Lady with Red Hair (1940)

A messy divorce leaves Mrs. Leslie Carter shunned by Chicago society for being an adulteress and forbidden from having custody of her son. She's determined to return to her hometown in a ... See full summary »

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Charles Kenyon (screen play), Milton Krims (screen play),

Stars:

Miriam Hopkins, Claude Rains, Richard Ainley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Miriam Hopkins	...	Caroline Carter
Claude Rains	...	David Belasco
Richard Ainley	...	Lou Payne
Laura Hope Crews	...	Mrs. Dudley
Helen Westley	...	Mrs. Frazier
John Litel	...	Charles Bryant
Mona Barrie	...	Mrs. Brooks
Victor Jory	...	Mr. Clifton
Cecil Kellaway	...	Mr. Chapman
Fritz Leiber	...	Mr. Foster
Johnny Russell	...	Dudley Carter (as Johnnie Russell)
Selmer Jackson	...	Henry DeMille

Storyline

A messy divorce leaves Mrs. Leslie Carter shunned by Chicago society for being an adulteress and forbidden from having custody of her son. She's determined to return to her hometown in a few years as a success and with enough money to fight to get her son back. In order to realize her plans, she heads to New York with ambitions of being a great actress. Despite having no stage training, producer David Belasco becomes attracted to her and becomes intent on making her a star, as well as winning her heart.

---

Plot Keywords:

ambition | actress | adulteress | divorce | broadway manhattan new york city | 

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mulher de Cabelos Vermelhos

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Louis Payne, the husband of Mrs. Leslie Carter in real life, coached Richard Ainley, who was playing him in the movie.

---

Goofs

None of the Broadway plays mentioned in the movie were performed by Mrs. Leslie Carter. Her Broadway debut was in a play called "The Ugly Duckling" in 1890, not "The Way of Beauty." Her second play was "Zaza," not "The Lady From France." It is not known why the names of her plays were changed.

---

Quotes

Mrs. Leslie Carter: I'm going to be an actress.
Mrs. Dudley: Oh, now you start that again! You don't know what you're talking about. It takes years of training to become a successful actress.
Mrs. Leslie Carter: I can walk and talk and shout as well as any other!

---

Soundtracks

"Hungarian Dance #5 in A Major"
(1869) (uncredited)
Music by Johannes Brahms
Background music for the play "Torott Szarnyak" in Hungary

User Reviews

SECOND use of "Oz" background music in another film

This film was released a year after "The Wizard of Oz," and I was surprised to hear some of that classic's music being utilized in a scene here. The music in question from "Oz" is played over the opening scenes of Dorothy and Toto (puzzlingly entitled "Trouble In School"), and several times throughout the film. In "Lady with Red Hair," the same music is heard in scenes involving the lead character's young child.

Interestingly, in 1951, the film "Too Young to Kiss" utilized the exact same music over the opening credits.

Being that 1939's "Oz" came first, I can only assume the later films "borrowed" composer Harold Arlen's score.

CORRECTION: I have been informed that the above-mentioned tune is actually not original to "Oz," but is a classically composed children's tune.