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The dancer and lion tamer of a circus Tira (Mae West) meets with an admirer at a hotel room and her lover, the pickpocket Slick Wiley (Ralf Harolde) try to steal the man and hits his head with a bottle. Slick believes that he had killed the man and flees, but he is arrested by the police.

Tira fears to be betrayed by Slick and asks for a loan to Big Bill Barton (Edward Arnold) to leave the place. However, he offers her the money provided she accepts to put her head into the mouth of a lion. The show is a success and the circus move to New York, where the millionaire Kirk Lawrence (Kent Taylor), who is engaged but becomes her "protector", giving expensive gifts to Tira. But when she meets Kirk's partner Jack Clayton (Cary Grant), they fall in love with each other and decide to get married. But Big Bill does not want to lose his great attraction and plots a scheme with Slick to call off the engagement of Clayton and Tira.

"I'm No Angel" is one of the most important films of the controversial Mae West, the actress who saved Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy after the Great Depression. This actress was responsible for the censorship code in Hollywood and her malicious quotes are great. For example, "When I'm Good, I'm Very Good. But, When I'm Bad... I'm Better"; or the song "No One Does It Like a Dallas Man", that was forced to be changed "No One Loves Me Like a Dallas Man". My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Santa Não Sou" ("Saint I am not")

Knowing that I enjoy watching some of the older movies, a friend at work lent me a VHS copy of `I'm No Angel'. It's not really something I would have picked up on my own. I guess I had some preset ideas about Mae West movies. For some reason, unknown even to myself, this is the first time I ever watched an entire Mae West movie. What a pleasant surprise it was to find my preconceived notions were totally wrong. Cary Grant and Mae West were great together. Very good acting all the way around and some interesting characters really helped to make this a very enjoyable viewing. This movie had a bit of drama, lots of comedy, it was a bit of a musical, and had some romance. All of this was combined into a masterful blend to make this movie very entertaining. I was really surprised that the comedy was so effective for today's audience considering the movie was made 71 years ago. This was a very good movie that I recommend. Glad I watched it.

Considered by many to be Mae West's finest film appearance (with only 1933's SHE DONE HIM WRONG and 1940's MY LITTLE CHICKADEE even coming close), the legendary star of the stage and screen has rarely been in better form than in this seminal film. Based on her own stage hit, the film's storyline is naturally preposterous, but West and director Wesley Ruggles wisely keep the focus on the then-salty dialogue and the still hilarious word play. Although he doesn't make his first appearance until nearly two-third of the film is over, Cary Grant remains the ideal straight man to West's zany antics. The film moves at a brisk pace, and its concluding courtroom sequence is unarguably one of the funniest scenes in film comedy.

The great stars are inimitable. With the very greatest, such as the outrageous one-of-a-kind Mae West, nobody else even mirrors the style. Bogart, Hepburn, Dietrich, Cagney, maybe a few others - all you ask is that the story not smother what they do best. Here is Mae West's finest movie, giving her the opportunities, sometimes denied elsewhere, to strut her stuff - all of it. Suggestive dialog, provocative poses, sashaying hips, and a young Cary Grant who makes her purr: the Production Code would not be far behind.

A strange thing happened with movie stars during the depression. The most popular players weren't the young and beautiful ones; they were homely, middle-aged figures like Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler and Will Rogers, unlikely stars but ones who seemed perhaps a little more earthly and genuine to moviegoers in troubled times. And this trend even had its own sex symbol – Mae West, a plump forty-year-old who became for a few years a Top 10 box office draw on the pull of her considerable sexual magnetism.

West was not possessing of the beauty of contemporaries such as Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich (neither of whom ever surpassed her in the polls). Her allure lies in the way she controls her body, a not-so-subtle hinting at what she is capable of in the bedroom, all done without showing so much as an ankle or flash of cleavage. She is perhaps the only female example of what many male stars from Clark Gable to George Clooney have been – an older player publicly seen as sexy thanks to a presence that transcends age. There have been other female stars who have this quality, but I believe West is the only one who thrived on it. As we see from her opening piece in I'm No Angel, she has absolute control over every aspect of her demeanour – a flick of the hips, a roll of the eyes, a set mouth. She could have been a decent straight actress had she turned her hand to drama.

