Virtue

1932
Passed
1h 8m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Carole Lombard and Pat O'Brien in Virtue (1932)

A relationship gradually develops between a savvy New York street girl and a good-hearted cab driver, but other matters keep getting in their way, including financial problems and a murder.A relationship gradually develops between a savvy New York street girl and a good-hearted cab driver, but other matters keep getting in their way, including financial problems and a murder.A relationship gradually develops between a savvy New York street girl and a good-hearted cab driver, but other matters keep getting in their way, including financial problems and a murder.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos9

Top cast23

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Carole Lombard

Pat O'Brien

Jimmy Doyle

Mayo Methot

Lil Blaine

Jack La Rue

Toots

Shirley Grey

Gert

Ward Bond

Frank

Willard Robertson

MacKenzie

Lew Kelly

Magistrate

Fred Santley

Hank

Arthur Wanzer

Flanagan

Jessie Arnold

Landlady

Edwin Stanley

District Attorney

Vance Carroll

Policeman
(uncredited)

Jack Cheatham

Police Desk Sergeant
(uncredited)

Sherry Hall

Charlie
(uncredited)

Edward LeSaint

Judge
(uncredited)

Charles McMurphy

Ryan
(uncredited)

Lew Meehan

2nd Detective
(uncredited)

Director
- Edward Buzzell
Writers
- Robert Riskin
- Ethel Hill
All cast & crew
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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
One of the last films to feature prostitution as a major theme before the rigid enforcement of the Hays Code.

Quotes
[first lines]
Flanagan: [at the ticket window at a train station] Pretty soft for you, sister, getting the city to pay your fare to Danbury.
Mae: Pretty soft for the city I don't live in Australia. C'mon, grandpa.
Flanagan: [on the train, placing Mae's luggage on the rack] There y'are.
[to the conductor]
Flanagan: The lady goes to Danbury, chief.
[to Mae]
Flanagan: Now take my advice, sister, and keep out of New York.
Mae: [snidely] OK, grandpa. I'll remember all your advice: I'll watch my diet, go to the dentist twice a year, keep my nose clean, and pray for you every night - to break a couple of legs.
[closeup on Mae's gams as she crosses them; fadeout]

Alternate versions
Years later, Columbia reissued the film to capitalize on the subsequent stardom of Lombard and O'Brien. The Breen Office demanded the removal of the opening courtroom scene (which clearly establishes Lombard as a prostitute) to conform to the Production Code. In restoring the film, the original soundtrack was located, but the image is still missing, thus current prints have a slug (blank footage) for the opening scene, leading some viewers to believe the black image was intentional.

Connections
Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Carole Lombard (1961)

Soundtracks
My Gal Sal
(1905) (uncredited)
Written by Paul Dresser
Played on a phonograph in Lil's room, twice

User reviews30

Featured review

Fun Film

Virtue (1932)

*** (out of 4)

Pat O'Brien plays a soft hearted taxi driver who thinks he knows all there is to know about women but that changes when he meets a prostitute (Carole Lombard). At first he doesn't know her history but that changes after they're married and soon after more problems start popping up. This is a pretty good little drama that manages to have several good performances and a nice story to go along with it. Lombard is very sexy in her role and delivers a fine, tough performance but it's actually O'Brien who steals the show in what could be the best performance I've seen from him. He plays a complete jerk throughout the entire movie but when it comes time for that good heart to show he mixes the two perfectly. The film goes through some standard stuff including a murder subplot but in the end this moves along very fast and makes for a good time killer.