Tarnished Lady *** (1931, Tallulah Bankhead, Clive Brook) – Classic Movie Review 13,878

George Cukor’s 1931 Pre-Code American drama film Tarnished Lady is written by Donald Ogden Stewart, based on his short story New York Lady. It is Tallulah Bankhead’s first film after years on stage in New York and London. 

Director George Cukor’s 1931 Paramount Pictures Pre-Code American drama black and white film Tarnished Lady stars Tallulah Bankhead in her first film after years on stage in New York and London, along with Clive Brook, Phoebe Foster, Alexander Kirkland, Osgood Perkins, and Elizabeth Patterson. It is written by Donald Ogden Stewart, based on his short story New York Lady.

Paramount signed theatre legend Tallulah Bankhead for movie stardom after seven years as the talk of the town on the London stage, but she never quite made it in films. Here in her talkie debut, however, she is entirely capable and convincing, ideally cast as the New York socialite Nancy Courtney, who loves writer DeWitt Taylor (Alexander Kirkland) but weds stockbroker Norman Cravath (Clive Brook) for his riches, but predictably finds that he is kind and generous but utterly dull and that she is living a boring life. So she walks out for excitement and a job, but improbably comes back to him because he has gone down with all his riches in the Wall Street crash.

Smart dialogue, a clever director in Cukor, a fine cast working well, an exciting star in Tallulah Bankhead, but it is still only middling, though it is still well worth a look on You Tube.

Bankhead did not like living in Hollywood. When she met producer Irving Thalberg, she asked: ‘How do you get laid in this dreadful place?’ Thalberg replied: ‘I’m sure you’ll have no problem. Ask anyone.’

Donald Ogden Stewart recalled that the film ‘laid an awful egg. I’m not ashamed of it at all but it just didn’t do Tallulah any good, and it wasn’t successful at all. But I’d gotten to know George Cukor through that and liked him and respected him.’ After this, they became frequent collaborators.

Paramount Pictures signed George Cukor to a contract In December 1928 and he arrived in Hollywood in February 1929. In October, the studio lent him to Universal Pictures to conduct the screen tests and work as a dialogue director for All Quiet on the Western Front, released in 1930. That year, he co-directed three films at Paramount. Then he made his solo directorial debut with Tarnished Lady (1931).

Cast: Tallulah Bankhead, Clive Brook, Phoebe Foster, Alexander Kirkland, Osgood Perkins, Elizabeth Patterson, Eric Blore, Ed Gargan [Edward Gargan], Berton Churchill, Dewey Robinson, Cora Witherspoon, Beatrice Ames.

Tarnished Lady is directed by George Cukor, runs 83 minutes, is made and released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Donald Ogden Stewart, based on his short story New York Lady, is shot in black and white by Larry Williams, is produced by Walter Wanger, and is scored by Vernon Duke.

Release date: May 2, 1931.

 © Derek Winnert 2026 – Classic Movie Review 13,878

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