Lili Damita Movies
French actress Lili Damita began her career at age 16 as a music-hall entertainer and later went on to take over the starring role in the Casino de Paris Revue. She first appeared in French films in 1921 under the name Damita del Rojo, and later as Lily Seslys, before becoming Lili Damita in 1923. She worked for two years in German, Austrian and British films until MGM mogul Samuel Goldwyn invited her to visit Hollywood. Though she was a leading lady in many of the early sound films, she gained more fame for her tumultuous romance and marriage to Errol Flynn. She retired from films shorty after their wedding. Damita was the mother of Sean Flynn, a former actor and war correspondent in Vietnam who was listed as missing in action just months before the war's end. Although Damita spent an enormous amount of money searching for Sean, he was never found and was presumed dead. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi- 1954
Real-life husband and wife John McCallum and Googie Withers top the cast of Devil on Horseback. A racetrack drama, the film centers on the activities of natural-born jockey Moppy Parfitt (Jeremy Spencer). As he gains prominence on the track, Moppy becomes insufferably egotistical. His "win at all costs" policy ultimately results in the unecessary death of a horse. Much to the delight of horse owner Charles Roberts (McCallum) and trainer Mrs. Cadell (Withers), Moppy finally learns that there's something more to being a jockey than just talent. Prominently featured in the supporting cast is Liam Redmond as a bibulous ex-jockey named Scarlett O'Hara (sic!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Googie Withers, John McCallum, (more)
- 1936
This musical tells the story of Campo wooing Damita from Keating with songs "So Divine," "Out of the Hills," "The Love Fiesta," "Oh Bella Mia." (Harry Tobias, Jack Stern) ~ Rovi
- 1935
Clearly inspired by the success of Goldwyn's Barbary Coast, Warner Bros.' The Frisco Kid stars James Cagney as turn-of-the-century opportunist Bat Morgan. Heading to the gold fields of California, Bat is almost shanghaied in San Francisco but manages not only to escape his would-be captors but also to kill the infamous crime lord Shanghai Duck (Fred Kohler Sr.). The grateful citizens enable Bat to rise to wealth and power on the Barbary Coast. But he's less lucky in love, and it is his seemingly hopeless fascination with Nob Hill debutante Jean Barrat (Margaret Lindsay) that may well bring about Bat's downfall. The film is a festival of cliches, occasionally enlivened by barroom brawls and rowdy musical numbers. Featured as extras in Frisco Kid were several stars and directors of the silent era, a "generous" gesture made by Warner Bros. partly to stave off the inevitability of unionized actors. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, (more)
- 1935
Brewster's Millions was the fourth film version (and first talkie adaptation) of the war-horse Winchell Smith/Byron Ongley play. This being a British film, it's only logical that popular British musical comedy star Jack Buchanan should portray hero Jack Brewster. Once more, Brewster will inherit his uncle's huge estate only if he's able to spend one million pounds within two months. Our hero invests in several "lost cause" stocks and businesses, only to suffer as each one of his investments makes money. A last-act surprise enables Brewster to come out on top--and to claim as his bride the lovely Nancy O'Neil, who would love him even if he were broke. Brewster's Millions would be remade three more times over the next five decades. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Buchanan, Lili Damita, (more)
- 1933
Goldie dreams of being a movie star. One day she decides to leave her New Jersey home and her boy friend to head for Hollywood. She eventually arrives, but not before having a close call with a crooked beauty contest promoter. Once in Tinseltown, the is surprised to discover that her old boyfriend got their first and he is a major star. Wasting no time, she becomes one too, but by that time, the luster of stardom has worn off for the fellow and he exchanges the excitement for the quiet life back home. Will Goldie go too? ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, Charles Morton, (more)
- 1933
A choice early example of esoterica from the great Max Ophuls, On a Vole un Homme (Man Stolen) is a bit more lighthearted than later Ophuls efforts. Typical of the director's best works, the film's strongest character is the heroine, a young adventuress named Annette (Lily Damita). Hired by the business rivals of young banker Jean de Fayate (Henry Gayat), Annette lures the youthful millionaire into a kidnap trap. Eventually falling in love with her victim, Annette helps Jean to escape -- and to get even with those who've been plotting against him. Gorgeously photographed on the French Riviera and other such eye-catching locations, On a Vole un Homme was the first of a brace of films produced in France by Erich Pommer on behalf of Hollywood's Fox Films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, Charles Fallon, (more)
- 1932
