Mary Forbes Movies

British Agent starred the Hungarian/British actor Leslie Howard in the title role, was directed by full-fledged Hungarian Michael Curtiz, and costarred American leading lady Kay Francis as a Russian spy. Based on the memoirs of R. H. Bruce Lockhart, who had been the unofficial British emissary to the Russian Revolutionary government in 1917, British Agent spends more time on its romantic subplot than in recreating the birth of Bolshevism. Leslie Howard's purpose in this film is to dissuade the Bolsheviks from signing a separate treaty with the World War I German regime. It is obvious to modern-day viewers that Howard is merely looking after Britain's interests and has no concern for the Russians; this was par for the course in a 1930s film, but does not play well with less jingoistic audiences of the 1990s. The most interesting aspect of British Agent is the performance of saturnine Irving Pichel as a young Josef Stalin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

MGM's Sadie McKee is a superb example of how the "committee" system of moviemaking in the 1930s could sometimes yield unexpected delights. It all begins when Sadie McKee (Joan Crawford) is brought to big bad old New York by glib vaudevillian Tommy (Gene Raymond), only to be unceremoniously dumped in favor of actress Dolly (Esther Ralston). Cast adrift, our Sadie lands a nightclub job, where she meets genially intoxicated millionaire Brennan (Edward Arnold). Accepting his drunken marriage proposal, Sadie must endure the slings and arrows of Brennan's friends and family, who consider her a gold-digger. Meanwhile, Sadie's former boss Michael (Franchot Tone), the one true love of her life, waits and waits and waits to see what's really on the girl's mind! And as a bonus, this is the film that introduced the peppy ditty "All I Do Is Dream of You". The labyrinth plotline of Sadie McKee is proof enough that more than one screenwriter had a hand in its creation: but instead of chaos, the film is irresistibly watchable, full of unexpected plot twists and marvelous little surprises. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An impoverished waitress marries a rich college boy against the wishes of his parents. Shortly after bearing his son, the family begins pushing her out of the family, separating her from her son. Two decades later, the woman is a charwoman who scrubs the floors of her husband's alma mater. It is there that she encounters a handsome young college student who shares with her his romantic travails. It seems his father is pressuring him to dump his impoverished girl friend. Realizing that the distraught boy is her son, the woman selflessly offers him sage advice without revealing her identity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This is the second movie version of Willa Cather's Pulitzer Prize winning novel that tells the story of a bride-to-be whose fiance is near-fatally injured by the jealous husband of a woman he had an affair with. The poor young woman is so upset by the situation that she swears she will never love another and takes off to live in an isolated mountain retreat. There she feels terribly sorry for herself. One day she is moping along a rough trail, falls and hurts herself. Fortunately, she is rescued by an elderly lawyer who helps her heal both physically and psychologically. The grateful girl ends up marrying him. Unfortunately she meets a handsome young man with whom she falls passionately, but chastely in love. Now she regrets marrying the old attorney. She decides to tell the lawyer her true feelings. When she is finished he promptly keels over with a heart attack. It might be noted that after Cather saw this film, she forbade the further sale of her works to Hollywood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Loretta Young, who became known almost exclusively for playing sweet, wholesome roles, is kind of a shocker in this romantic drama as Letty Strong, an unwed mother who survives by living life as a grifter and the next thing to a prostitute -- all for the good of her son Mickey (Jackie Kelk), who, not yet 10 years old, is turning into a street hustler every bit as devious and untrustworthy as she is. Then, one day, he's skating on the street and gets hit by a milk truck, which happens to be driven by Malcolm Trevor (Cary Grant), the owner of the dairy, who was spot-checking his operation. Letty and Mickey try to take Malcolm for a hefty sum in court until their case is blown out of the water, but Malcolm also finds himself appalled by the kind of life that Letty is setting up for the boy. He gets her to agree to let Mickey move in with him and his wife Alice ($Marion Burns), at their estate outside the city. And after some extremely rough patches, Mickey begins to see that there's more to being a boy -- or becoming a man -- than what you can steal or cheat off the next guy. But Letty isn't about to let her son get away that easily, or let Malcolm get away with taking him from her, even if he is right. She tries to wreck Malcolm's home and marriage, all to get her son back and take revenge on him in the process. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Surprisingly original for an independent production, Two Heads on a Pillow is a fascinated precursor to the more celebrated Tracy-Hepburn vehicle Adam's Rib. Neil Hamilton and Miriam Jordan a play couple of young lawyers who fall in love and marry. Thanks to her mother's interference, the couple eventually divorces. Years later, Hamilton and Jordan find themselves facing each other in court on opposite sides of an alienation-of-affections suit. Despite the fact that Hamilton's client is wealthier and more powerful, Jordan wins the case -- and reclaims her own husband in the bargain. Two Heads on a Pillow is distinguished by credible, naturalistic performances by all concerned; even stereotypical Italian Henry Armetta keeps his patented mannerisms in check. