A woman from high society must testify in a murder trial prosecuted by her suitor.A woman from high society must testify in a murder trial prosecuted by her suitor.A woman from high society must testify in a murder trial prosecuted by her suitor.
- Mrs. Polansky
- (scenes deleted)
- Yelling Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Coffee Mug Waiter
- (uncredited)
- Aunt Agatha
- (uncredited)
- Club Waiter
- (uncredited)
- John Mulligan - Doorman
- (uncredited)
- Juror
- (uncredited)
- Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film and MGM's "Unashamed" (1932) are based on a sensational November, 1931 murder in Philadelphia where Eddie Allen killed his sister's lover Francis Donaldson III. The crime was characterized in the press as a "honor killing". Both families were part of Philadelphia's society. The trial took place in February, 1932.
- Quotes
Miss Adele 'Dell' Hamilton: It's so boring to be an extremist.
Mr. David 'Dave' Norton: Think so? What are you?
Miss Adele 'Dell' Hamilton: I? Oh, a pleasure loving child from the gilded generation. I love dancing, tennis, music, travel, and what have you.
Mr. David 'Dave' Norton: It depends on what extreme you like, I suppose, whether or not you find it boring.
Miss Adele 'Dell' Hamilton: I see, in other words, we're both extremist.
Mr. David 'Dave' Norton: Well, if you like the word.
Miss Adele 'Dell' Hamilton: May I have the ketchup?
Mr. David 'Dave' Norton: Well, at least we have one thing in common.
Miss Adele 'Dell' Hamilton: Ketchup?
Mr. David 'Dave' Norton: Let's see, what the doozies do they say now? Oh, yeah. A book of verse beneath the bough. A jug of wine. A loaf of bread.
Miss Adele 'Dell' Hamilton: A plate of beans. And thou.
Mr. David 'Dave' Norton: And thou.
Miss Adele 'Dell' Hamilton: And thou beside me singing in the wilderness.
In 1932 Bennett was getting bad press for her high-hat ways and big spender habits, so the scriptwriters wrote a scene in Hamilton's law office where she gives $100 to his destitute client with a promise of more to come. Hamilton says approvingly, "That was a very nice thing for you to do", which the audience could hardly fail to approve of as well, thereby softening her image.
Bennett/Dell is confident and flirtatious, a young woman who goes after what she wants, and it's immediately evident that she wants the not rich Hamilton, who is smitten with her at first sight. Bennett is gorgeous, stunning in her furs and hats and gowns. Her acting throughout is spot on, and in the climatic courtroom scene she is impressive. Her moods on the witness stand shift from haughtiness to fear to relief and then to suspense as prosecutor Hamilton stares at her for a nerve wracking minute before speaking.
Bennett had a wider range than she's reputed to have, wider than Shearer and Crawford, neither of whom could do comedy. This film should have been the beginning of a long career with one triumphant film following another. Instead, it was the beginning of the end of her stardom. And why Hamilton didn't become a major star like Bennett's frequent movie partner, Joel McCrea, is another mystery.
- hotangen
- Feb 1, 2015
Details
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1