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IMDbPro

The Cheat

  • 19311931
  • 1h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
659
YOUR RATING
Tallulah Bankhead in The Cheat (1931)
  • Drama
Woman in debt makes an impulsive investment which doesn't go her way.Woman in debt makes an impulsive investment which doesn't go her way.Woman in debt makes an impulsive investment which doesn't go her way.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
659
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • George Abbott
    • Berthold Viertel(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Harry Hervey
    • Hector Turnbull(silent film script)
  • Stars
    • Tallulah Bankhead
    • Harvey Stephens
    • Irving Pichel
Top credits
  • Directors
    • George Abbott
    • Berthold Viertel(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Harry Hervey
    • Hector Turnbull(silent film script)
  • Stars
    • Tallulah Bankhead
    • Harvey Stephens
    • Irving Pichel
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos9

    Tallulah Bankhead and Harvey Stephens in The Cheat (1931)
    Tallulah Bankhead, Jay Fassett, and Harvey Stephens in The Cheat (1931)
    The Cheat (1931)
    Tallulah Bankhead and Irving Pichel in The Cheat (1931)
    Tallulah Bankhead and Harvey Stephens in The Cheat (1931)
    Tallulah Bankhead and Harvey Stephens in The Cheat (1931)
    Tallulah Bankhead in The Cheat (1931)
    Tallulah Bankhead in The Cheat (1931)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tallulah Bankhead
    Tallulah Bankhead
    • Elsa Carlyle
    Harvey Stephens
    Harvey Stephens
    • Jeffrey Carlyle
    Irving Pichel
    Irving Pichel
    • Hardy Livingstone
    Jay Fassett
    • Terrell
    Ann Andrews
    Ann Andrews
    • Mrs. Albright
    William Ingersoll
    • Croupier
    Hanaki Yoshiwara
    • Japanese Servant
    Willard Dashiell
    • Judge
    Edward Keane
    Edward Keane
    • Defense Attorney
    Robert Strange
    Robert Strange
    • District Attorney
    Jimmy Granato
    • Orchestra Musician
    • (uncredited)
    Porter Hall
    Porter Hall
    • Leslie
    • (uncredited)
    Arthur Hohl
    Arthur Hohl
    • Defense Attorney
    • (uncredited)
    Millard Mitchell
    Millard Mitchell
    • Courtroom Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Henry Warwick
    • Butler
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • George Abbott
      • Berthold Viertel(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Harry Hervey
      • Hector Turnbull(silent film script)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A remake of the Cecil B. DeMille 1915 film which starred Fannie Ward.
    • Quotes

      Jeffrey Carlyle: I love you. I didn't marry you because I thought you could spell or add, but because of who you are.

    • Connections
      Remake of The Cheat (1915)

    User reviews17

    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    The Cheat rips off.
    Tallulah Bankhead hams it up to the hilt in this laughable tale of gambling addiction and sadism. At 29 and already showing the ravages of a dissolute life style, Lu has a hard time convincing she's a sensitive innocent with a gambling problem as she continuously rasps "Oh, Jeffrey" to a clueless husband after each faux pas.

    Compulsive gambler, wanna be socialite Elsa Carlyle (Bankhead) drops a bundle at a casino and then doubles down by ripping off a charity milk fund and losing it in a stock deal. With debtors on her door step she accepts the help of a wealthy, tasteful gentleman (Irving Pichel) with a sinister side. He bails her out but when he demands repayment and she rebuffs, he brutalizes her. She returns the favor by shooting him.

    Bankhead's stridency is overwrought as she projects for the balcony audience as if in a play. Her halting utterances and feigned naiveté are more laughable than heartfelt as she frets with a wretched lack of conviction. The perverse Pichel character leers throughout while the rest of a forgettable cast looks on aghast and disapproving in this lurid potboiler that never reaches lukewarm.
    helpful•0
    0
    • st-shot
    • Apr 30, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 28, 1931 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Namus Lekesi
    • Filming locations
      • Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 14 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

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