''Strictly Dishonorable'' 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 ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film directed by

John M. Stahl John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was a Russian-born American film director and producer. He is best known for his films such as ''Leave Her to Heaven'' (1945), '' Imitation of Life'' (1934), ''The Keys of the Kingdom ...

and starring

Paul Lukas Paul Lukas (born Pál Lukács; 26 May 1894 – 15 August 1971) was a Hungarian actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, for his performance in the film ''Wat ...

Sidney Fox Sidney Fox (born Sarah Liefer; December 10, 1907 – November 15, 1942) was an American stage and film actress in the late 1920s and 1930s.Sidney Fox Beaha's age in some records is given as 30 or 31 when she died, including in the registry ...

and

Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular '' Andy ...

George Meeker George Meeker (March 5, 1904 – August 19, 1984 ) was an American Character actor, character film and Broadway theatre, Broadway actor. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Meeker made several films such as ''Crime, Inc.'' (1 ...

, and

Sidney Toler Sidney Toler (born Hooper G. Toler Jr., April 28, 1874 – February 12, 1947) was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. The second non-Asian actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen, he is best remembered for his portrayal ...

. It was written by

Gladys Lehman Gladys Lehman (née Collins; 1892–1993) was a prolific American screenwriter who had a long career in Hollywood. Biography Lehman was born in Gates, Oregon, in 1892 to James Collins and Lois Gates. She was the eldest of the couple's four c ...

and based on

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He is credited as being the first screenwriter to find success as a director. Prior to Sturges, other ...

' 1929 hit Broadway play of the same name. ''Strictly Dishonorable'' was Sturges' second play on Broadway, and his first to be filmed. As a film made before the advent of the

Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as th ...

, the film-makers were able to preserve the cheerfully uninhibited sexual innuendo of the Sturges play in their movie version, which he is said to have endorsed.TC
Notes
/ref>

Plot

Snobbish, quick-tempered Henry Greene (

) and his fiancee Isabelle Perry (

) stop into a New York speakeasy owned by Tomasso Antiovi (

William Ricciardi William Ricciardi (12 July 1871 – 16 February 1961) was an Italian actor known for his role as Signor Baldini in ''San Francisco'' (1936). He also appeared in the Phil Rosen film '' The Heart of a Siren'' (1926). In ''Anthony Adverse'' (193 ...

) for a drink. They meet retired Judge Dempsey (

), an amiable man who befriends the Southern belle, much to Henry's dismay. Famous opera singer Tino Caraffa, a charming but notorious playboy, whose real name is Gus Di Ruvo (

), is there as well, and while Henry is gone to move his illegally parked car, Gus and Isabelle, an opera fan, get acquainted. When Henry returns, he's incensed to learn that the two of them have been dancing together. He wants Isabelle to leave with him, but she refuses and breaks their engagement, returning his ring. Henry tries to get the police to help him force Isabelle to leave by telling them that she has been "kidnapped by villains", but Judge Dempsey sets them straight, getting Henry arrested and taken away. Gus offers to put Isabelle up for the night, assuring her that his intentions are "strictly dishonorable". The judge warns Isabelle about Gus, but she is adamant about staying because she has fallen in love. So too has Gus: Overwhelmed by Isabelle's sweetness and innocence, he spends the night in Judge Dempsey's apartment. The next morning, Henry returns and tries to get Isabelle to come back to him. Despite appearances, she assures him that she has not lost her virtue and wants to know if he is still "pure", but he insists that it is "entirely different" for men. She reluctantly agrees to remain engaged to Henry, and he leaves to wait for her outside. Gus arrives and proposes marriage to Isabelle, but she does not believe that he loves her, and she leaves. When Gus and the judge go to get a drink, they find Isabelle there, crying. She confesses that she does love Gus, and the judge goes to tell Henry not to wait.

Cast

as Count Gus Di Ruvo *

as Isabelle Perry *

as Judge Dempsey *

as Henry Greene *

as Tomasso Antiovi *

as Patrolman Mulligan * Carlo Schipa as Waiter * Samuel Bonello as Waiter * Joe Torillo as Cook * Joseph W. Girard as Officer * Aldo Franchetti as Arguing Customer Cast notes: * "Dempsey" was the maiden name of Preston Sturges' mother. * William Ricciardi is the only actor who also appeared in the Broadway production of ''Strictly Dishonorable''. * Natalie Moorhead played the role of Lilli, one of Gus's lovers, but her scenes were deleted. * Sidney Toler achieved fame playing

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...

Production

Universal paid Preston Sturges the record sum of $125,000 for the rights to ''Strictly Dishonorable'', equal only to RKO's purchase of the rights to '' Cimarron''. The film was in production from June 30 to August 15, 1931, and was released on December 26 of that year. The Los Angeles premiere took place at the

Carthay Circle Theatre The Carthay Circle Theatre was one of the most famous movie palaces of Hollywood's Golden Age. Located on San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, it opened in 1926 and was demolished in 1969. The auditorium itself was shaped in the f ...

Other versions

Sturges' play was filmed again in 1951, and released 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 ...

under the same title '' Strictly Dishonorable''. It was written, produced and directed by

Melvin Frank Melvin Frank (13 August 1913 – 13 October 1988) was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership with Norman Panama and their work on films such as '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'' (1948), ...

and

Norman Panama Norman Kaye Panama (April 21, 1914 – January 13, 2003) was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership with Melvin Frank and their work on films such as ''Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House' ...

and starred

Ezio Pinza Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 75 ...

and

Janet Leigh Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped he ...

. Much of the sexual innuendo of the original was scrubbed from the remake, which was a musical.Erickson, Ha
Plot synopsis (Allmovie)
/ref>

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strictly Dishonorable (1931 Film) 1931 films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by John M. Stahl 1931 romantic comedy films Universal Pictures films Films set in New York City Films based on works by Preston Sturges American romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Films scored by Giuseppe Becce English-language romantic comedy films