Virtue (1932)

A relationship gradually develops between a savvy New York street girl and a good-hearted cab driver--who first meet when she stiffs him for the fare--but other matters keep getting in their way, including financial problems and a murder.

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Writers:

Robert Riskin (screenplay), Ethel Hill (story)

Stars:

Carole Lombard, Pat O'Brien, Ward Bond

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Carole Lombard	...	Mae
Pat O'Brien	...	Jimmy Doyle
Ward Bond	...	Frank
Shirley Grey	...	Gert Hanlon
Mayo Methot	...	Lil Blair
Jack La Rue	...	Toots O'Neil
Willard Robertson	...	Detective MacKenzie
Lew Kelly	...	Magistrate (scenes deleted)
Fred Santley	...	Hank (scenes deleted)
Arthur Wanzer	...	Flanagan
Jessie Arnold	...	Landlady
Edwin Stanley	...	District Attorney

Storyline

A relationship gradually develops between a savvy New York street girl and a good-hearted cab driver--who first meet when she stiffs him for the fare--but other matters keep getting in their way, including financial problems and a murder.

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Plot Keywords:

district attorney | hotel | new york city | roommate | casino | 

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Taglines:

Yesterday A Lady With A Past. Today The Wife Of The Man She Loved!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Unbescholten

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carole Lombard and the president of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn, met for the first time right before production on this film began. Cohn, famous for his opinionated and profanity laced comments, told Lombard that her hair was too white and made her look like a whore. Not missing a beat, Lombard responded, "if anyone would know a whore it would be you." After this rocky start, the two developed a mutual respect that lasted the rest of their careers.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Flanagan: [at the ticket window at a train station] Pretty soft for you, sister, getting the city to pay your fare to Danbury.
Mae: Pretty soft for the city I don't live in Australia. C'mon, grandpa.
Flanagan: [on the train, placing Mae's luggage on the rack] There y'are.
[to the conductor]
Flanagan: The lady goes to Danbury, chief.
[to Mae]
Flanagan: Now take my advice, sister, and keep out of New York.
Mae: [snidely] OK, grandpa. I'll remember all your advice: I'll watch my diet, go to the dentist twice a year, keep my nose clean, ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Carole Lombard (1961)

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Soundtracks

"My Gal Sal"
(1905) (uncredited)
Written by Paul Dresser
Played on a phonograph in Lil's room, twice

User Reviews

Fun Film

Virtue (1932)

*** (out of 4)

Pat O'Brien plays a soft hearted taxi driver who thinks he knows all there is to know about women but that changes when he meets a prostitute (Carole Lombard). At first he doesn't know her history but that changes after they're married and soon after more problems start popping up. This is a pretty good little drama that manages to have several good performances and a nice story to go along with it. Lombard is very sexy in her role and delivers a fine, tough performance but it's actually O'Brien who steals the show in what could be the best performance I've seen from him. He plays a complete jerk throughout the entire movie but when it comes time for that good heart to show he mixes the two perfectly. The film goes through some standard stuff including a murder subplot but in the end this moves along very fast and makes for a good time killer.