Wonderland Burlesque: Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies: She's A Lady

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies: She's A Lady - Part XII

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's All Go To The Movies

She's A Lady

Part XII

Sometimes? It takes a lady.

Or so these films would have us believe.

They promise lots of drama, the occasional comedy or musical, and a little bit of dirt!

Let's take a walk down Hollywood Blvd. and shine a light on these magnificent classic films.

This way, if you please. But remember...

Ladies first!

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The Lady Lies

(1929)

Much to the disapproval of his snooty children, a wealthy widowed attorney takes up with a beautiful but 'lower-class' a salesgirl. They try to break it up, but are won over by the woman.

This American Pre-Code drama was directed by Hobart Henley, and stars Walter Huston, Claudette Colbert and Charles Ruggles.

Walter Thomas Huston was a Canadian actor and singer. Huston won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, directed by his son John Huston. He is the patriarch of the four generations of the Huston acting family, including his son John, grandchildren Anjelica Huston and Danny Huston, as well as great-grandchild Jack Huston. The family has produced three generations of Academy Award winners: Walter, his son John, and granddaughter Anjelica.

Claudette Colbert and Walter Huston

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The Lady Of Scandal

(1930)

AKA: The High Road

British nobleman John (Ralph Forbes) falls in love with famous actress Elsie (Ruth Chatterton) and forces the marriage issue by publishing their engagement. He plans to take her to his father's estate to meet his relatives. His father, Lord Crayle (Herbert Bunston), has summoned the immediate family to discuss how to prevent John from marrying beneath his station. When they meet Elsie, they are all shocked she is a commoner except cousin Edward (Basil Rathbone), whose opinion is discounted, since he is involved with a married woman in Paris. After being queried, Elsie senses the meeting is senseless and starts to leave, but Edward persuades her not to accept defeat. Meanwhile, Elsie's father (Robert Bolter) arrives and, although derided as a commoner by the family, agrees with them that the marriage is a mistake. He says that Elsie has only agreed to marry John because of the published engagement, and that she's not in love with him at all: she had turned him down twice a day for a year. He suggests that the family ask Elsie to wait six months, and to retire from the stage and stay with them. He is certain that Elsie will become so bored with John and country life, that she will run back to the stage. So Elsie stays, but she and Edward secretly fall in love during the next few months. He says he will give up the woman in Paris, who he had earlier said he would marry if he could. News comes over the radio, however, that the woman's husband died, leading Elsie to feel Edward has an obligation to go back to the woman and marry her. Although Edward is resolute in breaking with this woman, once he talks to her on the telephone, he has a hard time doing so. John also has ideas concerning his relationship with Elsie.

Based on the 1927 play The High Road by Frederick Lonsdale, this American pre-Code romance-comedy-drama was directed by Sidney Franklin, and stars Ruth Chatterton, Basil Rathbone and Ralph Forbes.

According to contemporary press accounts, Norma Shearer had been cast in the lead role in this film and was doing pre-production work - costume fittings and camera tests - before she was replaced with Ruth Chatterton. No explanation was ever given.

When this was filmed Ruth Chatterton (Elsie) and Ralph Forbes (John) were husband and wife, having been married in 1924. They divorced in 1932.

Costumer Adrian perfectly captures the fashion of the era, right down to the new (and scandalous) trend of women wearing trousers for sport, which was popularized by Coco Chanel.

Variety gave the film a positive review, saying, "Dry humor and high causticism, thought to be over the heads of the American masses, are getting more laughs, as handled in the Lonsdale lines, and by an exceptionally capable cast in this picture than in the average teaser comedy." The Film Daily called it a "fair programmer which will have to depend largely on star for drawing power. Cast and director did well with light material."

Basil Rathbone and Ruther Chatterton

Ralph Forbes

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The Lady Objects

(1938)

Ann Adams and William Hayward get married. She has a secretary's job in a law office, while finishing her schooling, and soon makes junior partner. She proves to be a brilliant lawyer. Meanwhile, hubby has a mechanized draftsman job and and acts like a mechanical person - except when he sings. He gets fed up with Ann turning their home into a bar-associate club where all the lawyers argue cases out of court, and he drops out and drops in at a nightclub where he gets a job as a singer. Soon he's making more money as a singer than a draftsman in an architect's office and begins to imply that Ann should now be content with being a housewife. Well, Ann is having none of that. Later, she and her lawyer friends drop in at the club where William is singing, and she sees William getting vamped by one of the girl entertainers. Jealous, Ann walks out after insulting William. So, they part and William gets an apartment. But then a girl is found dead in his apartment, having accidentally strangled herself while drunk. However, the cops aren't buying that story, and William goes on trial for his life with Ann is his defense attorney. Ann's defense is that it was all her fault - for being so career-minded and not providing William with the home-life he deserved. The jury agrees and the two reunite and live happily ever after.

This American drama was written by Gladys Lehman and Charles Kenyon, directed by Erle C. Kenton, and stars Lanny Ross , Gloria Stuart, Joan Marsh and Robert Paige.

A remake of Ann Carver's Profession (1933) - starring Fay Wray and Gene Raymond.

Nominated for the Oscar for Best Song at the 11th Academy Awards with the song A Mist Is Over the Moon, with music by Ben Oakland and lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II.

Joan Marsh

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The Lady Confesses

(1945)

Shortly before she is to be married, a young woman gets a visit from her fiancé's wife, who had been missing for seven years and presumed dead. Soon both the girl and her fiancé find themselves mixed up with a crooked nightclub owner, gangsters and murder!

This American film noir was directed by Sam Newfield, and stars Mary Beth Hughes, Hugh Beaumont, Edmond MacDonald and Claudia Drake.

The film's soundtrack included: Dance Close To Me, Darling written by Robert Unger and Al Seaman, It's All Your Fault written by Cindy Walker, and It's A Fine Old World written by Smith, Kuhstos and Blonder.

Edmund MacDonald
(I have a new crush.)

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The Lady Gambles

(1949)

When Joan Boothe accompanies husband-reporter David to Las Vegas, she begins gambling to pass the time while he is doing a story. Encouraged by the casino manager, she gets hooked on gambling, to the point where she borrows from David's at an exorbitant interest rate to pursue her addiction. This ultimately breaks up their marriage, though David continues trying to help her with her adictiction.

This American film noir drama was directed by Michael Gordon and stars Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston and Stephen McNally.

Future star Tony Curtis has bit part as bellboy delivering telegram to Barbara Stanwyck.

The Philadelphia Inquirer was unimpressed: "The long story of her transformation from a happy wife to a fanatic who would shoot her husband’s last dollar is unfolded in all its far from fascinating detail. The role... hardly calls for Miss Stanwyck’s best. She does what she can, which isn't too much considering the ridiculous motivation of the part and the preposterousness of that hysterical condition. Robert Preston has a terrible time as the husband, but Stephen McNally at least manages to put some color into the Casino proprietor who leads Barbara farther and farther astray before leaving her flat."