But what is also remarkable about Mae West is that she had an unprecedented level of creative control over her work. Female writers were known but not common, and writer-actors of either gender were almost unheard of at the time. And I'm No Angel demonstrates West's wit and sophistication as much as it does her sexuality. And it's a rare tale for classic Hollywood in which the women are in charge. There's a sense of sisterhood, or at least mutual respect, between Mae and the other female characters. And as she says herself, walking off stage from her opening performance, the men who fall at her feet are just "suckers".

*I'm referring here to the ever-reliable Quigley Poll, which since 1932 has annually interviewed a large section of cinema-goers and asked them for their three favourite stars. Mae West came in at No. 8 in 1933, and No. 5 in 1934.

Mae West was an unlikely sex symbol. She was a small woman with a face that defied most standards of beauty and an unremarkable body--and by the time she hit film she was edging into middle age. But as West herself might have said, it ain't what ya got, its what ya do with it. If anybody knew what to do with it, Mae West certainly did, and I'M NO ANGEL finds her doing it in remarkably fine style indeed.

The story and script, by West herself, is hilariously improbable. West stars as Tira, a carny entertainer who divides her work between a hootchie coochie act (which gives her the opportunity to perform a sizzling "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk") and a lion taming act--but when she runs afoul of a small town romeo she hits the road for New York, where she captivates both city and Cary Grant with her circus act. Needless to say, there are comic complications galore, but like the Mounties, Mae West always gets her man.

West did a number of justly famous films during the 1930s, but I'M NO ANGEL is arguably her best, salted with with one memorable quip after another as she cracks whips, snubs snobs, frolics with her maids ("Peel me a grape!"), and waylays the willing Cary Grant with considerable aplomb. If you've never seen a Mae West movie but have always wondered what made her a great star, this is the film to see!

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I really like Mae West. In prescribed dosages. She's wonderful as a supporting actress, but not as the main actress carrying the whole movie. In that case she's a bit too much. She's still good, but the script has to be very creative to not get tired of her.

"I'm No Angel" could be called "She Done Him Wrong 2." Mae West plays the same exact character as Lady Lou (her character in "She Done Him Wrong") with NO variation. When I say no variation, I mean zero difference. If you were to close your eyes you'd think she was playing Lady Lou or Maudie Triplett ("Night After Night").

In "I'm No Angel" she played Miss Tira (pronounced Tyra), a sassy circus performer. Just like Lady Lou in "She Done Him Wrong," she had men tripping over themselves to be with her. They were forking over whatever money they had to shower her with gifts just to be in her sphere. She was cool, suave, flirtatious, and dismissive to all of them. With just a smile, a purr, and a word she could turn any man into Jello. She turned on the charm and the flirting when they had something she wanted, otherwise they got no play.

Tira moved up in the world when she agreed to do a very dangerous circus stunt. She put her head in the mouth of a lion as a part of her act. The stunt was so extreme it garnered the attention of thousands more than when she was simply shaking her hips. She was receiving so much money and gifts from adoring male fans that she was able to move into a penthouse and hire four maids to wait on her hand and foot.

She met and fell in love with Jack Clayton (Cary Grant) via her relationship with Kirk Lawrence (Kent Taylor). Kirk was engaged to be married, but he was ready to kick his fiance to the curb for Tira. Jack went to Tira to beseech her to leave Kirk alone and fell under her spell like every other man before him.

I like Mae West's swag and moxie, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't get old. She was featured in just the right amount in "Night After Night," while she was a bit too much in the two movies she starred in in 1933. Mae West is iconic, she was a trend setter, and she was definitely something different. She had a lot of zingers that were outright hilarious, although I resented her calling her maid Beulah (Gertrude Howard) "shadow." The name had a double entendre, but given America's history I have no doubt it was meant in a racial context. Other than that Mae West, to me, is like Elvira. She has a certain character that's a hit even if it won't smash the box office or garner her an Oscar.

Free on YouTube.

