Behind the Make-Up

A heavily Italian-accented William Powell (!) steals his pal Hal Skelly's girl (Fay Wray) and his vaudeville act! Powell cheats on wife Wray only to be seduced by racy man-eater actress Kay Francis. Kay proves to be out for only money and her association with the famous "Gardoni" (Powell). Kay entices with her dark manish hair-do, low necklines and multiple strands of pearls. In her key break-up scene with Powell she denies nothing and simply says, "I've been honest" -- Powell has to concede and rewards her with a new ring for her already heavily bejeweled hands. Powell's high-strung performance is eloquent -- his range has variety and impresses. Francis is confident, engaging and comes across as, "Well, here I am. I do what I do and if you can't handle it . . .too bad." Hard-to-find gem.