Lila Lee was an attractive and talented actress in the late silent era. She married James Kirkwood, a star of silent westerns, at a time when he was a bigger star than Lee ... but her career prospered while his diminished. When talkies arrived, she proved to have a pleasant speaking voice and some ability with dialogue. Her stardom briefly continued into the sound era, but she managed her career badly and faded into obscurity. She is remembered for being Lon Chaney's leading lady in his only sound film, and also as the mother of the playwright who wrote 'A Chorus Line', James Kirkwood Jnr.
'The Adorable Cheat' has an unfortunate title: I dislike it when a movie *tells* me outright that I'm meant to find the heroine adorable; I prefer to make that decision for myself. But this is a fine light drama (with some comedy touches), supplying an excellent showcase for Lila Lee's charm and talents.
Marion (Lee) is the daughter of Cyrus Dorsey (the dependable Burr McIntosh), a manufacturing magnate. Her brother Will is an irresponsible playboy. Level-headed sensible Marion is clearly better suited than Will to take over the reins of the company, but their bloody-minded father believes that the board room is no place for a 'girl'. (Although he's got plenty of women working on his assembly line.)
To acclimatise herself with every aspect of her father's business, Marion disguises herself as a prole and gets a job in his factory. While passing as a working-class woman, heiress Marion meets George Mason, a lowly shipping clerk who also works for her father. Love ensues, to the point where she reveals her true identity to him. Hoping to get her father's approval for their marriage, she invites George to a party at the Dorsey mansion. But then someone robs Cyrus Dorsey's safe during the party, and the evidence points to George being the culprit. Will justice prevail?
Lila Lee gives an excellent performance in what might arguably be a dual role: she ably establishes herself as an heiress born to privilege, yet is equally convincing in her disguise as a pink-collar employee. What weakens this movie are the poor script and stolid direction. The identity of the real thief is blindingly obvious, and several of the supporting characters seem to be archetypes rather than human beings: Cyrus Dorsey is the bloated plutocrat, whilst George Mason's parents are salt-of-the-earth homespun folks. Mostly on the strength of Lila Lee's vivacious performance, and some good photography, I'll rate this movie 7 out of 10.
