Spring Fever is a 1927 film directed by Edward Sedgwick.
Jack Kelly (William Haines) is a working-class young man with a passionate love for the rich man's game: golf. As it turns out, he has gotten extremely good at it. His boss Mr. Waters becomes aware of Jack's skill as a golfer and, himself a golf fanatic although not nearly as good, takes Jack under his wing. Mr. Waters passes Jack off as his nephew and gets Jack a two-week stay in Mr. Waters' exclusive country club, where Jack impresses everyone with his golfing skills.
Jack for his part decides that he rather likes the lifestyle of the Idle Rich and would enjoy spending the rest of his life playing golf at exclusive clubs. He has also fallen for lovely Allie Monte (Joan Crawford in one of her first starring roles), and decides that he can kill two birds with one stone by marrying Allie and gaining entrance to the wealthy elite. However, his plans are complicated when Allie reveals that her father has suffered disastrous financial losses and their family is now broke.
Tropes:
- The Big Damn Kiss: The film ends with a big kiss between Jack and Allie after he wins the state golfing championship.
- Big Game: The "state title match" for a $10,000 prize. Subverted in that Jack winning the state championship is really just a brief epilogue and not the climax.
- Camp Gay: Eustace, one of the regular golfers at the country club, has a mincing manner that Jack makes fun of, showing a limp wrist.
- Chekhov's Gun: The fact that Jack states plainly to his sponsor, Mr. Waters, that he wants to marry money. It turns out that Mr. Waters revealed this to Allie, his real niece, setting up the Secret Test of Character.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Jack attempts to show Allie how to grip and swing her club so she doesn't slice, but he is so distracted by the sight of her calves below her skirt that he slices too. He then makes her stand behind him before demonstrating the proper grip.
- Divorce in Reno: Martha Lomsdon "married in haste and repented in Reno." Martha, now apparently living on alimony, has the hots for Jack.
- Dream Intro: The opening scene shows Mr. Waters, out on the golf course, hitting a hole-in-one. This is revealed to be a dream of Mr. Waters the golf nut.
- Gold Digger: Jack admits this straight up to his father and Mr. Waters, saying that he doesn't want to be a working stiff anymore and that now that he's had a taste of the good life, "I'm going to marry money!"
- Hands-On Approach: Jack really pushes this when he lies flat on the ground to adjust Allie's feet for her golf stance (at least he doesn't look up her skirt). He then embraces her from behind in the typical way while fixing her stance, leading to a kiss.
- Martha is so obvious in her lust for Jack that she demonstrates her golf stance and asks him to fix it. He ignores her.
- Impoverished Patrician: Allie, who reveals that her father has gone broke and she'll have to marry a rich man for support. Subverted in the end when Allie turns out to be lying.
- Leg Focus: Martha, who is not subtle in her mating signals to Jack, sticks out a leg at him, pretending that she needs help with her high-heeled shoe.
- Office Golf: Mr. Waters the golf nut has an indoor putting green in his mansion. He's bad.
- Retraux: The print in circulation is a Turner Classic Movies restoration with an original score. The credit for the score that opens the film is shot with fake grain and deterioration to make it match the rest of the movie.
- The Reveal: Allie isn't broke. Her claim that her father has lost his fortune was a Secret Test of Character.
- Secret Test of Character: The entire third act! Allie knows that Jack is not Mr. Waters' Idle Rich nephew, because she in fact is actually Mr. Waters' niece. Also, she isn't broke. The whole deal with Allie becoming a Trophy Wife was to see if Jack really loved her or just wanted her money.
- Sports Stories: Golf! Although the golf part becomes less relevant in the second half as the plot shifts to Jack's romance with Allie.
- Trophy Wife: Lovely Allie gets engaged to Harry Johnson, a rich dude who looks to be a good 25 years older than her.
