Red-Headed Woman (1932)

Lillian relentlessly attempts to seduce a married man.

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Katharine Brush (book), Anita Loos (screenplay)

Stars:

Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, Lewis Stone

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean Harlow	...	Lil Andrews
Chester Morris	...	Bill Legendre Jr.
Lewis Stone	...	William Legendre Sr.
Leila Hyams	...	Irene
Una Merkel	...	Sally
Henry Stephenson	...	Gaerste
May Robson	...	Aunt Jane
Charles Boyer	...	Albert
Harvey Clark	...	Uncle Fred

Storyline

Lil works for the Legendre Company and causes Bill to divorce Irene and marry her. She has an affair with businessman Gaerste and uses him to force society to pay attention to her. She has another affair with the chauffeur Albert.

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Plot Keywords:

female sexual predator | manipulative female | gold digger | mistress | redheaded woman | 

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Taglines:

IS IT TRUE ABOUT RED-HEADED GIRLS? Ask their husbands or sweethearts...or else see this picture! (Print Ad- The Sun, ((New York, NY)) 28 June 1932)

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 June 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mulher Parisiense dos Cabelos de Fogo

Box Office

Budget:

$401,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clara Bow was offered the title role and looked at the script, but balked during negotiations. She had just recently been released from one long-term contract at Paramount and was reluctant to sign on to another at M-G-M.

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Goofs

When Lil goes to Charlie's penthouse in New York and the butler announces her arrival, Charlie stands up from his chair holding a book in his right hand. In the next shot, where he finishes standing, the book is gone.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lil Andrews: So gentlemen prefer blondes, do they?
[sarcastically]
Lil Andrews: Yes, they do.

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Connections

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008)

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Soundtracks

I'm Nobody's Baby
(uncredited)
Written by Benny Davis, Milton Ager and Lester Santley
Played on a radio

User Reviews

Never trust a red-head

Harlow was about 21 years old when she made this film but she certainly seems older. In real life, she eloped at 16 and didn't have much of an education. Her accent here is flimsy. But her white skin was perfect for the period's bright lights and slow film. We see and understand well her expressions.

This film shows garters and a surprising morality. The gold-digger gets her gold, conniving and finagling all the way. It seems that a beautiful young woman, who confidently knows what she is, can get anything she wants from a man. Classic Jean Harlow (and I guess Anita Loos). Harlow's act is not ditzy coquette - she knows exactly what she's doing and so do we. It's fun to watch the story unfold.

The men are props but acquit themselves well. Charles Boyer, accent and all, plays the apparently genuine love interest. Watch for the scene where his character is accused of having an affair with a woman already having an affair. Only Boyer could get the right pause before answering matter-of-factly. This was one of his first American films.