After searching for the elusive LETTY LYNTON for years, I finally nailed her ...and now I'm scared to death-
It's all crimson lips and scarlet passion as the Joan plays a sexually dissolute society gal who falls in love with blue-blood Robert Montgomery aboard an Art Deco luxury liner the rest of us on planet earth will never see the likes of (that's where she wears the "Letty Lynton dress"). Bob asks her if she loves him and, wide-eyed, she replies "I'd black your boots for the rest of my life!" When the ship docks in New York trouble awaits in the shape of Nils Asther as a former Latin lover of Joan's who threatens to send some incriminating love letters to Bob and the tabloids unless she returns with him to Montevideo. Joan agrees to meet him in his hotel room later that night and runs upstairs to fetch a bottle of poison from her medicine cabinet.
***STOP!***
Up until this point it was the usual "MGM Joan" of the early 30's, but from now on you'll feel like you're watching a combination of QUEEN BEE and STRAIGHT-JACKET.
***SPOILER WARNING***(but you need to know)***
Joan goes to Nils' hotel room and poisons his champagne, and as he sits dying she hisses malevolently in his face "I did it and I'm glad, GLAD, you mongrel!!" Just then there's a knock on the door and Joan hides behind a curtain -but it's only the bellboy. He comes in and, figuring Nils is merely passed out drunk, pours himself a glass of bubbly (using the poison glass) and downs it. At this point I really felt Joan would bolt from behind the curtain and knock the glass out of his hand, but noooo, the weasel couldn't care less! Later, at Bob's estate, the police pay a call and Joan lies through her teeth, denying any involvement to them, Bob and his mother. The Manhattan DA (Lewis Stone) calls Bob, Joan, her mother & maid down for a talk. Again Joan lies like a rug until Stone shows her a garment she left in Nils' hotel room. At this point Bob jumps up and starts lying. He says that he knew of Nils' blackmail attempt and waited in the hotel foyer while Joan pleaded for the letters but they left well before the cad's estimated time of death. When Stone doubts that, Joan's mother jumps up and lies for both of them. Mom (May Robson) says that she followed them to Nils' hotel, waited, and then later followed them to Bob's townhouse where he and Joan spent the night. When Stone asks if she can prove that, Joan's maid pops up and lies, saying she saw Robson follow Bob follow Joan to Nils' hotel. Whew! At this point Stone says he won't waste the taxpayers money trying to prosecute this bunch and they are free to go. Back at Joan's townhouse she says to Bob "I hope you know why I did it" as they all lock arms and go in to dinner while the maid hums "here comes the bride"! I haven't seen anything like this since THE TEXASCHAINSAW MASSACRE. The family that slays together stays together...
Forget what you've heard about plagiarized plays, fictitious resemblances to real life folk and all that. I did. I now believe it was moth-balled because it did more to bring about a Production Code crackdown than Stanwyck's BABY FACE and the Mae West comedies combined. Behind studio executive's mahogany doors, Breen & Co. had their say and their way about this one. Amoral and remorseless characters getting away with murder and laughing all the way to supper. Hmmm...
By all means SEE THIS FILM... and be very afraid...
It's all crimson lips and scarlet passion as the Joan plays a sexually dissolute society gal who falls in love with blue-blood Robert Montgomery aboard an Art Deco luxury liner the rest of us on planet earth will never see the likes of (that's where she wears the "Letty Lynton dress"). Bob asks her if she loves him and, wide-eyed, she replies "I'd black your boots for the rest of my life!" When the ship docks in New York trouble awaits in the shape of Nils Asther as a former Latin lover of Joan's who threatens to send some incriminating love letters to Bob and the tabloids unless she returns with him to Montevideo. Joan agrees to meet him in his hotel room later that night and runs upstairs to fetch a bottle of poison from her medicine cabinet.
***STOP!***
Up until this point it was the usual "MGM Joan" of the early 30's, but from now on you'll feel like you're watching a combination of QUEEN BEE and STRAIGHT-JACKET.
***SPOILER WARNING***(but you need to know)***
Joan goes to Nils' hotel room and poisons his champagne, and as he sits dying she hisses malevolently in his face "I did it and I'm glad, GLAD, you mongrel!!" Just then there's a knock on the door and Joan hides behind a curtain -but it's only the bellboy. He comes in and, figuring Nils is merely passed out drunk, pours himself a glass of bubbly (using the poison glass) and downs it. At this point I really felt Joan would bolt from behind the curtain and knock the glass out of his hand, but noooo, the weasel couldn't care less! Later, at Bob's estate, the police pay a call and Joan lies through her teeth, denying any involvement to them, Bob and his mother. The Manhattan DA (Lewis Stone) calls Bob, Joan, her mother & maid down for a talk. Again Joan lies like a rug until Stone shows her a garment she left in Nils' hotel room. At this point Bob jumps up and starts lying. He says that he knew of Nils' blackmail attempt and waited in the hotel foyer while Joan pleaded for the letters but they left well before the cad's estimated time of death. When Stone doubts that, Joan's mother jumps up and lies for both of them. Mom (May Robson) says that she followed them to Nils' hotel, waited, and then later followed them to Bob's townhouse where he and Joan spent the night. When Stone asks if she can prove that, Joan's maid pops up and lies, saying she saw Robson follow Bob follow Joan to Nils' hotel. Whew! At this point Stone says he won't waste the taxpayers money trying to prosecute this bunch and they are free to go. Back at Joan's townhouse she says to Bob "I hope you know why I did it" as they all lock arms and go in to dinner while the maid hums "here comes the bride"! I haven't seen anything like this since THE TEXASCHAINSAW MASSACRE. The family that slays together stays together...
Forget what you've heard about plagiarized plays, fictitious resemblances to real life folk and all that. I did. I now believe it was moth-balled because it did more to bring about a Production Code crackdown than Stanwyck's BABY FACE and the Mae West comedies combined. Behind studio executive's mahogany doors, Breen & Co. had their say and their way about this one. Amoral and remorseless characters getting away with murder and laughing all the way to supper. Hmmm...
By all means SEE THIS FILM... and be very afraid...