Red-Headed Woman (1932)

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Katharine Brush (book)
Anita Loos (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 June 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Lil works for the Legendre Company and causes Bill to divorce Irene and marry her. She has an affair...

Plot Keywords:

Chauffeur | Divorce | Shooting | Bootlegger | Sexually Aggressive Woman

Cast

Jean Harlow	...	Lillian 'Lil' / 'Red' Andrews Legendre
Chester Morris	...	William 'Bill' / 'Willie' Legendre Jr.
Lewis Stone	...	William 'Will' Legendre Sr.
Leila Hyams	...	Irene 'Rene' Legendre
Una Merkel	...	Sally (Lillian's roommate)
Henry Stephenson	...	Charles B. 'Charlie' / 'C.B.' Gaerste
May Robson	...	Aunt Jane
Charles Boyer	...	Albert (Gaerste's chauffeur)
Harvey Clark	...	Uncle Fred

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:Approved | USA:TV-PG

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The screenplay submitted by F. Scott Fitzgerald was rejected by producer Irving Thalberg, who thought it took the story too seriously, so he brought in Anita Loos to do a complete rewrite with a lighter, more comical tone.

Quotes:

Lillian 'Lil': Sally, I'm the happiest girl in the world. I'm in love and I'm gonna be married.
Sally: You're gonna marry Albert?
Lillian 'Lil': No, Gaerste.
Sally: In love with Gaerste?
Lillian 'Lil': No, Albert. Besides, I always did wanna learn french.
Sally: Oh, why don't you get yourself a laundryman and learn chinese?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Red-Headed Woman

Jean Harlow Triumphs In Salacious Tale

Lillian, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, knows exactly what she wants & how to get it. Right now, she wants her young, handsome, rich & very married boss. Using her considerable - one might almost say ostentatious - physical charms, Lillian lets few obstacles stand in her way for long. After all, she's THE RED-HEADED WOMAN, and she always gets her man...

Jean Harlow was a sensation in this immoral tale, which practically shouts its pre-Production Code status. This film solidified her stardom and helped define her screen persona for generations of viewers to come. She not only had the looks, but she proved herself to be a fine actress, as well.

While the plot revolves around Harlow, the rest of the cast acquit themselves very well: Chester Morris, stern-jawed but very vulnerable as Jean's conquest; Leila Hyams, quietly sympathetic as Morris' wife; canny old Lewis Stone as Morris' father - one of the few men able to see through Harlow's tricks; Henry Stephenson as a millionaire who falls easy prey to Harlow's wiles. The story is helped considerably by the addition of two tart-tongued character actresses, Una Merkel & May Robson, whose lively lines help spark the fun. That's Charles Boyer, not quite yet a star, as Jean's chauffeur/boyfriend at the end of the story.

Movie mavens will recognize Henry Armetta in an uncredited bit as a comic waiter.

Notice that for all her outrageous behavior, Harlow's character remains unpunished & unrepentant - a situation not allowed a couple of years later with the adoption of the Code.