''Anybody's Blonde'' is a 1931 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by Frank R. Strayer from an original screenplay by

Betty Burbridge Elizabeth Burbridge (December 7, 1895 – September 19, 1987) was an American screenwriter and actress, best known for her Western screenplays. Biography Elizabeth Burbridge was born in San Diego, California, on December 7, 1895, the granddaugh ...

. The film stars

Dorothy Revier Dorothy Revier (born Doris Valerga; April 18, 1904 – November 19, 1993) was an American actress. Early years Born as Doris Valerga in San Francisco on April 18, 1904, Revier was one of five siblings of the famous Valerga performing family o ...

Reed Howes Hermon Reed Howes (July 5, 1900August 6, 1964) was an American model who later became an actor in silent and sound films. Early life Howes spent the beginning of his childhood in Washington, D.C. before moving with his parents to Ogden, Utah, Og ...

, and

Edna Murphy Edna Murphy (November 17, 1899 – August 3, 1974) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 80 films between 1918 and 1933. Murphy was voted "Most Photographed Movie Star of 1925" by '' ScreenLand Magazine''. For part of her ...

, and was released by Action Pictures on November 17, 1931.

Plot

Janet Reese is a reporter whose brother, Jim Dorgan, is an up-and-coming boxer, who is a win away from getting a shot at a title bout. Steve Crane is a local gangster who also owns a popular nightclub. Crane, knowing he can get better odds betting against Dorgan, tries to force him into throwing the match, but Dorgan refuses. Crane enlists Myrtle Devoe, one of his showgirls and his mistress to distract Dorgan long enough so that he misses the fight. Myrtle and Dorgan used to go out, so when she invites him back to her place, he agrees. When Dorgan doesn't show up for his match against Don O'Hara, he loses by forfeit. O'Hara now becomes the number one challenger for the title. The following morning, Dorgan is found dead near Myrtle's apartment. The police pick up both Myrtle and Crane for questioning, but there is not enough evidence to make a case against them. During their interrogation Crane tries to shift interest onto O'Hara. When they are released, Crane thinks it would be best for Myrtle to leave town for a while, at least until the heat about Dorgan's murder dies down. Frustrated with the lack of progress being made by the police. Janet decides to investigate for herself. With the departure of Myrtle, there is an opening at Crane's club, and Janet applies for and gets the job. Crane becomes interested in Janet, and she begins to lead him along. As they are talking, O'Hara storms in, angry at Crane's having attempted to finger him for Dorgan's murder. There is an instant attraction between Janet and O'Hara. As Janet and O'Hara's romance blossoms, she continues to attempt to pump Crane for information about her brother's murder. O'Hara proposes to Janet, but she turns him down, since he is a boxer, and she hates boxing. Meanwhile, Myrtle has heard about Crane's interest in Janet, and returns to town, intent on staking her claim. Seeing a way to make Myrtle's return work in her favor, Janet plans to force a confrontation between Crane and Myrtle, with the police listening in. As the night of the title fight approaches, Janet sets the trap up at Crane's apartment for the night before the fight. When O'Hara learns that Janet is over Crane's apartment, he heads over there to confirm it. When he does, he jumps to the conclusion that there is something going on between the two. He heads to the nearest bar to drown his sorrows. Janet goes through with her plan, and has Myrtle show up at Crane's. During the argument between the two, Myrtle and Crane reveal enough of their murder of Dorgan to allow the police to arrest them. When the fight takes place the following night, O'Hara is still drunk and subsequently loses the fight. When Janet finds him and tries to explain what was really going on, he doesn't want to hear about it, but when he sees her report in the paper, he understands she was telling the truth, and the two reconcile.

Cast

as Janet Reese *

as Don O'Hara *

as Myrtle Devoe *

Lloyd Whitlock Lloyd Whitlock (January 2, 1891 – January 8, 1966) was a prolific American actor who began working during Hollywood's silent era. Born in 1891, he appeared in nearly 200 films between 1916 and 1949. Distinguished by his height and stature, he ...

as Steve Crane *

Arthur Housman Arthur Housman (October 10, 1889 – April 8, 1942) was an American actor in films during both the silent film era and the Golden Age of Hollywood. Career Arthur Housman was one of the first screen comedians known to the public by name, and on ...

as Mulligan * Henry B. Walthall as Mr. Evans * Pat O'Malley as Reporter *

Gene Morgan Gene Morgan (March 12, 1893 – August 13, 1940) was an American actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1926 in film, 1926 and 1941 in film, 1941. Background Morgan was born in Racine, Wisconsin. In his early roles he was cast in westerns ...

as Stage director *

Nita Martan Nita Martan (1898–1986) was an American actress, dancer, and singer who was active in the silent and early sound eras. Martan was active in musical comedy productions in New York and in vaudeville. On Broadway, she portrayed Ro See in ''Chin ...

as Ginger

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' gave the film a good review saying it was a "...fast action picture carries pop appeal with good love interest." While they thought the plot was a bit "hokey", they felt the movie had good action sequences, "done with showmanship and furnishes a lot of suspense and some real thrills." They also enjoyed the acting, while rating the directing and camera-work acceptable.

References

External links

* * * {{Frank R. Strayer 1931 mystery films American mystery films Films directed by Frank R. Strayer American black-and-white films Mayfair Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language mystery films