''Loose Ankles'' is a 1930

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the 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 censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

romantic comedy with songs, produced and released by First National Pictures, which had become a subsidiary of

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

The film was directed by Ted Wilde and stars

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...

, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.,

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise bro ...

and

Edward Nugent Edward James Nugent (February 7, 1904 – January 3, 1995) was an American film and stage actor. Biography Born in 1904 in New York City, Nugent appeared in more than 80 films between 1928 and 1937. He subsequently had a second acting career o ...

. It was a remake of the 1926 silent film titled '' Ladies at Play'', which had been produced by First National Pictures. Both versions were adapted by Gene Towne from the 1926 play ''Loose Ankles'' by Sam Janney. Sam Janney was to direct the film but died in a car crash during production. The film's copyright was renewed, so it will not go into the public domain until January 1, 2026.

Plot

Ann Harper Berry (

), a young socialite, receives an inheritance of $1 million from her deceased grandmother. The will stipulates, however, that she will only receive the money after she has been married to someone who meets with the approval of her two prudish aunts Sarah (

) and Katherine ( Ethel Wales) Harper. The will also stipulates that everyone will lose their inheritance if a scandal involving Ann occurs before she is married. In the case of a scandal, the entire estate will be donated to an organization for the welfare of cats and dogs. Ann, who is furious at being denied the right to marry whom she pleases, decides to create a scandal. She advertises in the paper for an unscrupulous man to compromise her. Gilly Hayden ( Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) answers the ad and arrives at Ann's apartment. In order to make the affair as scandalous as possible, Ann's maid asks Fairbanks to remove his clothing. Before the newspaper men arrive, Ann's two aunts show up and attempt to force Gilly to marry their niece. Gilly, not wanting to force Ann into marriage, jumps out the window with nothing on but a woman's robe. By this time, Ann and Gilly, though they had only spent a short time together, have fallen in love. Lint Harper (Raymond Keane), Gilly's roommate, becomes interested when Gilly tells him what happened with Ann. He decides to try to get Ann to marry him in order to get a part of her fortune. He takes her to a nightclub called the Circus Cafe. While there, Ann meets Gilly and her two aunts, who are being escorted by two gigolos (two other roommates of Gilly), who have come to spy on their niece. The aunts become drunk through the machinations of the gigolos, and when the club is raided, they manage to escape with their aid. Ann blackmails her aunts into consenting to her marriage with Gilly, threatening to expose their scandalous behavior at the nightclub if they don't. This leaves the couple free to pursue their romance.

Cast

as Ann Harper Berry * Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as Gil "Gilly" Hayden *

as Aunt Sarah Harper * Otis Harlan as Major Rupert Harper *

Daphne Pollard Daphne Pollard (born Daphne Trott; October 19, 1891 – February 22, 1978) was an Australian-born vaudeville performer and dancer, active on stage and later in US films, mostly short comedies. Diminutive stage star Born Daphne Trott, in the in ...

as Agnes, Lucy's maid *

as Andy Martin *

Inez Courtney Inez Courtney (October 12, 1897 – April 5, 1975) was an American actress on the Broadway stage and in films. Early years Born in Amsterdam, New York, Courtney came from a large Irish-American family. After her father's death when she was fif ...

as Betty * Ethel Wales as Aunt Katherine Harper * Norman Selby as Terry Todd *

Raymond Keane Raymond Keane, born Raymond Kortz, (1906–1973) was an American actor during the silent film era. He was tall and striking. He was the son of jeweler Harry Kortz. He died in Los Angeles. Selected filmography * '' The Midnight Sun'' (1926) * ' ...

as Linton "Lint" Harper *

Virginia Sale Virginia Sale (May 20, 1899 – August 23, 1992) was an American character actress whose career spanned six decades, during most of which she played older women, even when she was in her twenties. Over the 46 years she was active as an actr ...

as Mrs. Berry of Walla Walla

Songs

The songs were written by Jack Meskill and

Pete Wendling Pete Wendling (June 6, 1888 – April 7, 1974) was an American composer and pianist, born in New York City to German immigrants. He started his working life as a carpenter, but gained fame during the mid-1910s as a popular music composer, with ...

, and the dances were staged by Roy Mack. * "Loose Ankles" - sung by Inez Courtney * "Whoopin' It Up"

Preservation status

''Loose Ankles'' survives intact, and it has been shown on Turner Classic Movies and is preserved in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'' (<-book title) p.106 c. 1978 by The American Film Institute

Home media

In early 2012, ''Loose Ankles'' was released on DVD by Warner Archive in a double bill with ''

The Naughty Flirt ''The Naughty Flirt'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Edward Cline and starring Alice White, Paul Page and Myrna Loy. Plot Attorney Alan Ward (Paul Page) is fed up with the reckless behavior of spoiled heiress Kay ...

'', starring Alice White.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Loose Ankles 1930 films Films directed by Ted Wilde Warner Bros. films American black-and-white films First National Pictures films American romantic comedy films 1930 romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films