''Let Us Be Gay'' is a 1930 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 ...

romantic

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

produced and distributed by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. It was directed by

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to Silent film, silent star Mae Murray with t ...

and stars

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated women. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'Neill, ...

. It was based on and filmed concurrently with the 1929 play by

Rachel Crothers Rachel Crothers (December 12, 1870 – July 5, 1958) was an American playwright and theater director known for her well-crafted plays that often dealt with feminist themes. Among theater historians, she is generally recognized as "the most succe ...

which starred

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

and ran for 128 performances at London's Lyric Theater. Critics generally preferred Tallulah's rendition to Shearer's.

Plot

Housewife Kitty Brown (

) does not spend much time on her personal appearance. She is devoted to her husband Bob (

Rod La Rocque Roderick Ross La Rocque (November 29, 1898 – October 15, 1969) was an American actor. Biography La Rocque was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edmund La Rocque and Ann (née Rice) La Rocque. His father was of French-Canadian descent and his mo ...

). Kitty spends all her time seeing that Bob has everything he needs. Bob is embarrassed to be seen with his wife because he considers her dowdy and he does not like the homemade clothes she wears. Kitty gets a shock when Bob's latest girlfriend, Helen, shows up at their home. Kitty is polite to Helen and pretends that she has known about the affair all along but secretly she is broken-hearted. She excuses herself to go to her room and cry. When she refuses to accept Bob's apology, he leaves, and their marriage is over. Three years later, Bob is courting Diane (

Sally Eilers Dorothea Sally Eilers (December 11, 1908 – January 5, 1978) was an American actress. Early life Eilers was born in New York City to a Jewish-American mother, Paula (or Pauline) Schoenberger, and a German-American father, Hio Peter Eilers (a ...

). Diane's grandmother, Mrs. Bouccicault (

Marie Dressler Leila Marie Koerber (November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934), known professionally as Marie Dressler, was a Canadian-born stage- and screen-actress and comedian, popular in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood in early silent film, silent an ...

), is a leader in local society and disapproves of the match. Mrs. Bouccicault invites Kitty for the weekend. Kitty is now a fashionable, very attractive woman. Mrs. Bouccicault hopes to use Kitty to break Diane and Bob up. Mrs. Bouccicault asks Kitty to steal a gentleman away from her granddaughter so Kitty flirts with each arriving male guest in turn assuming that each is the gentleman in question. Bob arrives and is surprised by Kitty's appearance. They pretend to meet for the first time. The other weekend guests, including Townley (

Gilbert Emery Gilbert Emery Bensley Pottle (June 11, 1875 – October 28, 1945), known professionally as Gilbert Emery, was an American actor who appeared in over 80 movies from 1921 to his death in 1945. He was also a playwright, author of seven Broadway pla ...

), Madge (

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

), and Wallace (

Tyrell Davis Tyrell Davis (1902–1970) was a British film actor, Cambridge educated, who appeared on the West End and Broadway stage, as well as in British and American films. "In George Cukor's ''Out Betters'' (1933), Tyrell Davis played one of the swish ...

), are baffled by the way Bob and Kitty behave around each other. Kitty continues to flirt with the male guests. She speaks disdainfully of marriage and makes it clear she is happily divorced. Diane is engaged to Bruce (

Raymond Hackett Raymond Hackett (July 15, 1902 – July 7, 1958) was an American stage and screen actor. He had been a child actor on the Broadway stage and was the brother of Albert Hackett. He was born in New York City the son of Maurice Hackett and Florence ...

), who is also a guest. Bruce loves Diane and is pained to see her with Bob. Townley goes to the terrace outside Kitty's room. She flirts with him. When Bob knocks on the door, Townley hides. Bob begs Kitty to marry him again. Bob hears a sneeze and discovers Townley hiding in the bathroom. He leaves through the terrace only to find Wallace waiting. Wallace has brought Kitty a poem. Disgusted and angry, Bob leaves. A few minutes later Mrs. Bouccicault comes to Kitty's room to announce that Bob has just become engaged to Diane. The next day, Bob is upset to overhear Kitty making plans for a yachting trip with Townley. Kitty plans on leaving immediately, but her nanny shows up with Kitty and Bob's children. The children are overjoyed to see their father. Bob tells Diane he still feels he is married to Kitty. Diane breaks up with Bob. Kitty says she does not want him either. She says goodbye to Bob. He begs for another chance. Again, he asks her to marry him. She tearfully tells him she still loves him and she asks him to take her back.

Cast

- Mrs. Katherine Brown *

- Mrs. Bouccy Bouccicault *

- Bob Brown *

- 'Towney' Townley *

- Madge Livingston *

- Bruce Keane *

- Diane *

- Wallace Granger *

Wilfred Noy Wilfred Noy (born Wilfred Noy Blumberg, 24 December 1883 – 29 March 1948) was an English film director, actor, screenwriter and film producer, producer of the silent film, silent era. Noy was the maternal uncle of Leslie Howard (actor), Le ...

- Whitman, the Butler *

Sybil Grove Sybil Grove (4 October 1891 – 28 September 1957) was an English actress. She was born Sybil Marian Westmacott on 4 October 1891 in Teddington, Middlesex, and was also known as Sybil Wingrove. With reddish brown hair and standing 5'8", she tra ...

- Perkins, a Maid *

Helene Millard Helene Millard (September 30, 1905 – September 20, 1974) was an American supporting actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Millard began acting on stage in Los Angeles when she was in the seventh grade. Millard left the Pasadena Players in July 19 ...

- Helen Hibbard

Home media

The film was released on DVD through the

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

Production

The film was shot quickly (in 26 days) due to Norma Shearer's pregnancy. A French-language version of the film, ''Soyons gais'', was filmed in 1931, directed by

Arthur Robison Arthur Robison (June 25, 1883 – October 20, 1935) was a German film director and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed 20 films between 1916 and 1935. Selected filmography * '' A Night of Horror'' (1916) * '' What Belongs to Darkne ...

, and stars

Lili Damita Lili Damita (born Liliane Marie-Madeleine Carré; 10 July 1904 – 21 March 1994) was a French-American actress, singer, and dancer who appeared in 33 films between 1922 and 1937. Early life and education Lili Damita was born in Blaye, France, ...

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor whose career spanned both silent films and talkies. He became a leading man during the 1920s, known for his debonair and sophisticated screen presence. He was no ...

, and

Françoise Rosay Françoise Rosay (; born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche; 19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse,''Design'', Volume 9 1965 p. 24 and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figure ...

References

External links

* *
Let Us Be ''Gay''
at the

AFI catalog The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film Institute (AFI) to catalog all commercially-made and theatrically exhibited American motion pictures from the birth of cinema i ...

''Let Us Be Gay'' lobby and foreign posters

alternative lobby poster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Let Us Be Gay 1930 films 1930 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard American films based on plays Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language comedy-drama films