I'M NO ANGEL (Paramount, 1933), directed by Wesley Ruggles, Mae West's second starring feature, with the full of story, screenplay and ALL dialog credited by Mae West, as listed in the opening titles super-imposed from an overview of a circus, according to the title, might have been a comedy fantasy centering upon a fallen angel, but as the story goes, it's about a freewheeling woman's rise from circus tent to Park Avenue penthouse.

The story centers around Tira (Mae West), a free-spirited woman working as a midway dancer in Big Bill Barton's (Edward Arnold) low class carnival. She is loved by Big Bill, but has a casual lovers, or in another sense of the word, acquaintances with the male population, one being "Slick" Wiley (Ralf Harolde), a pickpocket. Tira keeps a hotel room in town where she entertains gentlemen friends. One of her latest pickups is Ernest Brown (William B. Davidson), better known as "The Chump," five times married and with no morals. When Slick enters the scene to make a pinch, posing as Tira's husband, the angry Brown decides to leave and expose the two. Before he can get away, he is knocked unconscious by Slick. Mistaking him for dead, Tira and Slick make their getaway, leaving his body in the hallway. After Brown recovers, he discovers he's been robbed. Along with the police, Brown locates Slick at the sideshow and has him arrested. To clear herself, Tira hires Benny Pinkowitz (Gregory Ratoff), a prominent New York City attorney, to handle her pending trial. To obtain the loan, Tira agrees to appear as Bill's latest attraction, the star of a lion taming act, climaxed by putting her head into the mouth of the king of beasts. Because of her renewed success, with the act now playing at Madison Square Garden, Tira becomes the talk of the town. Entering the social scene following her encounter with Kirk Lawrence (Kent Taylor), who happens to be engaged to the jealous Alicia Hatton (Gertrude Michael), his relationship with Tira starts to ruin the family name. Jack Clayton (Cary Grant), Kirk's cousin, decides to pay Tira a visit and buy her off. Instead acquires this lovely product for himself. All goes well until Big Bill hires Slick, recently released from jail, to break up their relationship by posing as Tira's husband dressed in nothing but a bathrobe. Clayton calls off the wedding, leading to a breach of promise suit by Tira.

Songs credited by Gladys DuBois, Ben Ellison and Harvey Brooks, include: "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk," "No One Loves Me Like That Dallas Man," "I Found a New Way to Go to Town," "I Want You, Need You," and "I'm No Angel" (all sung by Mae West). The title song, sung by West, is heard during the closing casting credits, and before the fade out, has the final say with, "I'm No Angel ... Believe ME!"

Following the success to SHE DONE HIM WRONG, I'M NO ANGEL, which re-teams West with Grant for the second and final time, proved to be an improvement over its predecessor, and to many Mae West fans, her best movie, and it's easy to see why. The courtroom scene where Tira (West) acts as her own attorney in the breach of promise suit, questioning the men in her past and present, and the male jurors who want to become part of her future, is priceless. With the members of the jury seen laughing out loud during Tira's defense sure had it's theater audiences doing the same thing back in 1933. During the course of West's longest movie, 86 minutes, I'M NO ANGEL is a full of memorable one-liners ("When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better," "Beulah, peal me a grape," "It's not the men in my life, but the life in my men," plus many more), and suggestive scenes leading only to the imagination of its viewers. I'M NO ANGEL is the movie where she introduced her most famous line, "Come up and see me some time," recited after her courtroom battle while on the telephone talking to the (unseen) Juror # 4. This line was spoken to Cary Grant, here, and in SHE DONE HIM WRONG, but each time in different ways. In spite of Grant's name billed second in the cast, his character appears very late into the story.

I'M NO ANGEL also consists of Mae West's personal traits. For instance, it's been written that West, born under the sign of Leo (month of August, a "hot" month) usually visited her astrologer for advice and never went through the day without reading her horoscope. Her character of Tira does just that, having her fortune told by the Rajah (Nigel De Brulier), who, while looking into the crystal ball, tells her he sees a man in her life. The surprised Tira responds, "Only ONE!" Later on in the story, one of her maids tells says she's a "one man woman." She quickly quips, "Yeah, one man at a time."

