The Cheat (1931)

Pre-code 1930s:
You’re A Doll, Babe, and You’re Mine
The Cheat (1931)
Studio: Paramount Pictures • 68 min B&W • AR 1.33:1 • US: 28 Nov 1931
Re-release: Universal Backlot Series (Apr 2009)
Series: Universal’s Pre-code Hollywood Collection (3-DVD)
Starring: Tallulah Bankhead, Irving Pichel, Harvey Stephens
Dir: George Abbott

Elsa Carlyle (Tallulah Bankhead) is an out of control gambler married to struggling financial deal-maker Jeff (Harvey Stephens). At a very well-heeled party, she meets slimy Hardy Livingstone (Irving Pichel) who offers to help her save face by loaning her $10,000 she lost that night. But the unstated terms are too unsettling and Elsa decides to invest a second $10,000 she is holding in safe-keeping from a charity event — it’s a stock tip that can’t possibly go wrong. But it does. Instead of being even, she’s now down $20,000 … will she give in to the wiles of Mr Livingstone and his odd collection of Japanese dolls and branding irons? Stay tuned!

This is a remake of a highly successful Cecile B DeMille 1915 silent of the same name. You’d never know the country was in the midst of a depression, except for the one bad stock tip. Bankhead is actually quite good — sincerely trapped in a web of her own making. The story-telling unfolds rapidly enough to sustain interest. There’s nothing remarkable about the production, or the acting, but it stands up well enough for a single viewing.

The director, referred to as “Broadway legend George Abbott” was already in his mid-forties and had directed a handful of films from the birth of the talkies in 1929. He’s much better known as a writer including All Quiet on the Western Front, Damn Yankees and Pajama Game (the latter two as director). Between 1931 and 1957, he directed only one film, Too Many Girls, a musical comedy vehicle for Lucille Ball, Ann Miller and Desi Arnaz.

The print and sound are also good for the period; the remaining titles in the collection are almost superb. It’s really quite amazing what survives in the vaults and can be conjured up with the right digital remastering.