Secrets of an Actress

Secrets of an Actress never reveals any secrets worth knowing.

Two men who are very good friends are in love with the same star (Kay Francis). The story treats Ms. Francis like a yo-yo, tearing her from one man's arms, then from the other's.

She is the "prize" in this film. It centers on her, making the two men appear not so valuable, as love objects. And, as a result, it makes Ms. Francis's decision feel somewhat unimportant, though it is what the film revolves around. Their little courtship dances grow wearisome by the end of the film.

You might wonder why Kay doesn't just choose the man she truly loves. The story sets up a "straw man" of an argument to keep the lovers apart just so it can later knock it down. I couldn't invest much emotion in the issues of our three protagonists.

Kay Francis stars as a minor actress who wants to make it on Broadway. She meets a bored architect (Ian Hunter) who has always wanted to produce a play. She has one. They team up and she becomes the toast of the Great White Way. But Hunter also has a partner (George Brent)and it's love at first sight. But he has a grasping wife (Gloria Dickson)....

Fast-paced with a lot of one liners, this little Warners film is fun from the getgo. Francis is, as always, a delight to watch. Brent and Hunter are solid. Dickson is suitably vile as the shrew wife. Isabel Jeans is very funny as Marion, playing a combination of Alice Brady and Eric Blore. The 2 secretaries are nicely played by Dennie Moore and Penny Singleton.

This was one of Kay's final film for Warners, and you'll note they had already demoted her to first billing but beneath the title. Her legal battles with the studio were front-page news in the late 30s. The studio put her in B films and then blamed her for slipping at the box office. Still, Francis had the last laugh; she turned in great performances even in the drek Warners gave her (while handing the plums to the new Warners queen, Bette Davis).

It's nice to report that once in awhile KAY FRANCIS actually got to emote in a fairly decent script. This one benefits from the participation of Julius J. Epstein, a writer at Warner Bros. who wrote many fine scripts for that studio and others. This one is a formula story that benefits from some clever lines and amusing dialog, factors often missing in Miss Francis' films.

GEORGE BRENT and IAN HUNTER are her romantic co-stars, as architects who become involved in her show business aspirations. There's never much doubt as to which male will win her in the final reel, but getting there is pleasant enough with everyone getting a turn at some good quips thanks to a better than average script.

PENNY SINGLETON (who later became "Blondie") is almost unrecognizable as a brunette secretary with eyeglasses, but the chief femme roles go to GLORIA DICKSON as a gold-digger and ISABEL JEANS as Francis' flighty roommate who is a bit annoying in her overacted role.

Francis gives a smooth performance and it's a shame she never got a chance at scripts of this caliber during most of her early days at Warner Bros., the studio that had Bette Davis waiting in the wings to replace Francis as the number one dramatic star.

Kay francis day on tcm. In this one, up and coming actress fay convinces an architect team to back her new play so she can play the lead. And it's a huge hit! The problem is that both partners in the firm have fallen for her; but she is in love with the one (dick) still married to the separated wife. Fay has made it clear her career will always come first. Which partner will win the love of fay ? It's all light and fluffy... we kind of forget about her acting career. Now the story is who will she end up with? One bonus here is dennie moore, the secretary at the firm... she played a small but important role in the women from 1939. Directed by bill keighley. He worked with bette davis and george brent, but never got the oscar.

Kay Francis was slapped into B films and her billing demoted in order to drive her out of Warner Brothers; she was making $200,000+ a year, and they were no longer interested in her. She wouldn't leave.

"Secrets of an Actress" is a pretty good B also starring Ian Hunter and George Brent. Francis teams up with an architect (Hunter) who wants to become a producer. Together, they make a great team. However, his partner (Brent) is less enthusiastic and at first suspicious of Francis. Then he falls for her and she for him. However, he's married to a real shrew (Gloria Dickson) - they're no longer together, but getting a divorce is proving difficult.

Most of the B films Francis made were really more like A-, thanks to her. She had an elegant and likable presence that elevated everything she did. The acting is all-around good, especially from Isabel Jeans, who is a riot as Francis' friend Marion.

Good for Francis fans.