The Lady Who Dared

Billie Dove is the neglected wife of American consul Sidney Blackmer. When explorer Conway Tearle shows up, she is fascinated. American authoities think he's involved in a diamond smuggling ring. As they fall in love with each other, Tearle attempts to redeem himself.

It's a poor and short movie from First National. Director William Beaudine tries to give it a visual flair, with some big setting scenes and a lot of tracking shots. However, some wonky line readings and an overwrought musical score don't help.

This movie was reported as having been made in 1930, and I can believe it. I think it was also trimmed, making it suitable for second feature status and to try to recoup some of the costs.

Miss Dove's career, despite the backing of her lover, Howard Hughes, was not doing well. He would star her in a Lubitschian comedy, COCK O' THE WALK. When her final film, BLONDIE OF THE FOLLIES, came out, her role was trimmed way back at the order of William Randolph Hearst. She retired from the screen (except for a cameo in1962's DIAMOND HEAD).

This film has a mix of silent crossover stars and sound stars recruited from Broadway. It is mainly interesting as one of the few sound films in which silent actress Billie Dove has a leading role, with her leaving films entirely in 1932. Warner Brothers didn't do the film any favors either, having produced the film the year before in 1930 when sound was still somewhat a novelty and letting it sit on the shelf for six months. By that time its plot and pace made it look like a museum piece, but still it's worth a look.

Billie Dove plays Margaret Townsend, the somewhat neglected wife of American consulate Charles Townsend who is always busy giving speeches to the Chamber of Commerce or some other such group in the South American country where they are stationed. Thus when handsome stranger Jack Norton (Conway Tearle) comes along and pays her a little bit of attention, Margaret can't help being flattered. Then there is Julianne Boone-Fleming (Judith Vosselli), a society woman who befriends Margaret yet looks like a femme fatale who is up to something nefarious- she is. And when I say she "looks like a femme fatale" I mean literally that. Poor Ms. Vosselli is dressed up like a 1930 version of Theda Bara. Also unknown to Margaret, her new friend Jack Norton is being investigated for diamond smuggling and is constantly being shadowed by U.S. Treasury agents.

Also stars Ivan F. Simpson as the Boone-Fleming butler, who was always a favorite supporting actor of George Arliss and who appeared in many of Arliss' films.

The plot is rather interesting with Margeret Townsend as "the lady who dared" not be a victim and even jeopardizes her reputation to do so. She also shows quite a bit of wit in trapping those who would trap her. The problem with this film is that the speech still has that halting style of the very early talkies in which the performers were over-coached into speaking a little too slowly and distinctly. Plus, the Vitaphone musical score is a little overpowering to the point of trying to muscle in on setting the tone of the film.

I'd mainly recommend this to early sound enthusiasts and those interested in Billie Dove in sound films, since not much of her work remains. It is a cross between a drawing room drama and a crime drama.