Colleen

Colleen

Year: 1936

Runtime: 89 mins

Language: English

Director: Alfred E. Green

RomanceDrama

DICK POWELL Starts Singing…RUBY KEELER Starts Tapping… Musical about dingaling millionaire businessman Cedric Ames and his various employees

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Timeline & Setting – Colleen (1936)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Colleen (1936). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Ames Company buildings, the dress shop, an ocean liner

The action moves between Cedric Ames's corporate world and the dress shop he buys for Minnie Hawkins, located in a building owned by the Ames company. The dress shop becomes a central stage for ambition, fashion, and romance, drawing in customers through a bold fashion show. The story also travels to luxury as characters board an ocean liner, where personal ties are tested and reconciled.

🏢 Corporate 👗 Fashion 🚢 Ocean travel

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:55

Main Characters – Colleen (1936)

Meet the key characters of Colleen (1936), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Cedric Ames (Hugh Herbert)

The absent-minded, easily distracted president of a large business who relies on underlings and impulsively hires Joe Cork. His quick decision to buy a dress shop for Minnie sets off a chain of romantic and financial complications. His blunders drive the comedy and the eventual chaos of the plot.

💼 Power 🏛 Business 💘 Romance

Colleen Reilly (Ruby Keeler)

The bookkeeper at the dress shop who fights to keep the business afloat. She orchestrates a fashion show to attract customers and demonstrate the shop's viability. Colleen's growing feelings for Donald complicate her professional life and propel the romance forward.

💃 Fashion 💘 Romance 💰 Ambition

Minnie Hawkins (Joan Blondell)

A sharp-winger, glamorous 'chocolate dipper' who uses charm and schemes to advance herself. She engineers the plan to secure adoption by Cedric and to marry Joe Cork, and later pursues compensation through a lawsuit. Minnie's maneuvering exposes the costs and consequences of desire.

💄 Glamour 💋 Drama 💰 Ambition

Donald Ames (Dick Powell)

Cedric's nephew and subordinate who tries to fix messes around the dress shop while secretly courting Colleen. His plans to secure happiness for himself and Colleen are complicated by family and business entanglements. He embodies a hopeful, yet flawed, approach to love and responsibility.

💼 Ambition 💘 Romance 🧭 Schemes

Joe Cork (Jack Oakie)

Cedric's shrewd but scheming assistant who sees Cedric as an easy mark and hatches a plan to marry Minnie. He pursues his own clever schemes, providing comic relief while exposing the fragility of the 'business of love'.

🎭 Comedy 🧠 Schemes 💍 Love

Alicia Ames (Louise Fazenda)

Cedric's wife who is scandalized by the news and pressures Donald to close the dress shop. Her actions reflect the social pressures and influence within high society.

💍 Marriage 🏛 Social Pressure 🛳 Travel

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:55

Major Themes – Colleen (1936)

Explore the central themes of Colleen (1936), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💖 Romance

Love drives the plot as Cedric's impulsive romance with Minnie disrupts the corporate order. Colleen's growing feelings for Donald complicate alliances and raise questions about loyalty. A fashion show becomes a catalyst where affection and ambition collide, fueling misunderstandings and comedy. The theme traces how romance can blur lines between business and happiness.

🏢 Social Climbing

The dress shop becomes a field for social ambition, where appearances and publicity shape success. Minnie and Joe manipulate events to climb the social ladder, while Colleen's loyalty tests the costs of status. Headlines about a businessman buying a dress shop spotlight how media elevates ordinary ventures into social spectacles.

⚖️ Money

Wealth governs the characters' choices, with a $25,000 payoff as a central bargaining tool. The lawsuits and settlements reveal how money can buy silence and alter relationships. Even as greed intrudes, the story ends with a reconciliation that values personal bonds over profit.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:55

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Colleen Summary

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Colleen Summary

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