I'm No Angel (1933)

Circus performer Tira seeks a better life pursuing the company of wealthy New York men with improbable comic complications along the way.

Director:

Wesley Ruggles

Writers:

Mae West (story), Mae West (screenplay)

Stars:

Mae West, Cary Grant, Gregory Ratoff

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mae West	...	Tira
Cary Grant	...	Jack Clayton
Gregory Ratoff	...	Benny Pinkowitz
Edward Arnold	...	Big Bill Barton
Ralf Harolde	...	Slick Wiley
Kent Taylor	...	Kirk Lawrence
Gertrude Michael	...	Alicia Hatton
Russell Hopton	...	The Barker
Dorothy Peterson	...	Thelma
William B. Davidson	...	The Chump (as Wm. B. Davidson)
Gertrude Howard	...	Beulah
Libby Taylor	...	Maid

Storyline

The bold Tira works as dancing beauty and lion tamer at a fair. Out of an urgent need of money, she agrees to a risky new number: she'll put her head into a lion's muzzle! With this attraction the circus makes it to New York and Tira can persue her dearest occupation: flirting with rich men and accepting expensive presents. Among the guys she searches the love of her life, from whom she only knows from a fortune-teller that he'll be rich and have black hair. When she finally meets him, she becomes a victim of intrigue.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | lion tamer | peeled grape | dancer | pickpocket | 

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Taglines:

"Come up and see me sometime - any time!"

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ich bin kein Engel

Filming Locations:

Jungleland, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$225,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,850,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1935 and 1949, the production code was more rigorously enforced, and the film was not approved for re-release.

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Goofs

In the scene where she's firing that pistol: If I've counted correctly, she discharged eight shots from her six-shooter (without reloading).

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Quotes

Slick Wiley: I'll see you later.
Tira: the later the better.

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Crazy Credits

Before the Paramount logo appears on screen in the opening credits, a sign declares that the studio is an NRA (National Recovery Act) member with the text "We do our part" written beneath.

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Connections

Referenced in The Day of the Locust (1975)

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Soundtracks

They Call Me Sister Honky-Tonk
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Harvey Brooks
Lyrics by Gladys DuBois and Ben Ellison
Sung by Mae West

User Reviews

Best of Mae West

Easily one of the funniest comedies of the 193O's, this pre-code West-ern is a real treat. La West plays Tira, a carny gal who's been around the block a few times: in order to raise some dough, she sticks her head into a lion's mouth - and basks in the attention she receives from various fans. The scene between Mae and Gertrude Michael is hilarious: "You haven't a shred of decency in you!" spouts the snobbish Michaels to which Mae retorts "I don't show my good points to strangers!" A young Cary Grant is one of Tira's many admirers and Edward Arnold is memorable as Tira's loud, gruff boss, Big Bill Barton. Mae's courtroom plea, where she puts every man in his place - and wins the admiration of the judge is a gem. This film was made just after Mae's sensational hit SHE DONE HIM WRONG. Feeling indebted to West because the film's success single-handedly saved Paramount Pictures from impending bankruptcy, mogul Adolph Zukor promised Mae that she could do anything she wanted for her next film. Because she had been fascinated by lions since childhood, she had her fantasy written into the movie's plotline.