The Crash

The Crash is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle. The film is based on the 1932 novel Children of Pleasure written by Larry Barretto, and stars Ruth Chatterton as a luxury-loving wife devastated by the Wall Street crash of 1929. Plot Linda Gault comes from a poverty-stricken family and is determined never to be poor again. She is now a philandering elitist who casually seduces men for their money. Her stockbroker husband Geoffrey has found out about his wife's infidelities, and encourages her to collect investment recommendations from her latest lover, high-profile financier John Fair. Linda is unamused with her husband's desire, claiming that finances have killed their loving marriage. Nevertheless, she does as her husband asks, and afterwards feels ashamed about it. Having tired of Fair, she breaks off their affair. Unaware of this, Geoffrey insists she get the latest inside information from Fair, as the stock market is behaving very strangely. Suspicious of Linda's rapid about face, Fair refuses to tell her anything. Not wanting to admit that she was unable to charm her ex-lover, Linda lies to her husband, telling him the market will rise. As a result, Geoffrey loses all of his money in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Unwilling to deal with being impoverished, Linda persuades her husband to pay for her extended stay in Bermuda, using some of the money he needs to try to recover. There, she is romanced by Ronnie Sanderson, an Australian sheep rancher. Ronnie proposes that Linda live with him in Australia, but she hesitates to, feeling Australia has nothing to offer her. However, when she learns about her husband having become broke, she is eager to profit from Ronnie in every way possible. Linda is able to manipulate Ronnie into falling for her and he expresses his interest in marrying her if she first returns to New York City to divorce her husband.