl living in the rough, lawless cattle country of the American West, where she has carved out a comfortable existence by combining her considerable physical charms with an even more considerable talent for getting exactly what she wants from every man she meets. When her outlaw companion Buck Gonzales is killed in a gunfight, Cleo discovers that she has unexpectedly inherited his vast cattle ranch and a fortune in livestock — transforming her overnight from a saloon entertainer into one of the wealthiest women in the territory. But money alone is not enough for Cleo: she has set her ambitious, relentless sights on the elegant, aristocratic English gentleman Edward Carrington (Paul Cavanagh), a sophisticated and impossibly refined society figure who represents everything that Cleo is not — cultured, reserved, impeccably mannered, and hopelessly out of her social league. With the unwavering determination that is her defining characteristic, Cleo launches a bold, outrageous, and hilariously unconventional campaign to reinvent herself as a refined lady of society, learning art appreciation, hosting elaborate formal gatherings, acquiring an extensive and eye-popping wardrobe, and even studying opera — not because she has any genuine interest in high culture, but because she understands, with sharp instinctive intelligence, that these are the keys to Edward’s aristocratic world. Her path to respectability is complicated by the scheming, charming, and thoroughly untrustworthy Ivan Valadov (Ivan Lebedeff), a smooth-talking European con man who recognizes a fellow operator and attempts to manipulate Cleo for her newfound fortune, not realizing that he is badly outmatched by a woman whose survival instincts are far sharper than his. As Cleo crashes through every barrier of social convention and decorum — shocking the snobbish society matrons, bewildering the aristocrats, and delighting the audiences — the film builds to an extraordinary climax in which Mae West stuns everyone by performing a genuine operatic selection, revealing a legitimate musical talent that transcends her comic persona and proves that Cleo Borden can conquer any world she chooses to enter. This classic movie is a hilarious, dazzling showcase for one of Hollywood’s most original and fearless screen personalities.

Cast & Crew

Director: Alexander Hall

Stars: Mae West, Paul Cavanagh, Gilbert Emery, Marjorie Gateson, Ivan Lebedeff, Fred Kohler, Monroe Owsley, Grant Withers, Tito Coral, Luis Alberni

Mae West is in absolute peak form as Cleo Borden, delivering her trademark one-liners with devastating timing and creating a character who is simultaneously hilarious, shrewd, and genuinely formidable — a woman who uses humor as both shield and weapon while never losing the audience’s affection or respect. West’s extraordinary comic confidence dominates every scene, but her genuine operatic performance in the climax reveals dramatic range that surprised audiences and critics alike. Paul Cavanagh brings suave, understated charm to the object of Cleo’s affections, and Ivan Lebedeff is wonderfully slippery as the continental con man who fatally underestimates his target. Marjorie Gateson adds tartly funny snobbery as the society matron outraged by Cleo’s invasion of polite society.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

Goin’ to Town was originally filmed in black and white, its lavish Paramount production values, Mae West’s spectacular costumes, the dusty cattle country and the glittering society ballrooms all captured in the studio’s typically polished photography. This professionally colorized restoration brings frame-by-frame precision to the visual contrast between the rough Western settings and the opulent high-society world, Mae West’s famously extravagant wardrobe, and the elegant period interiors. The colorized version adds glamour and visual richness to this restored classic film, transforming the visual spectacle that West always demanded into vivid, eye-catching color. Now also available in colour.

Buy Goin’ to Town in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Goin’ to Town was released in 1935 as the Production Code was beginning its strict enforcement era, making it one of the last films in which Mae West could operate with her full pre-Code creative freedom and her signature brand of suggestive, boundary-pushing humor. The film holds a particularly remarkable place in cinema history because West performed a genuine operatic aria in the climax, revealing serious musical training behind her comic persona and challenging every assumption audiences had about her range as an entertainer. West’s dominance of the Paramount box office during this period made her one of the highest-paid and most powerful women in America, and this film captures her at the absolute peak of her influence and confidence. Through colorization, this showcase for one of Hollywood’s most groundbreaking female stars is preserved for modern audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 74 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Did Mae West really sing opera in this film?
A: Yes — in a remarkable climactic scene, Mae West delivers a genuine operatic performance that stunned audiences and critics who expected only her trademark comedy. West had serious vocal training and used this film to demonstrate dramatic range far beyond what anyone anticipated from Hollywood’s most famous comic persona.

Q: Is this a pre-Code film?
A: Goin’ to Town was released in 1935 during the transitional period as the Production Code was being enforced, making it one of the last films to benefit from the creative freedom that defined Mae West’s most uninhibited work.

Q: How does colorization enhance this Mae West classic?
A: Colorization brings spectacular life to Mae West’s famously extravagant costumes and jewelry, the visual contrast between rough Western cattle country and gleaming high-society ballrooms, and the overall glamorous production values that made Paramount’s West vehicles among the most visually lavish productions of their era.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as an MP4 file compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: Is there DRM on the file?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free so you can watch it on any device without restrictions.

Q: How quickly can I watch after purchase?
A: Your download link is available instantly after payment, so you can start watching within minutes.

Related Colorized Classics

• Going My Way (1944)
• She Done Him Wrong (1933)
• Every Day’s a Holiday (1937)
• Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
• It Happened One Night (1934)