Cary Grant made his feature film debut in 1932's This is the Night. Grant plays the Olympic-athlete husband of Thelma Todd, who in turn is the object of desire for Parisian millionaire Roland Young. To keep Grant from catching on, Young hires Lily Damita to pose as his wife. Later, Young arranges to catch Grant in a compromising situation with Damita, thus leaving the field clear for Todd. But when Grant falls for Damita, Young finds that he is genuinely jealous! Several chucklesome complications later, all the parties involved settle down with their proper mates. Directed by Frank Tuttle, This is the Night is a reasonable facsimile of Ernst Lubitsch's frothy Paramount comedies, right down to the comic recitative ("Madame has lost her dress! Madame has lost her dress!") built into the musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, Charlie Ruggles, (more)
- 1932
Une Heure Pres de Toi is the French-language version of Ernst Lubitsch's One Hour With You. A remake of Lubitsch's silent comedy The Marriage Circle, the film asks the musical question, "Can a handsome young doctor with a bevy of beautiful female patients remain faithful to his lovely wife?" It certainly isn't easy, especially when Dr. Bertier (Maurice Chevalier) nearly succumbs to the charms of sexy Mme. Olivier (Lily Damita). Even so, at film's end he's back in the arms of his loving bride Colette (Jeanette MacDonald). According to contemporary reviews, the delightful rhythmic dialogue so vital to the success of One Hour With You made a successful transition from English to French. The box-office value of Une Heure Pres de Toi was increased immensely by the fact that the original stars, Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, repeated their roles in the French version. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, (more)
- 1932
The Match King was inspired by the checkered career of entrepreneur Ivar Krueger. Warren William plays a Krueger-like businessman who takes over a bankrupt Swedish match factory, then lies his way into getting corporate backing for the operation. With little regard for ethics, William purchases all existing match patents, ultimately monopolizing the industry. Ruining lives and breaking laws all over Europe, William is himself emotionally devastated when betrayed by a glamorous actress (Lily Damita). Shortly afterward, William's business empire crumbles during the worldwide Depression, and the onetime Match King commits suicide. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Warren William, Lili Damita, (more)
- 1932
Quand on Est Belle (When She's Pretty) is the French-language version of the MGM drama The Easiest Way. Lily Damita takes over from Constance Bennett in the role of Laura, a poor-but-proud department store clerk. Discovered by a commercial artist, Laura lands a job as a model, and before long she's the mistress of model-agency owner Brockton (Andre Luguet). She uses the money lavished on her to support her family, but eventually they turn on her, considering the money "tainted" and her method of getting it immoral. Rejected by her loved ones, Laura leaves for Argentina, where she inaugurates a romance with wealthy rancher Johnny (Rolla Norman) Their marriages plans are interrupted when a group of insurgents threaten to topple the government. Separated from Johnny, Laura promises to wait for him until the trouble blows over, but before long she's back with Brockton again. Several devastating setbacks later, poor Laura finds herself walking the streets, still looking for love in all the wrong places. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, Mona Goya, (more)
- 1931
The old bromide about joining the Foreign Legion to "forget," so often parodied by such comedians as Laurel and Hardy, was played straight in 1931's Friends and Lovers. A very young Laurence Olivier plays Lt. Nichols, who has retreated to the desert to get over his affair with Alva Sangrito (Lily Damita). Nichols is befriended by another of Alva's victims, Captain Roberts (Adolphe Menjou). Once back in England, however, the two castaway lovers find themselves rivals once more, leading to a potentially deadly payoff. Erich von Stroheim is delightful in a depraved sort of way as Lily Damita's cynical husband. Based on the novel The Sphinx Has Spoken by Maurice de Kobra, Friends and Lovers represented one of Laurence Olivier's last early-talkie Hollywood films before he returned to England to hone his acting skills. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adolphe Menjou, Lili Damita, (more)
Directly after his successful screen teaming with Marlene Dietrich in Morocco, Gary Cooper returned to Paramount's "Zane Grey" western series with Fighting Caravans. Cooper is cast as Clint Belmet, a hell-raisin' frontiersman facing a misdemeanor jail term. To avoid arrest, Clint talks French-born Felice (Lily Damita) into posing as his wife. Having successfully eluded the Law, Clint joins a wagon train heading to California, with Felice in tow. He callously tells her that he expects to exercise his "husbandly" prerogative in bed, but changes his tune when he genuinely falls in love with the girl. Eventually, Clint assumes some responsibility for the first time in his life by becoming the wagon train's sole trail guide, rescuing the other passengers from the villainous machinations of gun-runner Lee Murdock (Fred Kohler). Several stock shots and outtakes from Fighting Caravans (retitled Blazing Arrows for television) later showed up in another Zane Grey series entry, Wagon Wheels (1934). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Lili Damita, (more)
- 1931
