Strictly Dishonorable (1931)

A womanizing singer falls for an old-fashioned Southern belle. The problem is, she already has a fiance.

Director:

John M. Stahl

Writers:

Preston Sturges (play), Gladys Lehman (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Lukas, Sidney Fox, Lewis Stone

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Lukas	...	Count Gus Di Ruvo
Sidney Fox	...	Isabelle Perry
Lewis Stone	...	Judge Dempsey
George Meeker	...	Henry Greene
William Ricciardi	...	Tomasso Antiovi
Sidney Toler	...	Patrolman Mulligan

Storyline

Mississippi belle Isabelle and her hard-headed, quick-tempered Jersey fiancé Henry arrive at an Italian speakeasy in New York. They meet an amiable retired judge there, but Henry's back is up immediately anyway. Henry leaves as his car is parked illegally. Isabelle likes the opera, and it happens that her favourite singer, Di Ruvo, is a bar patron that evening. "Gus", as he prefers to be known, is very charming. Henry returns to find the pair dancing. A row ensues; Henry leaves. Isabelle accepts Gus's offer to retire to his apartment even though he warns her his intentions are "strictly dishonourable". But Henry has told Officer Mulligan that Isabelle has been "kidnapped by villains"...

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Plot Keywords:

italian | speakeasy | judge | engagement | policeman | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

26 December 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

El instinto del amor

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Natalie Moorhead (Lilli) and Joseph W. Girard (Officer) are in studio records for their roles, but never appear. Lilli is often on the phone but since her voice is never heard, she is omitted from the cast list.

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Connections

Referenced in American Grindhouse (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre"
(Toreador Song) from "Carmen" (1875) (uncredited)
Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Sung on a record in Italian by an unidentified man in the speakeasy

User Reviews

Early Sturges, and rather charming

Preston Sturges' hit sex comedy of 1929 was filmed by Universal almost entirely intact, with an A cast and direction by the proficient but apparently not-very-nice John Stahl. It poses the question, will Southern belle Isabelle (Sidney Fox, who's charming) opt for life in West Orange with her obnoxious fiancé (George Meeker, quite good), or will she succumb to the ministrations of handsome Lothario opera singer Gus (Paul Lukas, perfect casting)? It's a situation not unlike "The Moon Is Blue," so scandalously filmed some 20 years later, and its frankness about virginity and conventional morality is refreshing. There's also Lewis Stone as a tippling judge, livelier than he often was at MGM, and Sidney Toler, almost unrecognizably handsome as an Irish cop. You have to accept the prejudices and skewed morality of the time--there's casually racist chatter, and drunkenness in and of itself is supposed to be hilarious--but it's a delightful artifact. And while Sturges' incomparable gift for dialog isn't in full flower yet, you can see the genius he's going to become.