Indiscreet (1931)

A young woman jeopardizes the relationship with the man she loves when a no-account from her past shows up.

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writers:

Buddy G. DeSylva (story "Obey That Impulse"), Lew Brown (story "Obey That Impulse")

Stars:

Gloria Swanson, Ben Lyon, Monroe Owsley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gloria Swanson	...	Geraldine 'Gerry' Trent
Ben Lyon	...	Tony Blake
Monroe Owsley	...	Jim Woodward
Barbara Kent	...	Joan Trent
Arthur Lake	...	Buster Collins
Maude Eburne	...	Aunt Kate
Henry Kolker	...	Mr. Woodward
Nella Walker	...	Mrs. Woodward

Storyline

On New Year's Eve, Geraldine ('Jerry') Trent decides to break up with her boyfriend Jim Woodward, having finally grown tired of his dishonesty and his infidelities. Soon afterward, Geraldine meets and falls in love with novelist Anthony Blake. Blake knows that she has had a man in her past, but he is content as long as he never finds out who it was. All seems well until her sister Joan returns from a trip, and happily introduces Woodward as the new man in her life.

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Plot Keywords:

breakup | impulsiveness | marriage proposal | piano | reference to buffalo bill | 

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Taglines:

Through one indiscretion--a woman with a future became a woman with a past

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the second scene of the film Gloria Swanson's character is reading "Obey That Impulse", the story on which Indiscreet is based.

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Quotes

Geraldine Trent: It might work if you married all of us, the chorus girl, the widow...
Jim Woodward: Who told you?
Geraldine Trent: Oh, it's a secret, nobody knows but me, and The Associated Press

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1920s: The Dawn of the Hollywood Musical (2008)

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Soundtracks

If You Haven't Got Love
(uncredited)
Music by Ray Henderson
Lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva and Lew Brown
Performed by Gloria Swanson
Played during the opening credits and as background music

User Reviews

Swanson Makes It Worthwhile

Gloria Swanson's lively screen presence and engaging energy make "Indiscreet" worth seeing. The story setup has some good possibilities, but aside from Swanson it never really takes full advantage of them. Most of the supporting cast is only adequate, and the script overlooks some good opportunities to make for more compelling drama and wittier comedy.

The movie starts with Jerry (Swanson's character) getting rid of a sleazy boyfriend, finding a new man more worthy of her, and then having her ex-lover return as her sister's new beau. Her fear of the past being revealed, combined with her protective feelings for her sister, set up the kind of internal conflict that can make a movie character quite memorable. And Swanson is quite believable in the part, but the script and the rest of the cast give her little help. (An exception is Maude Eburne, who gets some good moments as Jerry's spirited aunt.)

Leo McCarey was a sure-handed director, especially with comedy. Here, although he creates some good moments, there are times when it is not hard to see that he is still developing his touch. That's nothing against McCarey, because in the late 1920s and early 1930s even the best directors were still in the process of adjusting to sound movies, and McCarey had already made some fine movies, with plenty more to come.

Her performance in this role shows that Swanson could have had a future in the sound era, but unfortunately she, like so many silent-era stars, was not served well by the studio system in the new era of film-making. Here, she is well above the level of most of the rest of the movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Careless Heart

Filming Locations:

United Artists Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions, Feature Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 73 min (re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1