Ownership in Hollywood confines itself to either a pent house or a woman and in "Possessed," now at Loew's State, there is only the more obvious alternative. It is the tale of a full blown tiger lily who leaves the rather shut eye environment of her plowed fields to seek more stately mansions in New York. But she differs from the other members of her calling in that she is quite frank about her purpose. When first she meets her eventual benefactor she asks him, "Are you rich?" to which he replies "Is that all you want, my money?" "Yes," says the tiger lily.

Joan Crawford is the candid gold digger in the piece, and Clark Gable her only visible means of support. They manage to keep most of the honors to themselves as they trudge through several thousand feet of film which broke at odd intervals throughout the evening. Clark it seems had had an unlucky break in his first marriage so, although he loved Joan very much and she loved him, he would not run the risk of a second flasco. They therefore settle upon a very satisfactory, if unoriginal method of solving what, save in Hollywood, is a very perplexing problem. But the full tide of true love is turned back by the flotsam of New York politics--as occasionally happens--and Joan proves her love by running out on Clark--but not before she has been soundly slapped by the aspiring politician. It seems that New York can't have a governor whose private life is spent in a luxurious apartment with an unmarried woman even if she loves him. So Joan turns on him with a sneering "You think I loved you; I was pretending all the time," though the careful observer can notice tears in the eyes. But stay--it all comes out all right after all. The thing is patched up and Clark becomes governor and everything.

It is an aged tale, but while there are men and women this sort of thing must go on. What's good enough for life is good enough for Hollywood. As a matter of fact it is an entertaining job for both Miss Crawford and Mr. Gable do very creditable performances. She is fair to see in almost any costume, and she has a lot of them, and what is more she can be a very good actress. He travels along his masculine way with grace and ease, though he is unconvincing as a politician and a Harvard man, both of which he claims to be.