Suddenly, Laurie feared for the life of her own 17 year-old son John, and tried to call Yosemite to talk to him, but her phone was dead." She was obsessed with the success of her maternal grooming: "Come, August, we shall reply to the king at once.Whitmore (skeptically): Don""t you have to be twenty-one to fill prescriptions?Hackenbush: Well, uh, that""s for grown-ups.Previous films had only made fun of drunks and lushes (e.g.,The Thin Manseries, or W.C.Fields"" films).Its release was threatened when the alcohol industry offered to purchase the film""s negative and remove it from circulation, but then praised and supported the film following its popular release (and critical success).The main ballerina dancer was Irina Boronskaja (Ludmilla Tchérina), and the company""s orchestral conductor was Livingstone ""Livy"" Montague (Esmond Knight).