I'M NO ANGEL was thankfully produced before the production code went into effect, thus making this a "pre-code" comedy that has stood the test of time. It had become one of many Mae West/Paramount comedies of the 1930s to be distributed on video cassette in 1992. to commemorate West's centennial birth (1892). I'M NO ANGEL, along with SHE DONE HIM WRONG, became the movie package acquired by Turner Classic Movies, with I'M NO ANGEL having made its premiere on that station on January 6, 2001. For anybody who has never seen a Mae West comedy, especially her two prime comedies released 1933, I'M NO ANGEL should make a good introduction, and a suitable companion piece with SHE DONE HIM WRONG, both co-starring the only actor to appear opposite West on screen more than once. His name, of course, being Cary Grant. (**1/2)

Mae West was one of the greatest comedians of cinema. She and her work are horribly under appreciated by the vast majority of viewers. I would compare much of her work with that of the Marks Brothers and would rate this film alongside, say 'A Night at the Opera' or a film which treats a similar subject, 'The Seven Year Itch.'

In any case: see this film!

Mae West is Tira, a dancer at a provincial circus whose act turns the head of all male customers. The circus boss (Edward Arnold) persuades her to add a new number to her repertoire: She is to appear as a lion tamer and put her head in a lion's mouth. Big success. Fame, money and rich admirers follow... Strange to say, this mediocre comedy was the big box office success of 1933. That's not to say that there are no positive sides. West has some great lines (for example 'When I'm good I'm very good. But when I'm bad I'm better'). She occasionally breaks into song, and I liked that. Ralf Harolde is good as a pickpocket who takes advantage of her act to relieve the audience of their valuables and has some other dirty tricks up his sleeve. Towards the end there is a good courtroom scene that made me decide to rate the film four stars rather than three. On the downside: On balance and despite her singing, I found West with her waddling walk and habit of never keeping still pretty off-putting. That seems to be part of what people in the 20s and early 30s liked about her (apart from her free talk) - ideals change, obviously. Ossi Oswalda, who appears in some early Lubitsch comedies and whom contemporary critics praised to high heaven did not appeal to me either. That's how it is. More importantly, the plot of 'I'm no Angel' is poor. There is no other word. For at least the first 45 minutes it is going nowhere, or rather, it meanders from one hole to the next. What's the role of Benny Pinkowitz (Gregory Ratoff), for example, whom West phones so urgently early in film? He does not have anything to do except towards the end, where he does something entirely unrelated to that phone call. The male lead Jack Clayton (Cary Grant) appears only in the last half hour or so and has got as good as nothing to do - almost as little as Ratoff. In sum, I did not much enjoy this picture and don't think I will return to it.

Easily one of the funniest comedies of the 193O's, this pre-code West-ern is a real treat. La West plays Tira, a carny gal who's been around the block a few times: in order to raise some dough, she sticks her head into a lion's mouth - and basks in the attention she receives from various fans. The scene between Mae and Gertrude Michael is hilarious: "You haven't a shred of decency in you!" spouts the snobbish Michaels to which Mae retorts "I don't show my good points to strangers!" A young Cary Grant is one of Tira's many admirers and Edward Arnold is memorable as Tira's loud, gruff boss, Big Bill Barton. Mae's courtroom plea, where she puts every man in his place - and wins the admiration of the judge is a gem. This film was made just after Mae's sensational hit SHE DONE HIM WRONG. Feeling indebted to West because the film's success single-handedly saved Paramount Pictures from impending bankruptcy, mogul Adolph Zukor promised Mae that she could do anything she wanted for her next film. Because she had been fascinated by lions since childhood, she had her fantasy written into the movie's plotline.

A circus performer (Mae West) lives by her horoscope, which tells her she is destined to fall for a wealthy man with dark hair and brown eyes. When a man comes along who fits that description, she thinks he's the one. Then she meets his friend (Cary Grant) and falls for him. This is the second starring film for Mae West after She Done Him Wrong. Both were released in 1933 and both costar Cary Grant. Many people think 'She' is the better film but I prefer this one. It's less stagy, the story's better, and Mae has more funny lines. 'She' had some funny spots but it mostly just felt like an exercise in vanity for Mae. This is directed by Wesley Ruggles, younger brother of wonderful character actor Charlie Ruggles. How much you'll like this depends on how you feel about Mae West. Chubby and middle-aged horny women aren't exactly the stuff of sex symbols today. I confess I don't find her particularly appealing but I give her points for self-confidence. I also give her points for talent. At a time when it was very uncommon, she was a comedienne who both wrote and starred in her own movies. Regardless of how you feel about her brand of comedy, at least she was her own woman and not the creation of the Hollywood PR machine.

