Kendall Lee Movies
Briefly onscreen 1930-1934, former model Kendall Lee is perhaps best remembered as the unfortunate Rena in Secrets of the French Police (1932), turned into a nude statue by her evil lover Gregory Ratoff. She was the wife of legendary filmmaker Lewis Milestone. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi- 1934
In this comedy-mystery, a private detective helps three businessmen get even with the man who misused their investments. The detective plans to kidnap the man's wife so he can get her signature and reclaim the money. The detective didn't plan on falling in love with the wife, but he does, and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leslie Howard, Cedric Hardwicke, (more)
- 1932
The pleasures of the flesh confront the discipline of the Lord's teachings in this screen adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's story Miss Sadie Thompson. Sadie Thompson (Joan Crawford) is a sassy streetwalker who lands in Pago Pago in the South Pacific after an epidemic grounds the ship on which she's booked passage. Sadie's shapely legs, free spirit, and quick wit soon attract the attention of a group of American soldiers stationed on the island; while most are motivated by simple lust, the naive Sgt. O'Hara (William Gargan) falls head over heels for Sadie, thoroughly unaware of her checkered past and shameful profession. Rev. Alfred Davidson (Walter Huston), a fire-and-brimstone preacher bent on bringing salvation to the soldiers, is fully aware of Sadie's occupation and moral code, and is determined to convince her to change her ways. Sadie slowly but surely is softened by Davidson's conviction, but the preacher soon finds himself affected by her sensual presence; O'Hara also learns the truth about Sadie, but hatches his own plan to reform her -- marriage. While a box office failure in 1932, Rain has gone on to become a cult favorite, thanks to Crawford's vivid performance as Sadie and director Lewis Milestone's adventurous visual style. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Walter Huston, (more)
- 1932
A Parisian flower girl is trotted out as the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia in this fast-moving thriller based on a popular newspaper serial, Secrets of the French Sureté. Discovered by evil White Russian Count Moloff (Gregory Ratoff), Eugénie Dorain (Gwili Andre) is hypnotized into believing that she is Anastasia, the daughter of the slain Russian czar. Léon Renault, the girl's fiancé, aligns himself with Francis St. Cyr (Frank Morgan) and the famous Sureté Français detective Bertillon (Murray Kinnell), but is too late to save Réna (Kendall Lee), Moloff's mistress, who is embalmed alive in cement. A Russian Grand Duke (Arnold Korff), who doubted Eugénie's veracity, is summarily killed when his limousine is forced off the road, and, having outlived her usefulness, Eugénie is about to suffer the same fate as Réna when St. Cyr and the police arrive like the proverbial cavalry. The evil Moloff is electrocuted by one of his own fiendish devices and Eugénie and Léon are finally free to plan a future together. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gwili Andre, Frank Morgan, (more)
Ahead of its time for liberated thinking, this is still really just a classic romance with a love triangle thrown in on the side. While on a trip to Paris, a woman meets a man that makes her reconsider her marriage of convenience (she had married her boss to save him from his girlfriend!). ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Constance Bennett, Basil Rathbone, (more)
