Indiscreet (1931 film)
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''Indiscreet'' is a 1931 American
pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Leo McCarey Thomas Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was involved in nearly 200 films, the most well known today being ''Duck Soup (1933 film), Duck Soup'', ''Make Way for Tomo ...
and starring
Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...
and
Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine ...
. The
screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
by
Buddy G. DeSylva George Gard "Buddy" DeSylva (January 27, 1895 – July 11, 1950) was an American songwriter, film producer and record executive. He wrote or co-wrote many popular songs and, along with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs, he co-founded Capitol Recor ...
,
Lew Brown Lew Brown (born Louis Brownstein; December 10, 1893 – February 5, 1958) was a lyricist for popular songs in the United States. During World War I and the Roaring Twenties, he wrote lyrics for several of the top Tin Pan Alley composers, espec ...
, and
Ray Henderson Ray Henderson (born Raymond Brost; December 1, 1896 – December 31, 1970) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Buffalo, New York, United States, Henderson moved to New York City and became a popular composer in Tin Pan Alley. He was o ...
, based on their story ''Obey That Impulse'', originally was written as a full-fledged
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
, but only two songs – "If You Haven't Got Love" and "Come to Me" – remained when the film was released. The film is available on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
.


Plot

Determined to start the new year off right, dress designer Geraldine "Gerry" Trent sends her unfaithful boyfriend, Jim Woodward, packing. A short time later, her friend Buster Collins introduces her to author Tony Blake. Gerry loves Tony's book, ''Obey That Impulse'', and finds him attractive as well. Practicing what he preaches, Tony immediately proposes marriage. Gerry just laughs, but together they have a lot of fun acting out Tony's theory, and she soon realizes that she loves and wants to marry him. First, though, she feels she must tell him about her affair with Jim despite dire warnings from her Aunt Kate. Although he's upset by the news, Tony still wants to marry her. The next day, Gerry's sister Joan arrives home from school in France, where, unknown to Gerry, she has fallen in love with Jim. When Gerry finds out, she warns Jim to stay away from her sister, but he doesn't take the situation seriously and invites everyone to his parents’ house party. Initially, Gerry refuses to go, but when she finds out that business will prevent Tony from attending, she decides to go after all and keep an eye on Joan. Desperate to break Joan's engagement, Gerry first pretends to be a little crazy. When this doesn't work, she pretends she is still in love with Jim. While the two of them are alone together, she signals to Joan for help by singing a special song. Joan comes to her aid only to see Gerry and Jim embracing. Unfortunately, so does Tony, who has arrived at the last minute. Heartbroken, Gerry returns home, where Aunt Kate convinces her to pursue Tony who is sailing for Europe. Gerry sneaks on the boat in the seat of a car and finds Tony who asks the captain to marry them immediately.


Cast (in credits order)

*
Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...
as Geraldine 'Gerry' Trent *
Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine ...
as Tony Blake *
Monroe Owsley Monroe Righter Owsley (August 11, 1900 – June 7, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Early years The son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Owsley, he was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a manufacturing executive, and his mother was a c ...
as Jim Woodward *
Barbara Kent Barbara Kent ( Barbara Cloutman) December 16, 1907 – October 13, 2011) was a Canadian film actress, prominent from the silent film era to the early talkies of the 1920s and 1930s. In 1925, Barbara Kent won the Miss Hollywood Beauty Pageant. C ...
as Joan Trent * Arthur Lake as Buster Collins *
Maude Eburne Maude Eburne (born Maud Eburne Riggs, November 10, 1875 – October 15, 1960) was a Canadian character actress of stage and screen, known for playing eccentric roles. Early years Eburne was born the daughter of John and Mary Riggs, in Bronte-o ...
as Aunt Kate *
Henry Kolker Joseph Henry Kolker (November 13, 1874 ome sources 1870– July 15, 1947) was an American stage and film actor and director. Early years Kolker was born in Quincy, Illinois. Career Kolker, like fellow actors Richard Bennett and Robert Wa ...
as Mr. Woodward *
Nella Walker Nella Walker (March 6, 1886 – March 22, 1971) was an American actress and vaudeville performer of the 1920s through the 1950s. Biography The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Walker, she was born and raised in Chicago. In 1910, she marrie ...
as Mrs. Woodward


Critical reception

In May 1931 in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', film critic
Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.1931 films 1931 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films Films scored by Alfred Newman Films directed by Leo McCarey United Artists films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-US-film-stub