''The Rage of Paris'' is a 1938 American

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 ...

made by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. The movie was directed by

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to ci ...

, and written by

Bruce Manning Bruce Manning (July 15, 1902 – August 3, 1965) was a Cuddebackville, New York-born Hollywood filmmaker/screenwriter who entered the movie business following the publication of several novels that he co-wrote with wife, Gwen Bristow. Their fi ...

and

Felix Jackson Felix Jackson (born Felix Joachimson; June 5, 1902 – December 7, 1992) was a German-born American screenwriter and film producer. Biography Jackson was born in Hamburg. He was a city editor in Germany at 21, then a dramatic and music critic, ...

. It won the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

for Special Recommendation. Re-issued by Realart in 1951 re-titled 'Confessions of a Model.'

Plot

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Frenchwoman Nicole de Cortillon seeks modeling work and manages to steal a name and address from a modeling agency by lying about her qualifications, but it is the wrong information. She starts undressing in the advertising office of a very puzzled Jim Trevor. When she finally realizes he is not a photographer, she storms out. Nicole is locked out of her room by her landlady for being behind on her rent, but her friend Gloria helps her out by paying the arrears. Gloria suggests she try to snare a rich husband. Gloria is good friends with Mike, the head waiter at the ritzy Savoy Grand Hotel, so she tries to get him to hire Gloria. Mike has no openings, but mentions that he has saved $3000 to open a restaurant. He needs another $2000, so Gloria convinces him to finance a scheme to have Gloria attract the attention of Bill Duncan, a regular hotel guest who "owns half of Canada". Nicole and Gloria settle into a suite across the hall from Bill's. The plan hits a snag when Bill's good friend Jim Trevor recognizes her. Jim demands she tell Bill the truth. She agrees, but reneges. When Jim tells Bill, Bill does not believe him, as they have both lied before to steal each other's girlfriends. Jim blackmails Nicole into dining with him and gets her to confess that she needs $3000 in front of his butler Rigley. He departs to inform Bill, but she escapes Rigley's custody and gets to Bill first. When Bill introduces Nicole to his family, Jim brings Rigley to the reception, but Bill remains unconvinced and punches Jim in the jaw. Ashamed, Nicole follows after Jim and offers to confess all, but he does not believe her. She gets into Jim's car to see if he has been injured. He then drives off with her, taking her to his isolated country retreat, where his caretaker mistakes her for his new wife. That night, Nicole confesses to Jim that she has fallen in love with him, but he only asks her when she found out he is richer than Bill. She slips out and hitches a ride back to New York. Bill finally discovers the truth and becomes worried about a

breach of promise Breach of promise is a common law tort, abolished in many jurisdictions. It was also called breach of contract to marry,N.Y. Civil Rights Act article 8, §§ 80-A to 84. and the remedy awarded was known as heart balm. From at least the Middle ...

lawsuit. Mike promises to get Nicole to leave the country ... in exchange for his money back ($5000). Nicole boards a ship bound for France. There she finds Jim, who is arranging for the captain to marry them.

Cast

* Danielle Darrieux as Nicole * Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Jim Trevor *

Mischa Auer Mischa Auer (born Mikhail Semyonovich Unkovsky (Михаил Семёнович Унковский; 17 November 1905 – 5 March 1967) was a Russian-born American actor who moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s. He first appeared in film in 192 ...

as Mike *

Louis Hayward Louis Charles Hayward (19 March 1909 – 21 February 1985) was a Johannesburg-born, British-American actor. Biography Born in Johannesburg, Louis Hayward lived in South Africa and was educated in France and England, including Latymer Upper Scho ...

as Bill Duncan *

Helen Broderick Helen Broderick (August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was an American actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick. Career Broderick began on Broadway as a chorus girl in the ''Follies of 1907'', the first ...

as Gloria * Charles Coleman as Rigley *

Samuel S. Hinds Samuel Southey Hinds (April 4, 1875 – October 13, 1948) was an American actor and former lawyer. He was often cast as kindly authority figures and appeared in more than 200 films until his death. Early years Hinds was born in Brooklyn, New Y ...

as Mr. Duncan *

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. Duncan *

Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to: * Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor * Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer * Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House ...

as Caretaker

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rage of Paris, The 1938 films 1938 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Henry Koster Films set in New York City Universal Pictures films Films scored by Frank Skinner Films scored by Hans J. Salter 1930s English-language films 1930s American films