Drama starring Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall and Cary Grant. Helen Faraday's search for sufficient money to pay for the treatment that will save her husband's life leads her to the stage of a New York night club - and to the wealthy and attractive Nick Townsend.
The fifth of director Josef von Sternberg's collaborations with Marlene Dietrich is unfortunately only ever wheeled out for teasing snatches of its dazzling club scene involving Dietrich and a gorilla suit, when in fact the film offers many more riches. The story, with Dietrich's medically dependant husband Herbert Marshall unsettled by his wife's friendly, financial connection to tycoon Cary Grant is, as ever with Sternberg, merely a departure point for more important matters. You'll not see many films superior to this in their use of visual detail, tempo, humour and double-edged significance. Art as entertainment, from the original "all is not what it seems" director.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Helen Faraday / Helen Jones | Marlene Dietrich |
| Edward Faraday | Herbert Marshall |
| Nick Townsend | Cary Grant |
| Johnny Faraday | Dickie Moore |
| Ben Smith | Gene Morgan |
| "Taxi Belle" Hooper | Rita La Roy |
| Dan O'Connor | Robert Emmett O'Connor |
| Detective Wilson | Sidney Toler |
| Doctor Pierce | Morgan Wallace |
| Cora, Helen's maid | Hattie McDaniel |
| Charlie Blaine | Francis Sayles |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Josef von Sternberg |