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The only Academy Award winning picture for Fox Studios (in its pre-20th Century-Fox era), Cavalcade is a stately film adaptation of the pageant-like stage hit by Noel Coward. The film concentrates on the years 1901 through 1933, as seen through the eyes of an upper-class British family and its servants. Clive Brook and Diana Wynyard portray the "upstairs" Marryots, while Herbert Mundin and Una O'Connor represent the "downstairs" Bridges (the incidents and characterizations in Cavalcade are very, very close to those seen in the popular 1970s BBC series Upstairs, Downstairs). The triumphs and tragedies of both masters and servants are placed in context with the death of Queen Victoria, the Boer War, World War I, the Jazz Age, and the Depression. Both classes have their troubles with their children, what with their offsprings' predilection for opposing authority, marrying the wrong people, and dying at the least opportune moments. The film's highlight was also the most talked-about scene in the original play: newlyweds Edward Marryot (John Warburton) and Edith Harris (Margaret Lindsay), discussing their future while on their honeymoon cruise, reveal at the scene's fadeout that they've been standing in front of a life preserver bearing the name "TITANIC". On the whole, however, Cavalcade creaks a bit when seen today, and is best viewed from a historical perspective. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First filmed in 1911, William Makepeace Thackeray's satirical novel Vanity Fair has undergone several cinemadaptations, most memorably as the pioneering Technicolor feature Becky Sharp (1935). This 1932 version is perhaps the least known, probably because it has been updated to the 20th century and it isn't terribly good. In her first starring role, Myrna Loy plays the modernized Becky Sharp, a crafty lass who'll do anything to advance herself socially, even if it means romancing several older men whom she doesn't love. Going from rags to riches and back again several times, Becky continually bounces back, though the same cannot be said for many of her male companions. Of the large cast, the biggest surprise is former 2-reel comedy star Billy Bevan, who makes a surprisingly effective Joe Sedley (the character played in the 1935 Becky Sharp by Nigel Bruce). Not a classic by any means, Vanity Fair gets by on its curiosity value. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This first film version of Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms stars Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes. Cooper plays Lt. Frederick Henry, a World War I officer who falls in love with English Red Cross nurse Catherine Barkley (Hayes)-after first mistaking her for a woman of ill repute. Henry's friend, Major Rinaldi, is envious of the romance, and pulls strings to have Catherine transferred to Milan. When Henry is wounded in battle, he ends up in the very hospital where Catherine works. They resume the affair, which reaches an ecstatic peak just before Henry is returned to the front. The now-pregnant Catherine remains in Switzerland, sending letters by the bushelfull to Henry. But the jealous Rinaldi sees to it that Henry never receives those letters, leading Catherine to conclude sorrowfully that Henry has forgotten her. As the Armistice approaches, Henry makes his way to Switzerland, hoping to find Catherine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A WWI American nurse stationed in London (Constance Bennett) meets a handsome flier and finds only sorrow in this three-hanky melodrama. She gets pregnant; then the flier disappears during a mission and she must bear her child alone. Time passes and eventually, she reluctantly agrees to marry a disabled British officer. Not long afterward, her true love reappears (not dead, after all) and many complications ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This World War I romance stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Anthony Bushell as two British officers who happen to be brothers. Both men fall for the same girl (Rose Hobart) while on furlough, resulting in dissention at the Front. What might have been a festival of cliches emerges as a superior drama, thanks to the clever (but unobtrusive) direction of Allan Dwan. In one of his first truly worthwhile roles, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is utterly convincing as a young Briton who must balance duty with desire; Anthony Bashell is far less believable, but can be forgiven his excesses since he later retired from acting to become a director. Previously produced as a silent film, Chances was based on a story by A. Hamilton Gibbs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Working Girls is a slight, dated, but still entertaining comedy, typical of its era. Louise Adams (Frances Dee) and her friend (Claire Dodd) travel to the city in order to get jobs and hopefully find husbands. There they face the usual complications, but the women persevere and all ends well. The film is notable because its director Dorothy Arzner, was one of the few American women directors of the studio era. Arzner began her career as script-girl where she progressed to film editor. Her editing so impressed Paramount that Arzner was allowed to direct. She went on to have a long career and was the first woman member of the Directors Guild of America. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Ronald Colman plays the "black sheep" of a wealthy British family, sent to South Africa so that he'll be as far away from home as possible. Broke again, Colman auctions off his belongings and heads for London to the less-than-open arms of his father (Frederick Kerr). He begins to dally with a saucy actress (Myrna Loy), but soon his attentions shift to a young heiress (Loretta Young) engaged to a nobleman. The heiress manages to set Colman on the straight and narrow, so he renounces his wastrel ways and settles down--but not before breaking up the girl's upcoming wedding. Based on a play by Frederick Lonsdale, Devil to Pay is dated only in its subject matter; on a purely technical level, the film hardly betrays its age at all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide