''Sweet Kitty Bellairs'' is a 1930 American

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

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 o ...

directed by Alfred E. Green. The film is based on the 1900 novel, ''The Bath Comedy'' by

Agnes Castle Agnes Castle (c. 1860–1922) was a Victorian era Irish author who worked with both her sisters and husband. The stories that she co-wrote were the basis of several plays and films. Life Agnes Mary Frances Sweetman was born in County Dublin to Mi ...

and Egerton Castle. Shot entirely in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

, the film stars Claudia Dell, Ernest Torrence and, Walter Pidgeon and is set in

Bath, England Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

in 1793. The novel was first adapted for the stage by David Belasco in 1903 and starred Henrietta Crosman. A silent film adaptation starring

Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...

followed in 1916.

Plot

Kitty Bellairs ( Claudia Dell), a famous flirt of her day, comes to

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

for the season. Early on in the film she declares that "in spite of her thirty or forty affairs, I've lost not a bit of my virtue." Her path is strewn with a number of conquests, including an enamored

highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

, a

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage ...

and some others who hang on her every word. A highwayman stops her coach as she is on her way to Bath and is immediately raptured by Kitty Bellairs. He trades the loot from the passengers for a kiss from Kitty who feels she should "yield" in order to save the life of Lord Varney ( Walter Pidgeon), who has gallantly come to defend her honor. In spite of this, Lord Varney draws his sword and ends up losing the fight when he loses his sword, upon which the highwayman declares, "Blood is not a pretty sight for tender eyes, Retrieve your sword while I go about my business." He proceeds to kiss Kitty who declares she considers herself not to have been kissed at all, upon which the highwayman kisses her several times and slips a ring on her finger leaving her enraptured. Lord Varney, however, is in love with Kitty himself but is extremely bashful and shy. The film then progresses to the city of Bath, where the inhabitants sing an amusing song about their daily lives, and the proceeds to a dance which Kitty is attending. She meets Captain O'Hara (

Perry Askam Perry Askam (1898–1961) was a 20th-century American actor and baritone singer, most active in musical theatre and opera around the San Francisco area. Askam was born in 1898 to Oiver and Helena Askam. Helena was the daughter of ferryman and l ...

) who declares his love for her. When Lord Varney approaches and asks for his dance from Kitty, Captain O'Hara declares that "it 'was' his dance" and whisks her away. Lord Varney is approached by his friend who laughs at his shyness. Nevertheless, Lord Varney declares his love for her and decides to write a love poem to Kitty. The film then proceeds to the next day and we see Kitty being tended to by her maid while chatting with her hairdresser about her three lovers. She describes them and asks his opinion on whom she should choose. The film then proceeds to the house of Lady Julia Standish (

June Collyer June Collyer (born Dorothea Heermance, August 19, 1906 – March 16, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s. Early life Born in New York City, Collyer chose to use her mother's maiden name when she decided to pursue acti ...

) on whom Kitty is paying a call. Lady Julia's husband is neglecting her and Kitty gives her advice on how to make her husband interested once again. Her husband, Sir Jasper Standish ( Ernest Torrence) arrives from a trip to find her dressed elegantly as if expecting a caller. Meanwhile, Kitty places a love note addressed to her in a conspicuous place with a lock of red hair and leaves the house. Through a welter of songs into which the principals break at short intervals she at length decides on a lord instead of a highwayman. Lord Varney, hearing that Kitty was visiting Lady Standish, comes to call on Kitty at Lord Standish's house. Lord Standish immediately assumes that he is fooling around with his wife and insults him so that he must fight a duel "according to the code" in order to uphold his honor. The report of the scandal soon flies through the town and we are taken to a bath where everyone is talking about the supposed affair. Kitty happens to be there and as soon as she hears the story she begins to fear for the life of Lord Varney, whom she now realizes is the one she really loves. Through a welter of songs into which the principals break at short intervals, as well as outrageous

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 ...

comedy, satire and drama, Kitty and Lord Varney are at length united.

Pre-Code sequences

The film contains several examples of

humor. In one scene, an obviously gay hairdresser is talking to Kitty Bellairs about her love affairs. Kitty asks him which man she should choose and the hairdresser says she should choose the highwayman because he prefers "a manly man." In another scene, Kitty teaches her friend how to get her husband to pay attention to her. Her instructions include wearing Parisian

negligee The negligee or ''négligée'' (french: négligé ; ), also known in French as déshabillé (), is a form of see-through clothing for women consisting of a sheer, usually long, dressing gown. It is a form of nightgown intended for wear at night ...

and finding another lover.

Cast

* Claudia Dell as Kitty Bellairs * Walter Pidgeon as Lord Varney * Ernest Torrence as Sir Jasper Standish * Perry Askam as Capt. O'Hara *

as Lady Julia Standish * Lionel Belmore as Col. Villiers *

Arthur Edmund Carewe Arthur Edmund Carewe (December 30, 1884 – April 22, 1937), born Hovsep Hovsepian ( hy, Հովսեփ Հովսեփյան), was an Armenian-American stage and film actor of the silent and early sound film era. Early life Born on December 30, 18 ...

as Capt. Spicer *

Flora Finch Flora Finch (17 June 1867 – 4 January 1940) was an English-born vaudevillian, stage and film actress who starred in over 300 silent films, including over 200 for the Vitagraph Studios film company. The vast majority of her films from the sile ...

as Gossip *

Douglas Gerrard Douglas Gerrard (12 August 1891 – 5 June 1950) was an Irish-American actor and film director of the silent and early sound era. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1913 and 1949. He also directed 23 films between 1916 and 1920. He ...

as Tom Stafford * Christiane Yves as Lydia * Al Hart as Innkeeper * Bertram Jones as Verney's Valet * Tina Marshall as Megrim * Geoffrey McDonell as Lord Northmore * Edgar Norton as Lord Markham

Songs

* "You, I Love But You" (Sung by Claudia Dell) * "I've Been Waiting For You" (Sung by Walter Pidgeon) * "Drunk Song" (Sung by Ernest Torrence, Lionel Belmore, Edgar Norton) * "Duelling Song" (Sung by Ernest Torrence, Perry Askam, Lionel Belmore, Edgar Norton, Douglas Gerrard) * "Peggy's Leg" (Sung by Ernest Torrence, Perry Askam, Lionel Belmore, Edgar Norton, Douglas Gerrard, Arthur Edmund Carewe) * "Highwayman Song" (Sung by Perry Askam and Claudia Dell) * "Pump Room Song" (Sung by Claudia Dell) * "Song of the Town of Bath" (Sung by Extras) * "Tally Ho" (Sung by Claudia Dell, Walter Pidgeon, Lionel Belmore)

Preservation status

The film survives in a black-and-white nitrate copy. No copies of the film are known to exist in the original Technicolor. The color work on the film was highly praised by the film reviewers of the day.

References

External links

* * {{Alfred E. Green 1930 films 1930 musical comedy films 1930s historical comedy films 1930s color films American historical comedy films American musical comedy films American films based on plays Films set in 1793 Films based on British novels Films directed by Alfred E. Green Films set in Bath, Somerset Warner Bros. films Films based on multiple works Remakes of American films Sound film remakes of silent films American historical musical films 1930s historical musical films Early color films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films