It's a pretty good movie. Mae's funny and she also sings...but the less said about that the better. Cary Grant is fine here. He doesn't show up until over halfway through the picture and he doesn't get anything funny to do. Edward Arnold has a small part. The story takes a few more twists and turns than your average comedy for the period. Mae West fans will certainly like it. Cary Grant fans might want to see it just to catch him early in his career.

I have never understood the appeal of Mae West. Apart from a funny smarmy comment here or there, most movies feature her being pursued by countless love-struck (or possibly just horny) men. And here is where the problem lies! How can the producers get anyone to seriously believe that men are so attracted to West?! She is, without a doubt, the most unappealing female lead in Hollywood history (I can't count Lassie in this category because as most of us know, this dog was actually played by male Collies). Old, bloated and sleazy to me are not exactly attractive qualities and it is completely unbelievable she could play much of anything other than an over the hill prostitute. The ridiculousness of her love affair with young and handsome Cary Grant completely undermines the movie. They played in a couple movies together and not for one moment could I believe Grant would even look twice at a woman like West. However, despite this, he and several other men spend most of the movie chasing after her like sex-crazed weasels! This is an incredibly one-note and over-rated film that stands up poorly over time.

Update: Since doing this review, I got an email telling me that I was stupid for disliking this film--especially since I actually liked TALLADEGA NIGHTS. Perhaps they have a point--especially since so many people have marked my rant "not helpful". I just don't like Mae West and despite seeing several of her films, she never converted me to believing she was a great actress. Maybe one day I'll try watching I'M NO ANGEL again, but considering how much I truly disliked the film and how miscast Cary Grant was, I doubt it. It's all a matter of taste, and this lover of classic Hollywood comedies just doesn't enjoy her films.

This movie, which West had complete creative control over, is her masterpiece. While 'She Done Him Wrong' is uneven and confusing 'I'm no Angel' is brilliant throughout. West is all woman without a bit of cat or mouse, and there is delicious chemistry between West and Grant (although this movie was made the same year as 'I'm no Angel', Grant looks older and his acting is stronger). And as much fun as it is to see masters at work in 'My Little Chickadee' (and imagine West and Feilds writing together), this movie outshines even that. If you want to know what Mae West is all about, this is the film to see.

When Mae West selected a young contract player from Paramount named Cary Grant as her leading man, a star was definitely born. But make no mistake about it, this film and She Done Him Wrong are her films and no one else's

In I'm No Angel Mae spends the entire time of the film proving she definitely ain't. Every man in the film is completely captivated by her free and easy sexuality. As this was pre-Code you have to listen hard to the dialog because Mae comes out with a gem every five minutes or so.

Mae's a circus performer here and after her manager Edward Arnold persuades her to stick her head in a lion's mouth, her gate attraction increases with her notoriety. Young millionaire Cary Grant is the last of several in the film captivated by her. She's falling for him to, but Arnold breaks it up for his own reasons.

The end of the film is a breach of promise suit brought by Mae against Cary and when she takes over the cross examination of the witnesses the results are a comedy milestone. Not that her lawyer, Gregory Ratoff, isn't capable enough, but he's rather distracted by her as well. Ratoff's performance in fact is the best one among the supporting cast.

I'm No Angel is arguably Mae West's best film and I'm not one to argue.

"Why don't you come up sometime, and see me?" Everyone knows the quote - even people who don't know who said it and have never seen a movie older than 1980. But have you seen the movie? Even though it was used on the publicity poster for I'm No Angel, it actually comes from She Done Him Wrong, another Mae West comedy costarring Cary Grant, with his old teeth.

