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 Legendre
Una Merkel	...	Sally
Henry Stephenson	...	Charles B. 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:

Every thrill that held a million readers now comes to life! The fascinating drama of the small-town siren with big ideas! (Print Ad-Daily Kentucky New Era, ((Hopkinsville, Ky.)) 2 August 1932)

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film first hit the airwaves in Lubbock TX Thursday 11 July 1957 on KCBD (Channel 11); it first aired in Minneapolis 17 August 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), in Los Angeles 17 October 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11), in Spokane 7 November 1957 on KHQ (Channel 6), in Chicago 8 November 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), in San Francisco 5 March 1958 on KGO (Channel 7), in Memphis 6 April 1958 on WHBQ (Channel 13), in Tampa 9 June 1958 on WFLA (Channel 8), in Norfolk VA 7 July 1958 on WTAR (Channel 3), and in Philadelphia 16 September 1958 on WFIL (Channel 6). Although it would have been in the MGM film library then under the control of WCBS (Channel 2), there is no reliable documentation that it was ever telecast in New York City at this time, most likely because of the severely pre-code aspects of the story which were fast becoming more widely known, particularly as it was being shown in the less predominant markets, and would have no doubt created considerable sponsor resistance and audience disapproval among the financially influential nay-sayers of The Big Apple.

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Goofs

When Sally is removing her pajamas to give back to Lillian, the camera is constantly moving to keep the nudity out of the frame. However, when Sally removes her top and hands it to Lillian, you can easily see for a half second that Jean Harlow's right breast is covered by a flash-covered strapless half bra that conceals only the lower breast. (About 12 frames between 0:17:18 to 0:17:19 on the DVD.)

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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 Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen: The Temptations of Eve (1996)

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Soundtracks

The Stars and Stripes Forever
(uncredited)
Written by John Philip Sousa
Played on Lil's car radio

User Reviews

eating up men in her search for riches

Wonderful pre-code movie that races along with its amoral story as Jean Harlow chases about eating up men in her search for riches. Barely pausing this wild romp is as uncompromising as it is fast and funny. Harlow is at her best, in out of and almost out of her shimmering costumes and she is ably backed by an excellent cast who all seem to be enjoying themselves. I am indebted to another IMDb reviewer who points out that at the time of original release the States were in depression and the coal bosses and their 'society' entourage, getting rich and doing very little, would have been a welcome target for Harlow's exploits. An interesting and revealing extra dimension that makes me like it even more because I always had a slight feeling of sympathy for the duped guys and now I can happily share the joke, very much at their expense. Brave film making and one cannot but wonder where things may have gone had the code not clamped down.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 June 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Red-Headed Woman

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

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