IMDb > Lady of the Tropics (1939)

Lady of the Tropics (1939) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   131 votes
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Director:
Jack Conway
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Writer:
Ben Hecht (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Lady of the Tropics on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 August 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Hedy Lamarr set the world aflame with her beauty in "Algiers" ! Now you see her in the arms of a dashing Bob Taylor !
Plot:
Playboy Bill Carey woos a half-caste beauty in French Indochina, but her second-class legal status makes a formidable barrier. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Lamarr as tragic beauty Manon more (13 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Robert Taylor ... William 'Bill' Carey

Hedy Lamarr ... Manon deVargnes Carey, aka Kira Kim
Joseph Schildkraut ... Pierre Delaroch (Delaroche in Newspaper)
Gloria Franklin ... Nina
Ernest Cossart ... Father Antoine
Mary Zimbalist ... Dolly Harrison (as Mary Taylor)
Charles Trowbridge ... Alfred Z. Harrison
Frederick Worlock ... Col. Demassey (commandant)
Paul Porcasi ... Lamartine (purser)
Marguerita Padula ... Madame Kya (as Margaret Padula)
Cecil Cunningham ... Countess Berichi
Natalie Moorhead ... Mrs. Hazlitt
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
92 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5493) | Sweden:15
Company:
Loew's more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Leslie Fenton filled in as director for some added scenes when Jack Conway became ill. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in From the Ends of the Earth (1939) more
Soundtrack:
Each Time You Say Goodbye (I Die A Little) more

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User Comments

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Lamarr as tragic beauty Manon, 1 August 2006
7/10
Author: blanche-2 from United States

Certainly two of the most beautiful stars in films were Hedy Lamarr and Robert Taylor, and here they are together in "Lady of the Tropics," a 1939 film directed by Jack Conway. It's the story of a half-caste named Manon who, as a second class citizen, can't get a passport to leave Saigon. Taylor is a playboy who falls for her; the two marry, incurring the wrath of Manon's some time boyfriend Delaroch (Joseph Schildkraut).

Made under the Hays code, the ending of the film is obvious and inevitable; also, it closely follows the story of Manon Lescaut, told twice in opera, once by Puccini and once by Massenet. There's a scene from the Puccini version in the film.

The film is beautifully photographed. Lamarr has a lovely, tender quality as Manon, and she is stunning in her Adrian gowns and hats. Taylor has a role similar to his Alfred in Camille, and he does it well, resplendent in his white suit and brilliant smile. One of the posts suggested Francis Lederer in the role. Lederer was a handsome and wonderful actor, very romantic, and would have brought a more exotic persona to the part. I admit, however, to liking the rugged, earthy, American quality Taylor brings, as the character should be truly out of his element in Saigon. This makes Manon's inability to get a passport all the sadder and more desperate.

Joseph Schildkraut was a master at portraying the kind of evil manipulator he did as Laroch, so while his Oriental makeup is a little disconcerting, his performance isn't.

A lovely film. Too bad about the code.

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