Virtue (1932)

A relationship gradually develops between a savvy New York street girl and a good-hearted cab driver, but other matters keep getting in their way, including financial problems and a murder.

Director:

Edward Buzzell (as Edduie Buzzell)

Writers:

Robert Riskin (screen play), Ethel Hill (story)

Stars:

Carole Lombard, Pat O'Brien, Mayo Methot

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Carole Lombard	...	Mae
Pat O'Brien	...	Jimmy Doyle
Mayo Methot	...	Lil Blaine
Jack La Rue	...	Toots
Shirley Grey	...	Gert
Ward Bond	...	Frank
Willard Robertson	...	MacKenzie
Lew Kelly	...	Magistrate
Fred Santley	...	Hank
Arthur Wanzer	...	Flanagan
Jessie Arnold	...	Landlady
Edwin Stanley	...	District Attorney

Storyline

Taxicab driver Jimmy Doyle (Pat O'Brien) marries a girl of the streets, Mae (Carole Lombard and, overlooking her past, sets out to make a honest woman of her. But, during the reformation period, Mae returns to a hotel of ill repute to collect the $200 she once loaned to a street-walking girlfriend. Jimmy mistakenly thinks she has turned pro again and her situation worsens when she is implicated in a murder and jailed awaiting a court trial.

---

Plot Keywords:

deception | pre code film | street walker | proibition era | 1920s | 

---

Taglines:

In her Life of Vice She Scoffed at....VIRTUE

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Unbescholten

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the last films to feature prostitution as a major theme before the rigid enforcement of the Hays Code.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Flanagan: [at the ticket window at a train station] Pretty soft for you, sister, getting the city to pay your fare to Danbury.
Mae: Pretty soft for the city I don't live in Australia. C'mon, grandpa.
Flanagan: [on the train, placing Mae's luggage on the rack] There y'are.
[to the conductor]
Flanagan: The lady goes to Danbury, chief.
[to Mae]
Flanagan: Now take my advice, sister, and keep out of New York.
Mae: [snidely] OK, grandpa. I'll remember all your advice: I'll watch my diet, go to the dentist twice a year, keep my nose clean, ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Carole Lombard (1961)

---

Soundtracks

My Gal Sal
(1905) (uncredited)
Written by Paul Dresser
Played on a phonograph in Lil's room, twice

User Reviews

Fun Film

Virtue (1932)

*** (out of 4)

Pat O'Brien plays a soft hearted taxi driver who thinks he knows all there is to know about women but that changes when he meets a prostitute (Carole Lombard). At first he doesn't know her history but that changes after they're married and soon after more problems start popping up. This is a pretty good little drama that manages to have several good performances and a nice story to go along with it. Lombard is very sexy in her role and delivers a fine, tough performance but it's actually O'Brien who steals the show in what could be the best performance I've seen from him. He plays a complete jerk throughout the entire movie but when it comes time for that good heart to show he mixes the two perfectly. The film goes through some standard stuff including a murder subplot but in the end this moves along very fast and makes for a good time killer.