The Law and the Lady

In turn of the century London, Nigel Duxbury (Michael Wilding) steals a pair of earrings from his sister-in-law Lady Sybil Minden who immediately accuses her maid Jane Hoskins (Greer Garson). Nigel casually returns the earrings and Jane demands an apology. She quits and aspires to be a Lady herself. Nigel is completely taken with her. The two of them start coning the upper class. Eventually, she falls for Juan Dinas (Fernando Lamas) and abandons her partnership with Nigel.

I really like the start and the initial chemistry of the thieving duo. It should turn into a caper where they steal from some snotty rich folks. It would help if the high society people are actually evil. The con jobs are not that fun and the couple chemistry stagnates. I don't like the Juan detour and the return trip ending is oddly upbeat. It's a small loss after a promising start.

The Law and the Lady is an unnecessary remake of The Last of Miss Cheyney, which was filmed twice before (there is a Norma Shearer version and a Joan Crawford version, both of which are superior). This was resident MGM queen Greer Garson's turn in the role, in which she is miscast as a lady jewel thief. Although Garson was a beautiful woman and aged extremely well, she is slightly too mature for the role. At 46, she is still very pretty, but not effective at playing a mysterious and alluring femme fatale. As a poor woman masquerading as a lady in turn of the century San Francisco society, she is just a little bit too convincing as a lady. Greer Garson was perhaps unable to portray women of the lower class. She is entirely too classy to make this character work.

Furthermore, this appears to be a low-budget production, tailored for a fading star rather than a brilliant one. It is shot in black and white, the sets are nothing too extraordinary, and it has a shot-on-the-studio-lot feel to it, which makes it seem both dated and stuffy. This story had been around a long time by 1951, and it comes to the screen as tired as one would expect.

The writers apparently tried to inject some life in it through rewriting the script and changing some story elements, but overall it's nothing new. It's a mediocre film with mostly mediocre performances, even by the usually radiant Garson. One bright spot is Marjorie Main--she is indeed a hoot.

The Law and the Lady is, however, not a complete waste of time and if taken as light entertainment is a somewhat enjoyable movie for a rainy afternoon.

"The Law and the Lady" is a surprisingly good movie that doesn't get shown a lot for some reason. Greer Garson, Michael Wilding, Marjorie Main, and Fernando Lamas all shine in their roles. Wilding's character convinces Garson's to team with him as globetrotting con artists who wind up in California trying to cheat a disarmingly candid (and as always, tough minded) Main. Their plans are further complicated when Garson starts to fall for Lamas and starts to rethink her relationship with Wilding.

The comedy is light-hearted and avoids taking itself too seriously. Knopf, brother of the famous publisher, only directed a few films, and this was his only effort after the early 1930's. He was able to get good performances from his excellent cast.

1960's TV fans will recognize Natalie Schafer (Gilligan's Island) and Hayden Rorke (I Dream of Jeannie) playing small but noticeable roles.

This poor knock-off, starring a past-her-prime Greer Garson looks like what it is: a conflation of all the MGM contract players squeezed into roles they weren't necessarily congruent with. Garson, unfortunately, for the time, was not well accepted in coquettish female roles because of her age. Her heyday came and went with the stirring Mrs. Miniver when she was head of a family. Now, she needed a family to mother and MGM has thrown her out to be a jewel thief. MGM, in fact, did her much injustice during the 1950s as they miscast her over and over again in search for that second Mrs. Miniver, which was never to come.

Other actors, like Myrna Loy, got out of their contracts with the studio and negotiated independently for roles. Loy smartly chose motherly roles as she grew older and did not try to hold on to her youth: "The Best Years of Our Lives", "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House", the sixth and final "Thin Man" and "Cheaper by the Dozen" (a big box office hit in 1950 that is not owned by TCM and is subsequently never aired).

Garson remained with MGM and they kept the movies coming. Someone in management must have really liked her.

Greer Garson is a maid to Phyllis Stanley. When jewelry goes missing, Miss Stanley accuses Miss Garson. It turns out her scapegrace brother-in-law, Michael Wilding took them. Miss Garson is released with a character and two hundred pounds. She and Wilding go into partnership fleecing wealthy men from Monte Carlo to Hong Kong in a perfectly respectable way. Finally, having been asked to leave everyplace else, they land in San Francisco. While Miss Garson masquerades as member of the peerage, Wilding pretends to be a butler, and they wind up in Marjorie Main's menage.

MGM's third version of THE LAST OF MRS CHENEY suffers from excessive length and the Production Code, which insists that all lawbreakers must be punished. Miss Garson is, as always, very charming. Among her suitors, Fernando Lamas is quite dashing, and Hayden Rorke is a drip. Miss Main steals everything in sight. I was occasionally annoyed by William Gulick & James E. Newcom 's editing. Not only does Carmen Dragon's score tend to mickey-mouse the action, but so does the pace of the cutting!