The Strange Love of Molly Louvain

Molly Louvain (Ann Dvorak) is knocked up and abandoned by a rich guy. So she takes up with a dirty crook (Leslie Fenton), then a naive bellhop (Richard Cromwell), and finally a cynical reporter (Lee Tracy). She's the Goldilocks of love. Fun Pre-Coder from WB is a nice showcase for lovely Dvorak, one of classic Hollywood's most under-appreciated talents. She dyes her hair blonde in this. Gotta say she looked better as a brunette. This is also the movie she met her first husband Leslie Fenton. The two married not long after this was released. Lee Tracy doesn't show up until a half hour or so into the picture but things pick up once he does. His scenes with Dvorak are filled with snappy banter and excellent chemistry. The movie really takes off when these two are together.

Curtiz' slick, odd, interesting little flick. Ann Dvorak is a small-town go-getter. Her boyfriend deserts her. She hooks up with a worthless, hustling traveling salesman and has a daughter by the boyfriend who dropped her. She tries to drop the salesman and gets involved in a murder imbroglio, but gets off with the help of fast-talking newspaper reporter Lee Tracy. Fast paced and acted in Warner's best style

Warner Brothers used to put out gritty crime films that were unmistakable, and this one is no exception. And happily, it's pre-code, which is even better.

Ann Dvorak is Molly Louvain, who is hoping to marry a wealthy young man since she's carrying his baby. He promises to tell his mother about them, but he must have run into some problems -- such as disinheritance. He and mom have gone to Europe by the time Molly gets to the house to celebrate his birthday.

Miserable, Molly takes up with Nick Gant (Leslie Fenton, Dvorak's future husband), a crook, and can raise her daughter comfortably since he's good at robbery. However, Molly is the wheel man when Nick has a shootout with the cops, and she goes on the lam after leaving her child with someone she trusts.

Molly dyes her hair blond and takes an apartment in a false name.Alas, there's a reporter across the hall (Lee Tracy) who wants to find Molly so he can have a career-making story. She gets a job as a dance hall hostess and runs into a bellhop she knew, who was crazy about her (Richard Cromwell). She and Jimmie have to go on the run after Nick shows up again and gets them into more trouble. Then guess who she runs into who's hot on her trail.

Fast-moving, fast-talking film with a lively performance by Lee Tracy, who has great chemistry with Dvorak. The striking Dvorak was a perfect '30s film actress, acting in a style that went well with those films. Today it would be considered overdone. She hated being at Warners because they gave her below average movies and next to no money -- she found out she was making the same salary as the little boy in Three on a Match, and she wasn't happy. She eventually moved to England, did some films, and devoted herself to war service. She never liked Hollywood and ultimately retired.

Richard Cromwell was a matinée idol for a short time but doesn't register much, though he was cute. Gay, he was Angela Lansbury's first husband for a few months, and before film stardom and after it, he enjoyed a very successful career as an artist.

All in all, a watchable film with a crackerjack performance by Lee Tracy and it's always good to see Ann Dvorak.

Whatever it was, it's too bad there doesn't seem to be any of it left. Warner Bros. pre-code was like a renaissance atelier - genius in the air, tons of talent on hand, cranking out, if not masterpieces, some unforgettable confections. Tons of bit part players in this one, it's as though they couldn't let anyone just walk on and act, the scene had to be chewed through. This sometimes seems distracting when you're caught up in the story, which, as with "Three on a Match," uses the threatened child to keep you in suspense. But with Lee Tracy and Ann D., plus all these superb faces and shticks, can anyone really complain? Worthwhile to think about why this Warner Bros. vision of life seems to get tremendous lift from exploiting a certain idea of the US press, never better represented than by Tracy - at least until Grant in "His Girl Friday."

THE STRANGE LOVE OF MOLLY LOUVAIN pushes her to look for love with all the wrong men, leading inevitably to unwed pregnancy, betrayal & murder...

This obscure little crime film highlights the kind of fast-moving, tough-talking picture which Warner Bros. did so well in the early 1930's. Good production values help tremendously, but the biggest asset is the piston-powered performance of Lee Tracy as a cynical, amoral reporter. Although his character doesn't appear until 30 minutes into the story, once on screen he dominates his scenes, as he typically did during his heyday. This picture was made shortly before Tracy moved to MGM for his 5 memorable appearances there in 1933. His spectacular fall from grace would spin him out to the minor studios, but here he's in his prime, or nearly so.

The other two sides to the film's romantic triangle are made up of Ann Dvorak, very good in the title role, and Richard Cromwell, impressive as the innocent college kid infatuated with her. A sprinkling of character actors - Guy Kibbee, Leslie Fenton, Frank McHugh & Charles Middleton - add to the film's success.

Movie mavens will recognize J. Farrell MacDonald as a murdered cop, silent movie comic 'Snub' Pollard as a bill collector & Louise Beavers as a washroom attendant, all uncredited.

The film's rather gamey plot proclaims its pre-Production Code status.