Secrets of an Actress
| Secrets of an Actress | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | William Keighley |
| Written by | Julius J. Epstein Milton Krims Rowland Leigh Charles Kenyon (uncredited) Mary C. McCall, Jr. (uncredited) |
| Produced by | David Lewis (uncredited) |
| Starring | Kay Francis George Brent Ian Hunter |
| Cinematography | Sidney Hickox |
| Edited by | Owen Marks |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 70-71 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Secrets of an Actress is a romantic drama film directed by William Keighley, and starring Kay Francis, George Brent, and Ian Hunter in 1938. It is about a love triangle between a stage actress, her financial backer, and his friend.[1]
Plot summary
Architects Dick Orr and Peter Snowden fall in love with actress Fay Carter and get involved in her show business aspirations.
Cast
- Kay Francis as Fay Carter[2]
- George Brent as Dick Orr
- Ian Hunter as Peter Snowden
- Gloria Dickson as Carla Orr
- Isabel Jeans as Marian Plantagenet
- Penny Singleton as Miss Reid
- Dennie Moore as Miss Blackstone
- Selmer Jackson as Mr. Thompson
- Herbert Rawlinson as Mr. Harrison
- Emmett Vogan as Joe Spencer (as Emmet Vogan)
- James B. Carson as Carstairs
- George O'Hanlon as Flowers Delivery Boy (uncredited)
Production
Producer David Lewis was assigned to make the film which was a cheap vehicle for Kay Francis. Lewis wrote Warner Bros "had completely lost faith in her and wanted to get out of the contract as cheaply as possible.... She was on the shit list, particularly [Hal B.] Wallis’, so the budget was frugal, including wardrobe, and remember Kay wearing mainly her own clothes... Kay couldn’t have cared less; she wanted her money and was prepared to do anything to get it."[3]
The original script written by Rowland Leigh was a remake of an old Warner Bros film. Milton Krims worked on it and then the Epstein twins were bought in.[4]
According to Lewis, Francis "was always pleasant, but I often suspected she was lifting a bottle during production. The Picture came off smoothly, mainly because of [director William] Keighley, and the result was bland but acceptable, probably the best of Kay’s final pictures."[5]
Notes
- Lewis, David (1993). Curtis, James (ed.). The Creative Producer. Metuchen: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-2720-4.
References
- ^ ""Secrets of Actress" at the Booker T." Washington Afro-American. October 22, 1938. p. 10. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ Kear, Lynn; Rossman, John (March 30, 2016). The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television Appearances. McFarland. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4766-0287-5.
- ^ Lewis p 138
- ^ Lewis pp 138-139
- ^ Lewis p 139
External links
- Secrets of an Actress at IMDb
- Secrets of an Actress at the TCM Movie Database (archived version)
- Secrets of an Actress at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Secrets of an Actress at AllMovie
- Secrets of an Actress at the Internet Archive