Illicit (1931 film)

Last updated

Illicit
Illicit 1931 Poster.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by Archie Mayo
Screenplay byHarvey F. Thew
Based onan unproduced play
by Edith Fitzgerald
Robert Riskin
Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck
Starring
Cinematography Robert Kurrle
Edited by William Holmes
Music by
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Release date
  • February 14, 1931 (1931-02-14)(USA)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Illicit is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Barbara Stanwyck, James Rennie, Ricardo Cortez, and Natalie Moorhead. Based on a play by Edith Fitzgerald and Robert Riskin, the film is about a young couple living together out of wedlock because the woman does not believe in marriage. When they finally get married, both become unfaithful to each other. Illicit was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. [1]

Contents

Plot

James Rennie and Natalie Moorhead in a scene from the film. James Rennie Natalie Moorhead Illicit 1931.jpg
James Rennie and Natalie Moorhead in a scene from the film.

Anne Vincent is a woman who has modern ideas about love. She believes that marriage kills love and leads to unhappiness and, inevitably, divorce. Although her boyfriend, Dick Ives II, and his father, Dick Sr., try to persuade Anne to get married, she resists their arguments. She believes it is important for people to be individuals, and that when they marry, they tend to become too emotionally dependent on each other, rather than, as an old suitor says, "being responsible to no one but herself." Both Anne and Dick have prior romantic entanglements still in the picture. Margie True admits she still loves Dick, and they talk; he says she will find someone who loves her as much as he loves Anne.

Anne and Dick see each other until late at night, and go away for weekends together for a while without getting married. However, after word gets out about a weekend away, Dick pressures Anne, and eventually she caves in to avoid scandal. When the news becomes public, Anne receives a telegram from her ex-boyfriend, Price Baines, saying that he wants to visit her. Dick doesn't want Anne to see him, but she does so anyway. Price tries to persuade Anne not to get married, tells her that he is still in love with her, and warns her that she will be unhappy if she marries, but she has already made up her mind.

Anne marries Dick, and they start to behave like a typical married couple, meeting social expectations regarding attending events and visiting people. They seem to be unable to share the romantic time alone together that they did in the past. They tire of each other, avoid each other and fight over silly things. Eventually Anne tells Dick that they need to separate for a time. At first this rekindles the romance. But when Price Baines comes back into the picture, Dick becomes resentful, and starts to take an interest in Margie True, who tells him that she is still in love with him. Price Baines woos Anne aggressively. Ultimately, however, the separation makes Dick and Anne realize that there are no substitutes for each other, in spite of the costs involved.

Cast

Production

Soundtrack

Reception

Writing on January 25, 1931, for The New York Times, Mordaunt Hall declared the film "QUITE an intelligent and entertaining feature…,” but found the story implausible at times. “(T)he dialogue runs along smoothly and the acting is highly competent. It is not overwhelmingly subtle and the cheery or satisfactory ending is a trifle too sudden. Its argument is that, whether a young couple are living in companionate marriage or conventional marriage, they are only held together by love. Although superfically this is the case in this narrative, it seems as though the characters might have an excuse for parting forever had they not been bound by marriage ties… (It) opens with Richard Ives and Anne Vincent living together…Apparently nobody suspects that they are exponents of companionate marriage, and not until they put up at hotels together does society begin to observe this breach of social law. This causes one to think that most of the friends of the two lovers go about blindfolded. Then there are offered on the screen excerpts from a society paper which is evidently not concerned with the libel laws. From then on the chronicle becomes diverting in spite of its lack of suspense. Anne and Richard are married …They are happy for a year, and then the inevitable bickering occurs. Then comes the conventional excuse..the discovery that he is after all interested in that attractive blonde…Anne has her old flame, who virtually tells her that he hopes her marriage will be a failure when he says that if she ever separates or is divorced from Richard he will be waiting for her.Barbara Stanwyck and James Rennie are thoroughly human in their rôles. The lighter vein is expressed by Charles Butterworth in his admirable, peculiar fashion. Claude Gillingwater is capital as Richard's father, who is responsible for making Anne consent to marriage.” [2]

On August 19, 2008, Dennis Schwartz observed: “This daring risqué melodrama…has aged badly and when viewed today seems arch. If it weren’t for the fine performance by the twenty-four-year old Barbara Stanwyck in her first starring role, this would be a real snoozer. Archie Mayo…does a poor job keeping this morality tale alive, as it’s way too chatty, the characters remain undeveloped clichés and it has no surprises up its sleeve to keep us tuned in….In this trivial and tedious weepie that lacks much punch and action, after both parties in the separation seek solace in others they have a reawakening after much soul searching and reunite for a happy ending. Thereby they reinforce the traditions of marriage over living a sexually free life and the film takes the sauce out of any arguments it offered to the contrary. Two years later the studio made an exact remake called Ex-Lady, which starred Bette Davis. At least this dud had Stanwyck. [3]

Preservation

The film survives intact and has been shown on television and cable. A copy is held in the Library of Congress collection. [4] It is also available on Region 1 DVD from Warner Archive as part of a double feature with Girl Missing .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Stanwyck</span> American actress (1907–1990)

Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic screen presence and versatility. She was a favorite of directors, including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang, and Frank Capra, and made 85 films in 38 years before turning to television.

<i>The Gay Sisters</i> 1942 film by Irving Rapper

The Gay Sisters is a 1942 American drama film directed by Irving Rapper, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, Gig Young and Nancy Coleman. The Warner Bros. motion picture was based on a novel by Stephen Longstreet.

<i>Baby Face</i> (film) 1933 film by Alfred E. Green

Baby Face is a 1933 American pre-Code-enforcement drama film directed by Alfred E. Green for Warner Bros., starring Barbara Stanwyck as Lily Powers, and featuring George Brent. Based on a story by Darryl F. Zanuck, Baby Face portrays a young woman who uses sex to advance her social and financial status. Twenty-five-year-old John Wayne appears briefly as one of Powers's lovers.

<i>My Reputation</i> 1946 film

My Reputation is a 1946 American romantic drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Barbara Stanwyck portrays an upper-class widow whose romance with an army officer causes trouble for her gossiping friends, domineering mother and young sons. Catherine Turney wrote the script, an adaptation of Clare Jaynes' 1942 novel Instruct My Sorrows. Stanwyck's costumes were designed by Edith Head.

<i>The Two Mrs. Carrolls</i> 1947 film by Peter Godfrey

The Two Mrs. Carrolls is a 1947 American mystery film noir directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, and Alexis Smith. It was produced by Mark Hellinger from a screenplay by Thomas Job, based on the 1935 play of the same name by Martin Vale.

<i>Blonde Crazy</i> 1931 film

Blonde Crazy is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Noel Francis, Louis Calhern, Ray Milland, and Guy Kibbee. The film is notable for one of Cagney's lines, a phrase often repeated by celebrity impersonators: "That dirty, double-crossin' rat!"

<i>Christmas in Connecticut</i> 1945 film by Peter Godfrey

Christmas in Connecticut is a 1945 American Christmas romantic comedy film about an unmarried city magazine writer who pretends to be a farm wife and mother and then falls in love with a returning war hero. The film was directed by English director Peter Godfrey and stars Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan and Sydney Greenstreet.

<i>Gambling Lady</i> 1934 film by Archie Mayo

Gambling Lady is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea and Pat O'Brien.

<i>Ex-Lady</i> 1933 film by Robert Florey

Ex-Lady is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy/drama film directed by Robert Florey. The screenplay by David Boehm is a remake of the Barbara Stanwyck film Illicit (1931), both crediting a story by Edith Fitzgerald and Robert Riskin. The film focuses on a pair of lovers, commercial illustrator Helen Bauer and advertising writer Don Peterson, who have been living together quite happily for some time. One night, after hiding in Helen's bedroom until their party guests have all left, Don announces that he is tired of sneaking around. He wants marriage—and possibly children—and Helen finally agrees, although she is afraid that it will wreck their relationship. Her predictions of trouble—increased by the stresses of opening their own advertising agency—come true, but in the end, with the serendipitous intervention of their perpetually inebriated friend, Van, they reconcile and resume the mixed blessings of wedded bliss.

