User Reviews

There are two key scenes in this truly riveting pre-code drama that stand out as classics in my mind. First, a scene where Ruth Chatterton, playing a party girl who has married drunken wealthy attorney Clive Brook, orders him to sober up to deal with an important client, and next a scene where Chatterton, feeling out of place at a dinner party she is hosting, gets drunk herself then accuses one of the guests of feeling her up under the table. It must have taken every ounce of energy Chatterton had to rip herself to shreds to give such a raw and draining performance, and while she was nominated for an Oscar that year for the mother love drama "Sarah and Son", it is this performance that stands out that is far more important as far as screen acting goes. She had become a superstar in the early talkie era by starring in a version of "Madame X", and by 1930 was one of the top stars. Practically forgotten by all but the staunchest classic movie fans, she is mainly remembered for her great performance as the cold society wife in "Dodsworth". But in the early 1930's, there was something stunning in her acting, especially since at the time, she was nearing 40, a rare age at the time for somebody to be considered a superstar.

The film starts with Chatterton and a group of friends getting drunk binge drinking with newly divorced attorney Brook who had once defended Chatterton for dancing in a nightclub topless. The next morning, Brook wakes up to find Chatterton with him, and with a hungover glare inquires, "What are you doing here?" He is stunned to find out that they are married, and now he must figure out with the help of his sister (Juliette Compton) how to get out of this mess. But as the initially unconsummated marriage goes on, Brook gets used to having her around and Compton comes to like her. His ex-wife (Virginia Hammond) shows up, and a client of Brooks' (Paul Lukas) declares his love for Chatterton, and eventually the two separate. Chatterton turns to Lukas for comfort, and Hammond tries to win her ex back, but the oddly paired Brook and Chatterton can't seem to get each other out of their heads,.

One of my favorite forgotten character actresses, Cecil Cunningham, appears briefly at the beginning as the drinking pal of Chatterton's, encouraging her to go after Brook, but unfortunately isn't seen past that sequence. Chatterton pretty much owns this film, giving her heart and soul to revealing the inner strengths of this woman who would sacrifice her own happiness to cure the man she deeply loves of that dreaded psychological disease called alcoholism. Brook has a staid manner that makes him boring while sober but brings out his hidden passions while drunk. Having just seen him play a similar character opposite Kay Francis and Miriam Hopkins in the 1931 drama "24 Hours", I was impressed by the subtle difference in these two characters. Lukas, a dashing Hungarian actor, played both heroes and scoundrels and was always urbane and charming no matter what the part. This is a strong drama because it shows the strength of a wife who strains herself in standing by and supporting her husband, even at the risk of her own happiness, and Chatterton makes her confrontation scene more about love and caring than power and manipulation. It's one of the great dramatic screen performances of all time, and one that deserves more attention from a pretty much forgotten film and star.

Ruth Chatterton might seem right at home in brittle society roles or even as career women but she also had another persona early in her career - the floozie and she played it hard!! In "Paramount on Parade" when most of the studio's stars did turns she played it straight as a French tart who sings "My Marine" to Frederic March. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in "Sarah and Son", a turgid tale of mother love as she searches for the child who her husband has sold. Paramount thought they were on a winning formula so next up was "Anybody's Woman" where Ruth had to suffer some more.

Taken from pulp writer Gouverneur Morris's (he wrote "The Penalty") story, Ruth Chatterton channels her inner floozie as Pansy Grey a jaded burlesque performer whose friend thinks has to toughen up if she is going to survive in the cut throat world of theatrical New York. It's a preposterous story but Ruth gives it her all and her highly emotionally charged scenes keep you watching and caring for her. Certainly not for Clive Brook as Neil Dunlap, newly divorced and on a drunken binge who wakes up one morning to find he has married Pansy. He seems to spend the first half of the movie drunk, then when he sobers up he is so pompous you wish he'd drink some more!! With drunken Neil wallowing in self pity up in his room Pansy has to tackle the servants - they look down on her and want to quit but she gives them a straight talking speech about her lean, hungry days and suddenly they are eating out of her hand.

He sobers up, realises she has been just what he's needed and won't hear of her giving him his freedom!! Then comes the dreaded dinner party, always a staple in these "he/she married beneath them" type of movies. You know the scene - she has a drink, husband looks aghast but strangely doesn't go near her the entire night, only ushering her upstairs when she makes a huge scene - arms akimbo "I'm not drunk but he insulted me"!! Comes the morning she is begging for forgiveness but husband is unmoved!! On top of that Neil's stuffed shirt sister is continually throwing his ex- wife (Juliette Compton) in his path. She has remarried but is eager to share a love nest with Neil and she won't take no for an answer!! As well Pansy finds that Neil is pandering to his wealthier clients because he can't afford to lose their business. One of these is Mr. Saxon (Paul Lukas) someone who has met Pansy before and is genuinely in love with her.

Tom Patricola played Neil's best friend in the initial sequences. He was a successful vaudevillian who was snapped up by Fox in the first on-rush of early musicals but like many others, within a year was given bits like this before he was seen no more!!