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The Greeks Had a Word for Them ()


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Rich pianist Boris bets gold-digger Jean he can make her fall in love with him. She wins the bet, but he is intrigued by her friend Polaire's piano playing and proposes to be her instructor and lover. Jealous Jean schemes to separate them.

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Complete, Cast awaiting verification

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Schatzi Sutro
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Polaire Quinn
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Jean Lawrence
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Dey Emery
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Boris Feldman
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Justin Emery
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The Waiter
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Beautician (uncredited)
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Bellings - the Butler (uncredited)
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Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Schatze's Cabby (uncredited)
Jack Byron ...
Speakeasy Patron (uncredited)
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Waiter (uncredited)
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Frenchman on Liner (uncredited)
Patrick Cunning ...
Men's Room Patron (uncredited)
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Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
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Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Budd Fine ...
Cop at Accident (uncredited)
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Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
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Wedding Supervisor (uncredited)
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Drunk (uncredited)
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Baggageman, Ile de France (uncredited)
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Man at Bar (uncredited)
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Garrett Law Secretary (uncredited)
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Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Walter Walker ...
Pop's Voice on Record (uncredited)
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Beautician (uncredited)

Directed by

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Lowell Sherman

Written by

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Zoe Akins ... (play "The Greeks Had a Word for It")
 
Sidney Howard ... (adapted for the screen by)

Produced by

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Samuel Goldwyn ... producer

Music by

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Alfred Newman ... (music score by)

Cinematography by

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George Barnes ... (photography by)

Editing by

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Stuart Heisler ... (film edited by)

Set Decoration by

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Richard Day

Costume Design by

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Coco Chanel ... (as Chanel of Paris)

Sound Department

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Frank Maher ... sound technician

Camera and Electrical Department

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Kenneth Alexander ... still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweler (uncredited)

Music Department

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Ray Heindorf ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Alfred Newman ... musical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Ex-showgirls and roommates Polaire Gwynn (Madge Evans) and Schatze Citroux (Joan Blondell) are reunited with their sometime friend and former co-worker, Jean Lawrence (Ina Claire), when she returns from France. Jean, a hard-boiled gold digger, asks the honest Polaire and loyal Schatze to introduce her to a new man, and Polaire calls her boyfriend, playboy Dey Emery (David Manners), for help. The girls meet Dey and his friend, pianist Boris Feldman (the film's director Lowell Sherman), at a speakeasy, where Boris bets Jean that if his piano playing does not induce her to love him, he will give her $5,000. Later, at Boris' apartment, Jean pretends to sleep through Boris' concert. Polaire then plays, and Boris, impressed with her talent, offers to be her teacher. He implies that she will have to be his lover as well as his student, however, and Polaire becomes upset when Dey does not protest. Dey mistakenly assumes that an exhibition of jealousy would be unwelcome, and his inaction results in Polaire's acceptance of Boris' proposition. After Polaire leaves to collect her things, Schatze and the heartbroken Dey also leave, but Jean stays to seduce Boris. Jean's calculated exhibitionism is successful, and Boris does not answer the door when Polaire returns. After she leaves, Polaire is hurt in an automobile accident and is hospitalized. Sometime later, Jean tires of Boris and breaks up with him, then pursues Dey. Dey welcomes Jean's attentions until Schatze tells him that Polaire has been in the hospital since their parting. Dey immediately goes to Polaire and proposes to her, and they reconcile. Later, Jean makes an unwelcome appearance at Polaire and Schatze's apartment while Polaire is waiting to meet Dey's father Justin (Phillips Smalley) for the first time. When Dey arrives and Jean learns that Polaire is to meet Justin at the Emery house, she slips a pearl necklace into Polaire's pocket so that she will have an excuse to follow. Polaire's interview with Justin is going splendidly until Jean arrives and intimates that Polaire stole the necklace. Indignant that Dey believes Jean, Polaire storms out, while Jean stays to flirt with Justin. Later, on the day of Jean and Justin's wedding, Schatze and Polaire arrive to retrieve a bracelet that Polaire loaned Jean. Jean returns the jewelry and miserably contemplates her future of wedded boredom as Schatze and Polaire brag about the fun they will have when they sail for France that afternoon. The trio are soon drunk, and Jean decides that she cannot exchange her freedom for Justin's fortune. She sneaks out of the house with Schatze, but Polaire is caught by Dey. Dey apologizes to Polaire for misjudging her, but Polaire leaves anyway. The determined Dey follows her onto the ocean liner, where Polaire consents to marry him when he states that he is certain of her virtue. The couple then cuddles happily as Jean flirts with Schatze's male traveling companion.

Plot Keywords
Taglines THEY CAME TO BROADWAY TO HAVE THEIR "BREAKS" RE-LINED - WITH GOLD! See more »
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Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Three Broadway Girls (United States)
  • The Greeks Had a Word for It (United States)
  • Les Grecs avaient un nom pour elles (France)
  • Tres rubias (Spain)
  • 黄金に踊る (Japan, Japanese title)
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Runtime
  • 79 min
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Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia In her December 1972 interview with Leonard Maltin in "Film Fan Monthly," Madge Evans gave the following testimony on the atmosphere on the set during filming: "That was a rather hectic picture, with him [Lowell Sherman] not taking the directing seriously, George Barnes falling madly in love with Joan [Joan Blondell] so he could hardly see anybody but [her]. Ina Claire was very much in love with John Gilbert (this was before they were married) and every time she got into a costume that she thought she looked well in, particularly the bridal costume at the end of the film, she disappeared from the lot, because she had driven off to Metro to show [John] how enchanting she looked. I went into that film very quickly, because Carole Lombard was supposed to do the part I played, but she became ill and I replaced her." See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007). See more »
Quotes Jean Lawrence: A speakeasy that closes at two o'clock is practically a tea room!
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