<i>So Big</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

So Big is a 1932 pre-Code American drama film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck. The screenplay by J. Grubb Alexander and Robert Lord is based on the 1924 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, by Edna Ferber.

<i>Moby Dick</i> (1930 film) 1930 film

Moby Dick is a 1930 American pre-Code film from Warner Bros., directed by Lloyd Bacon, and starring John Barrymore, Joan Bennett and Walter Lang. The film is a sound remake of the 1926 silent movie, The Sea Beast, which also starred Barrymore. It is the first film adaptation of Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby Dick that includes a soundtrack.

<i>A Lost Lady</i> (1934 film) 1934 film by Alfred E. Green, Phil Rosen

A Lost Lady is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Frank Morgan and Ricardo Cortez. It is based on the 1923 novel A Lost Lady by Willa Cather, with a screenplay by Gene Markey and Kathryn Scola. Warner Bros. had produced a 1924 silent film based on the story, starring Irene Rich.

<i>Cry Wolf</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Peter Godfrey

Cry Wolf is a 1947 American mystery film noir directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Errol Flynn, Barbara Stanwyck and Geraldine Brooks. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Marjorie Carleton.

<i>Ever in My Heart</i> 1933 film

Ever in My Heart is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Otto Kruger, and Ralph Bellamy. It portrays the tragic consequences of the virulent propaganda that spread false stories of atrocities and stigmatized anything German during the Great War.

<i>Ladies of Leisure</i> 1930 film

Ladies of Leisure is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ralph Graves. The screenplay by Jo Swerling is based on the 1924 play Ladies of the Evening by Milton Herbert Gropper, which ran for 159 performances on Broadway.

<i>Ten Cents a Dance</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Ten Cents a Dance is a 1931 American pre-Code romance-drama film directed by Lionel Barrymore and starring Barbara Stanwyck as a married taxi dancer who falls in love with one of her customers. The film was inspired by the popular song of the same name, which is sung over the title sequence. The film was also made in a Spanish language version, titled, Carne de Cabaret, directed by Christy Cabanne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Rennie (actor)</span> Canadian actor

James Malachi Rennie was a Canadian American actor who performed on the New York stage and also appeared in several Hollywood films during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. He became a U.S. citizen in New York in 1933.

<i>The Flirting Widow</i> 1930 film

The Flirting Widow is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Dorothy Mackaill, Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams and Claude Gillingwater. It was produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros.

<i>Bought</i> 1931 film

Bought is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film produced and released by Warner Bros. and directed by Archie Mayo. The movie stars Constance Bennett and features Ben Lyon, Richard Bennett and Dorothy Peterson. It is based on the 1930 novel Jackdaw's Strut by Harriet Henry.

<i>The Well Groomed Bride</i> 1946 film by Sidney Lanfield

The Well Groomed Bride is a 1946 American romantic comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Olivia de Havilland, Ray Milland, and Sonny Tufts. Written by Claude Binyon and Robert Russell, the film is about a man and a woman who fight over the last bottle of champagne left in San Francisco—he wants it to christen a new aircraft carrier, and she wants it as the centerpiece for her upcoming wedding reception. During the course of their fierce battle over the bottle, the two fall in love. This was de Havilland's first film after a two-year legal battle she waged against Warner Bros. regarding her rights under her contract.

References

  1. ↑ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films 1893-1993: Illicit
  2. ↑ Hall, Mordaunt (January 25, 1931). "THEIR MASTER'S VOICE; An Author Supervisor. Queer Shadows. Illicit." Raking Up the Past. A Would-Be Blood-Curdler. In the Foreign Legion. Le Petit Cafe."". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  3. ↑ "ILLICIT – Dennis Schwartz Reviews" . Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  4. ↑ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, (<-book title) p.87 c.1978 by The American Film Institute
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.