''The Strange Love of Molly Louvain'' is a 1932 American

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 ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

film directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

and starring Ann Dvorak and

Lee Tracy William Lee Tracy (April 14, 1898 – October 18, 1968) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is known foremost for his portrayals between the late 1920s and 1940s of fast-talking, wisecracking news reporters, press agents, lawye ...

. The script was based on the play ''Tinsel Girl'' by Maurine Dallas Watkins.

Plot

Molly Louvain is a young woman who has a baby

out of wedlock Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

. She falls in with a career criminal and, after he is shot by police, she hides out with a former bellhop who wants to marry her and make her "respectable." But, instead, she falls in love with Scotty Cornell, a fast-talking cynical newspaper reporter, who does not realize that she is, in fact, the very gun moll that he has been writing about in his columns. As she is about to go to prison, he discovers her identity, but pledges to stick by her nevertheless.

Cast

* Ann Dvorak as Madeleine Maude 'Molly' Louvain *

as Scott 'Scotty' Cornell *

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. On his father's deat ...

as Jimmy Cook *

Guy Kibbee Guy Bridges Kibbee (March 6, 1882 – May 24, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Kibbee was born in El Paso, Texas. His father was editor of the ''El Paso Herald-Post'' newspaper, and Kibbee learned how to set type at age ...

as Pop, a Policeman *

Leslie Fenton Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and film director. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1945. Early life Fenton was born on 12 March 1902 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. He emigrated to ...

as Nicky Grant *

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

as Skeets, a Reporter *

Evalyn Knapp Evalyn Knapp (born Evelyn Pauline Knapp; June 17, 1906 – June 12, 1981) was an American film actress of the late 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s. She was a leading B-movie serial actress in the 1930s. She was the younger sister of the orche ...

as Doris * Charles B. Middleton as Police Captain Slade *

Mary Doran Mary Doran (September 8, 1910 – September 6, 1995) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 80 films from 1927 to 1944. Biography Doran was born in New York and attended public schools there before graduating and going to Colum ...

as Dance Hall Girl * Thomas E. Jackson as Police Sergeant * C. Henry Gordon as Detective Martin * George Chandler as Reporter *

Louise Beavers Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 – October 26, 1962) was an American film and television actress. From the 1920s until 1960, she appeared in dozens of films and two hit television shows. She was most often cast in the roles of a maid, servant ...

as Washroom Attendant (uncredited) *

Wade Boteler Wade Boteler (October 3, 1888 – May 7, 1943) was an American film actor and writer. He appeared in more than 430 films between 1919 and 1943. Biography He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart ...

as Detective (uncredited) * Selmer Jackson as Detective Charlie (uncredited) * Hank Mann as Harley, a Reporter (uncredited) *

Snub Pollard Harold Fraser (9 November 1889 – 19 January 1962), known professionally as Snub Pollard, was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became a silent film comedian in Hollywood, popular in the 1920s. Career Born in Melbourne, Australia, on 9 No ...

as B. J. Pratt, Bill Collector (uncredited) * Jacquie Lyn as Ann Marie (uncredited)

External links

* * 1932 films 1932 crime drama films American crime drama films Films directed by Michael Curtiz American black-and-white films Films about journalists American films based on plays First National Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-crime-drama-film-stub