Directed by Mervyn LeRoy • 1932 • United States
Starring Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, Warren William
Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, and Ann Dvorak star as three grammar school friends who remain close even as they grow into very different women in this pre-Code drama. Ten years after graduating, hardened Mary Keaton (Blondell) has spent time in prison and now works as a showgirl as she struggles for a shot at stardom; Ruth Wescott (Davis) holds down a job as a hardworking, level-headed secretary; and Vivian Revere Kirkwood (Ann Dvorak) has grown bored with motherhood and her marriage to a wealthy attorney. Now, when Vivian reveals that she is having an affair with would-be gangster Michael Loftus (Lyle Talbot), she accelerates a downward spiral into crime, cocaine, and kidnapping that can only end in tragedy.
Up Next in Mervyn LeRoy’s Pre-Code Films
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Gold Diggers of 1933
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy • 1933 • United States
Starring Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahonA Broadway producer has the talent, the tunes, the theater, and everything else he needs to put on a show—except the dough. Not to worry, say Ginger Rogers and the other leggy chorines decked o...
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Hard to Handle
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy • 1933 • United States
Starring James Cagney, Mary Brian, Allen JenkinsIn this breezy pre-Code comedy, the ever-dynamic James Cagney stars as Lefty Merrill, a motormouthed flimflam artist who has yet to find a scam he won’t run on any hapless sucker he can find to fall ...
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Heat Lightning
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy • 1934 • United States
Starring Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, Preston FosterVeteran supporting player Aline MacMahon gets a chance to shine in an all-too-rare starring role in this hard-edged tale of simmering lust and violence in the remote California desert. At her road...
