Blonde Venus (1932)

American chemist Ned Faraday marries a German entertainer and starts a family. However, he becomes poisoned with Radium and needs an expensive treatment in Germany to have any chance at ... See full summary »

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writer:

S.K. Lauren

Stars:

Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall, Cary Grant

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marlene Dietrich	...	Helen Faraday, aka Helen Jones
Herbert Marshall	...	Edward 'Ned' Faraday
Cary Grant	...	Nick Townsend
Dickie Moore	...	Johnny Faraday
Gene Morgan	...	Ben Smith
Rita La Roy	...	Taxi Belle Hooper
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Dan O'Connor
Sidney Toler	...	Detective Wilson
Morgan Wallace	...	Dr. Pierce
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clarence Muse	...	Charlie, the Bartender (unconfirmed)

Storyline

American chemist Ned Faraday marries a German entertainer and starts a family. However, he becomes poisoned with Radium and needs an expensive treatment in Germany to have any chance at being cured. Wife Helen returns to night club work to attempt to raise the money and becomes popular as the Blonde Venus. In an effort to get enough money sooner, she prostitutes herself to millionaire Nick Townsend. While Ned is away in Europe, she continues with Nick but when Ned returns cured, he discovers her infidelity. Now Ned despises Helen but she grabs son Johnny and lives on the run, just one step ahead of the Missing Persons Bureau. When they do finally catch her, she loses her son to Ned. Once again she returns to entertaining, this time in Paris, and her fame once again brings her and Townsend together. Helen and Nick return to America engaged, but she is irresistibly drawn back to her son and Ned. In which life does she truly belong?

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Plot Keywords:

millionaire | singer | chemist | germany | infidelity | 

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Taglines:

From the lips of one MAN to the arms of another!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

25 November 1932 (France)

Also Known As:

Den blonde Venus

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 85 min (video: cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cary Grant said that Josef von Sternberg directed him not really much during the filming, but taught him the most important thing. On the first day Grant came on the set, von Sternberg looked at him and said, "Your hair is parted on the wrong side." So Grant parted it on the other side and kept it that way the rest of his career.

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Quotes

Ben Smith: What'd you say your name was?
Helen Faraday, aka Helen Jones: Helen Faraday.
Ben Smith: Nah, we gotta get something different. Something unusual, something that's easy to say and hard to forget.

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Connections

Featured in Marlene Dietrich: Shadow and Light (1996)

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Soundtracks

"You Little So-and-So"
Music and lyrics by Sam Coslow and Leo Robin
Sung by Marlene Dietrich at the Star Cafe
Played as background music

User Reviews

One of Dietrich's best and a great love story

This is Marlene Dietrich at her best. From reading the reviews here all I can say is there's a whole lot of people in this world who are way too cynical. Marlene Dietrich and Herbert Marshall loved each other in this film, for crying out loud. There is no other way this movie could have or should have ended, without seeming contrived and false. And maybe Marlene Dietrich couldn't sing. So what ? The only actress in cinema movie history who ever rivaled her in sex appeal was Greta Garbo. This is a great movie.