The Cheat

The Cheat (1931)

The plot here is wonderfully bizarre and brazen, an early pre-Code film that still has a few creaks and cracks in its production standards. And the leading woman—the "cheat" I suppose—is the wonderful Tallulah Bankhead, who is worth it alone.

Everything is pretty well contained here to keep the filming manageable, so there are lots of interior scenes that look and feel like sets, well lit and straight forward. And there are parties and flirting and the suggestion of impropriety left and right. Most of all there is that weird wealth that a few people had in the Depression as the rest of the country is sliding into ruins.

So Elsa (Bankhead) is a profligate partier and gambler, and her husband is a good guy who works too much. That leads, of course, to her finding amusement where she can. And does. But this gets her into money trouble, first, and then into a pact for sex that she doesn't quite realize she will have to follow through on.

A theme in the background, almost pasted on but with a certain amount of intrigue, is a Chinese them. One of the characters is wealthy enough and eccentric enough to live with Chinese decorations and customs. (This is not uncommon—see the bizarre Edward G. Robinson 1932 film "The Hatchet Man" and think also of the mahjong craze of the 1920s.)

Mostly this is about a woman's honor, and her realizing that her craziness has put her in an awful situation. When it comes to a dramatic climax, there is still a final courtroom scene that is pretty wild and fun. Check it all out. It's not a classic, but it's just odd enough and Bankhead just good enough to justify a close look.

Tallulah Bankhead made her impact on the stage, not the screen. A 'movie star' is usually the result of the fortunate soul discovered to have, besides wonderful photogenicity, a distinct look like no other, and this look sometimes complimented by an unusual manner of speech. Two out of three ain't bad; but, since the camera didn't love her, Tallulah didn't stay long in Hollywood. The camera emphasized the squareness of her head, her hooded eyes, the hardness of her mouth, images belying the many first-hand reports of her irresistible allure when young. For me the major treat in watching this movie is the over-the-top depiction of the lifestyles of the rich and famous - so prevalent in movies made in Lalaland during the Depression. For example, the villain's bachelor pad, where Frank Sinatra might blush in embarrassment, features a curio cabinet with dolls representing female conquests (there is still an empty shelf for the future) and ornate Oriental sliding doors which, when opened reveal an Oriental string quartet reaching to a crescendo.

A favorite quote from her: 'It's the good girls who keep diaries, the bad girls never have the time.'

In this movie Tallulah Bankhead falls into the clutches of a lecherous man - honest, you can watch it yourself if think I'm fooling. But, of course, this was a movie. In real life, if we are to believe tradition and gossip, Tallulah would have eaten this stiff for lunch and not missed a round of drinks.

Anyway, she may have been lucky in love but in this picture she was unlucky at cards and ran up a huge gambling debt. The stiff in question, played by Irving Pichel in a sinister turn, offers to bankroll her - and you can guess the price of his largesse. Harvey Stephens plays her trusting doofus husband who buys any excuse she gives him.

"The Cheat" is an interesting melodrama which becomes less so toward the end. It's OK, but the best part is that it gives you a chance to see TB in a starring role and judge her talent for acting for yourself. She gives it her considerable best and chews the scenery at the appropriate intervals. Since she was primarily a stage actress she didn't make that many movies to judge, so watch it if you get a chance.

The ever-mesmerizing Tallulah Bankhead plays herself - a sassy, brassy flapper who has a wonderful handsome husband who loves her, but she wants more, more, more. During the Great Depression, he can't make enough money to afford her luxurious habits. Not only that but she has gotten in way over-her-head with gambling debts - what's a girl to do? In steps Hardy Livingstone, a smooth talker who has an Oriental obsession - as his house, servants, decor and parties all illustrate. He offers to help out with the debt but at a very high price. Nothing you haven't seen before but Tallulah really elevates this to a very enjoyable level, let's face it, she could read a prayer book and make it sound dangerous and sexy. Racy pre-code fun from 1931!

Tallulah Bankhead was 29 when she made "The Cheat," in 1931, and she came to film after a successful theatrical career. Thirteen years later, she made Lifeboat and looked as if she had aged 30 years in 13.

Bankhead plays Elsa, the adored wife of Jeffrey (Harvey Stephens). She's a compulsive gambler and winds up owing $10,000 (the equivalent of $140,000 in today's money). A man who is obviously after her, Hardy Livingstone (Irving Pichel) gets her the money, but of course he wants payment -- the only kind of payment acceptable from a woman in precode! This is kind of a wild movie which could have been wilder with better casting. Tallulah's supporting cast just didn't cut it. To play the sadistic Livingstone, I would have preferred someone who had a little more bite to him, and Harvey Stephens is plain vanilla. Someone suggested Robert Montgomery for the husband and Charles Laughton for the lecher. I'm not sure she would have gone as far as she did with someone like Charles Laughton. Maybe Cyril Ritchard? Warren William? Tallulah's acting and glamor makes the film interesting to watch, and you'll love the Chinese costume Livingstone gives her to wear for a benefit.

This film was directed by the great Broadway director, George Abbott, who died in 1995 at the age of 107. He's the reason, I think, that this film moves so well, unlike many films of this era where people tend to talk more slowly and the action seems to drag as people get used to sound.