Lily Damita, an actress best known today for her tempestuous marriage to screen idol Errol Flynn, is the Dietrich-like heroine in RKO Radio's The Woman Between. Damita plays a knockout French modiste who marries the much-older widower O.P. Heggie. She immediately incurs the wrath of Heggie's grown children (Lester Vail, Miriam Seegar), who suspect that Damita married the old coot for her money. She didn't, but she does eventually tire of Heggie, ending up running off with her handsome "stepson" Vail. In an incredible climactic about-face, our heroine decides to remain faithful to Heggie after all, apparently for no other reason than RKO's fear of the Hollywood censors. Director Victor L. Schertzinger also wrote the film's theme song, Close to Me. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, O.P. Heggie, (more)
- 1929
Die Frau auf der Folter was the original German title of Robert Wiene's 1928 production A Scandal in Paris. Based on a popular British stage play, the film stars Lili Damita, cast against type as the demure wife of a far-from-faithful but very powerful British politician. During a trip to Paris, Damita makes the mistake of falling for a handsome rake, whereupon she is subjected to the full fury of the Double Standard. The subsequent divorce trial literally crushes the poor heroine, who is painted in the most sordid of terms by her husband's attorneys. The climactic courtroom scene effectively utilizes the multiple-image techniques then in vogue in the German cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, Johannes Reimann, (more)
- 1929
This sequel to the enormously successful silent film What Price Glory reunites director Raoul Walsh with stars Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe. As in the earlier film, McLaglen and Lowe are cast respectively as Flagg and Quirt, those ever-brawling U.S. Marine sergeants. With WWI but a dim memory, Flagg and Quirt continue their rowdy escapades in Russia, Nicaragua and Coney Island. And, of course, they vie for the attentions of several eager and willing young ladies, including the sexy Elenita (Lily Damita). Swedish-dialect comedian El Brendel, an inescapable presence in the early-talkie product from Fox Studios, co-stars as Olson, who indulges in his familiar "get me the lay of the land" routine. Scripted by vaudevillian Billy K. Wells, a specialist in vulgar and sometimes downright dirty humor, The Cock-Eyed World worked overtime pushing the envelope of good taste (by 1929 standards, at least), which may be one of the reasons that this dreary exercise was such a huge hit at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, (more)
- 1929
This drama, based on a Joseph Conrad novel, follows the exploits of a British adventurer who helps hide an island prince and his sister after they are chased out of their village by rebellious natives. The adventurer then tries to help the prince reclaim his home, but he is waylaid by a wealthy English couple who have sailed their yacht into his area. Soon he and the wealthy wife are having an affair. When the angry natives forcibly board the ship, the woman runs to get the adventurer's help, but they get caught up in mutual lust and by the time they get back to the boat, they learn that the ship was blown up along with everyone on board, including the woman's husband. The guilty adventurer sends the woman away and spends his life as a hermit. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alfred Hickman
- 1929
Forbidden Love is a vehicle for Lily Damita, perhaps best known to film fans as the tempestuous first wife of actor Errol Flynn. Damita is here cast as Princess Nadya, who before marrying into royalty was the sweetheart of commoner Sabien Paschal (Paul Richter). Years after the end of the affair, Paschal is reunited with Nadya during a midnight supper in her boudoir. Before long, the flames are rekindled, and the couple is locked in a passionate embrace. The political ramifications of this midnight tete-a-tete are not fully realized until the tongues of the court gossips begin a-wagging. A convenient populist revolution enables Nadya to give up her throne in favor of eternal happiness with her beloved Paschal. Forbidden Love was based on the Noel Coward play The Queen Was In the Parlor, which was refilmed in 1933 as Tonight is Ours. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, Paul Richter, (more)
- 1929
The first of two film versions of Thornton Wilder's novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey begins at the end. The titular bridge, which stands in 18th-century Peru, collapses, killing five people. The natives believe that the bridge's destruction was the result of Divine intervention. Using this as a cue, the film flashes back on the lives of the five victims, allowing the audience to determine whether or not their deaths were deserved. Top-billed as a wanton Spanish dancer/courtesan is Lily Damita, who later gave up her career to become the first wife of Errol Flynn. Originally a silent film, Bridge of San Luis Rey was hastily fitted with an opening and closing reel of dialogue to take advantage of the "all-talkie" craze of 1929. The film was remade in 1945, with perennial "other woman" Lynn Bari in the Lily Damita role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ernest Torrence, Raquel Torres, (more)
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