Forbidden (1932) Barbara Stanwyke, Adolph Menjou, Ralph Bellamy. Early "Matinee' Ladies" film with the heroine being done wrong by a rich, married cad. Capra himself described the story as "two hours of soggy, 99.44 percent soap opera." Lulu is on a cruise to Havana, a little librarian looking for romance and adventure. She gets both, but at what price. Ends up with a baby; and the father is a dog. But she loves him. So an arrangement is made and by manipulation, the baby ends up being raised by the cad, now a politician, and his wife, who happens to be crippled, so he 'can't leave her.'. More risqué' than many later films after the film code was put in place to shield the hard facts of life from middle America. The actors are fine except Bellamy is directed to be over the top as a muck raking newspaper man. Can't believe he did it on his own. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022905/
Note: The reference to "99.44percent" is a reference to Ivory Soap, which back in the 1930's and 40's was advertised as being "99.44 % PURE." And the soap operas broadcast on radio all day for the women homemakers of America. My Mom and her neighborhood friends followed Stella Dallas, Backstage Wife, and so many more. And of course, went to see Babs suffer, and debonaire Menjou, at the movies.
Note: The reference to "99.44percent" is a reference to Ivory Soap, which back in the 1930's and 40's was advertised as being "99.44 % PURE." And the soap operas broadcast on radio all day for the women homemakers of America. My Mom and her neighborhood friends followed Stella Dallas, Backstage Wife, and so many more. And of course, went to see Babs suffer, and debonaire Menjou, at the movies.