Lady with a Past

"Lady with a Past" is Constance Bennett as an unlikely bookish wallflower who sails from New York City to Paris where she engineers a fake sex scandal hoping it will make her the talk of the town by the time she returns and thereby attract the attention of young men who find her literary chatter a big bore. She also talks to herself and pretends to be singing out loud when caught in the act.

Her co-conspirator in Paris is the golden voiced Ben Lyons whom she picks up at a sidewalk café after he tricks her into paying his food and drink tab. But her heart really belongs to David Manners, a handsome member of her social set who is looking for someone more exciting.

If this all seems terribly unexciting, it is. Then why watch? Miss Bennett, of course. They don't make 'em like that any more. In the pre-production publicity it was said that Miss Bennett was being fitted for 17 gowns to wear in the film. I didn't count, but she probably did.

Okay, the plot is sort of silly -- you have to accept that gorgeous society girl Constance Bennett, in a succession of clinging gowns, has difficulty attracting men. So much so that on a whirlwind trip to Paris, she hires penniless American Ben Lyon as a gigolo, if only to prove that she isn't a complete dud.

Bennett exudes her trademark seductive charm. But it's Lyon, as her romantic mentor, who bring the "Lady with a Past" to life. He gives a brash, breezy, effortless performance reminiscent of Melvyn Douglas at his best in the days of "Ninotchka" and "Theodora Goes Wild." Not many of Lyon's films, with the exception of "Hells Angels," have been seen in recent years. And I always had the idea that he was a stick-figure straight man.

It was entertaining to be proved wrong.

In a recent biography of the Bennetts, the author implied that Constance Bennett was in movies only for the money with which to lead a luxurious lifestyle. However, her work in this film would make one believe that she really could act.

In this film, the usually glamorous Bennett convinces you that she is a wallflower, despite looking just as attractive as ever. Perhaps it's the way she carries her body, or the inflection in her voice.

The film may have been fresh in its day, but now seems trite and contrived. Nevertheless, if you're a Constance Bennett fan, you'll enjoy this film.

Constance Bennett is miserable. Despite having money and being a pretty lady, she is hardly noticed by men. Yet, at the same time, 'bad' women attract men like flies. For instance, one woman was acquitted for shooting her husband--and now men won't leave her alone! So, out of desperation, she hires a guy down on his luck to pose as her lover and create the impression she's a loose woman! He seems a bit worldly and indicates he knows how to make her attractive by making her mysterious and a bit trampy. The plan works pretty well--but, of course, by the end of the film several complications have occurred.

The plot is pretty clever and is carried off pretty well due to good acting from Bennett and Ben Lyon. Not a great film, but nice entertainment and worth your time.

This is a charming, subtle little pre-code in which everything is implied and little actually shown.

Constance Bennet is a good girl from a good New York family and no one finds her interesting. In Paris she finds Ben Lyon, an indigent American who bums a beer from her. She hires him as a gigolo and he shows her how to be fascinating to men, using frequent kicks to the shin to encourage her education.

Lyon is particularly good in his fast-talking role and Miss Bennet is at her most charming. The two have real chemistry together and Edward Griffith directs with a gracefully moving camera under the control of the under-rated Hal Mohr. All of these combine to produce a comedy that is knowing without being cynical.