This one is still worth watching, though. I'm No Angel boasts more funny one-liners from comic legend Mae West than you can shake a stick at. From "When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad, I'm better," to "I see a man in your future--" "What, only one?" you'll be howling with laughter every time Mae opens her mouth. In this movie, she plays a circus performer with a great sense of humor who wants nothing more than to find a millionaire for her sugar daddy. She visits a fortune teller who describes her perfect man, and the search is on! You'll see Edward Arnold in the supporting cast, as well as Hattie McDaniel, in the role that first got her noticed and remembered. Yes, she made a career of maids, but this is the one that started it all. Want to see Mammy give as good as she gets to Mae West? Then you've got to rent I'm No Angel.

Man hungry, lion tamer Tira (Mae West) agrees to a dangerous circus act with the big cats that catapults her to the big time and the attention of her favorite past time, wealthy men. It's only natural she would fall hard for the likes of Cary Grant but first she must put her knowledge of jurisprudence to test in some hilarious cross examinations in order to save her reputation.

Mae West was a living breathing caricature, a truly one and only that her audience was more than willing to go along with her outrageous stride through the real world. It paid off in reams of laughter as she dished out lines that she authored causing a moral overhaul of the film industry's moral code. There's very little to take serious and the broad performances of all involved simply add to this over the top burlesque as they make way for diva Mae who does not disappoint. Her performance is more stand-up than role and that's just fine, as she fires off memorable one-liners in no need of repeating given their classic status nearly a century later. I'm no Angel is one funny cartoon.

Mae West co-wrote this piece based on an un-produced screenplay called The Lady And The Lions, it charts the rise of Tira {West} from carnival crowd pleaser to massive circus headliner. Tho I would be doing a disservice to a very strong and on form supporting cast by not praising them heartily, this really is pure and simply a Mae West tour de force, full of ego and show business swagger, she not only tames the lions here, she also tames everything else that happens to have a pulse, be it the characters in the film or the multi sexed viewing public, she defines the word diva whilst poking all in the ribs with comic knowing comic aplomb. I personally only purchased the film because it stars one of my favourite actors in Cary Grant, yet come the end of the film I was in no doubt who ran the show here. I was very interested to read that Grant often stated that West was the most awkward actor he ever worked with, what isn't in doubt is that he surely would of been taking notes backstage on the art of comic timing. It should also be noted for the record that Grant and West were friends to a degree, certainly Grant visited West much later in life as they both entered old age.

Containing an array of quotable lines and put downs, I'm No Angel is essential viewing for anyone interested in classic cinema, it matters not if West's style isn't really your cup of tea, because lets face facts here, the lady was a star, and here you get to watch her defend herself in court, and it's here that the lady showcases why she is often termed as a golden age legend.

PS: The supporting cast are great as well by the way! 8/10

Was Mae West supposed to be a s3x symbol? With that gerbil face? The protruding teeth? When she spoke she looked like she was chewing on short grass.

And then the shtick with her eyes. Was she sleepy or wacked out on heroin?

That voice is like sandpaper in my ear canal. Was that voice a put-on or did she have adenoids?

That swagger is about as s3xy as watching a Philadelphia Eagles linebacker walking back to the huddle.

Oh, this movie: Her lines are sorta funny but often indecipherable due to that goofy voice she puts on. Cary Grant is young and handsome but acts like he doesn't realize he's in a talkie. As for the story, the courtroom scenes are entirely dull.

What a snoozer.

When I look at this film, first of all, I am astonished no one bothers to mention the costumes she wears which are not only revealing but incredibly original and almost better than designers of today. Edith Head is rumored, but she has a controversial reputation as having put her name on a lot of designs while at Paramount where this film was made and where Head remained as chief designer right through the years Audrey Hepburn brought in Givenchy and though he got special billing, when Hepburn worked, she always chose the advice of Givenchy and it supposedly drove Piaf up the wall. Those people who think of West as "ridiculous" seem to forget that she was writing on her own against the most powerful writers in films and theater, and she skirted the laws by her clever use of the double entendre. When I was invited to her house at the Ravenswood for tea, she was well into her 80's and was as sharp and smart and hilariously funny as she was 50 years before the women's movement, and even woman's suffrage. She was idolized by both men and women because she insisted that "the brain was the best seducer of men".That is sadly lacking in the female of today. West was also an avid reader and ridiculed sex experts with many quotes which never were published.She was an amazing talent who was 40 when she did this film, but she was a seductress to audiences.