Sweet Kitty Bellairs (film)
| Sweet Kitty Bellairs | |
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theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Alfred E. Green |
| Written by | Herman Harrison |
| Based on |
The Bath Comedy by Agnes Castle and Egerton Castle |
| Starring |
Claudia Dell Walter Pidgeon Ernest Torrence |
| Music by |
Bobby Dolan Walter O'Keefe Rex Dunn David Mendoza Leonid S. Leonardi |
| Cinematography | Watkins McDonald |
| Edited by | Owen Marks |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Sweet Kitty Bellairs is a 1930 American musical comedy film directed by Alfred E. Green. The film is based on the 1900 novel, The Bath Comedy by Agnes Caste and Egerton Castle. Shot entirely in Technicolor, the film stars Claudia Dell, Ernest Torrence and, Walter Pidgeon and is set in Bath, England in 1793.
The novel was first adapted for the stage by David Belasco in 1903 and starred Henrietta Crosman. A silent film adaptation starring Mae Murray followed in 1916.
Kitty Bellairs (Claudia Dell), a famous flirt of her day, comes to Bath for the season. Early on in the film she declares that "in spite of her thirty or forty affairs, I've lost not a bit of my virtue." Her path is strewn with a number of conquests, including an enamored highwayman, a lord and some others who hang on her every word. A highwayman stops her coach as she is on her way to Bath and is immediately raptured by Kitty Bellairs. He trades the loot from the passengers for a kiss from Kitty who feels she should "yield" in order to save the life of Lord Varney (Walter Pidgeon), who has gallantly come to defend her honor.
In spite of this, Lord Varney draws his sword and ends up losing the fight when he loses his sword, upon which the highwayman declares, "Blood is not a pretty sight for tender eyes, Retrieve your sword while I go about my business." He proceeds to kiss Kitty who declares she considers herself not to have been kissed at all, upon which the highwayman kisses her several times and slips a ring on her finger leaving her enraptured. Lord Varney, however, is in love with Kitty himself but is extremely bashful and shy. The film then progresses to the city of Bath, where the inhabitants sing an amusing song about their daily lives, and the proceeds to a dance which Kitty is attending. She meets Captain O'Hara (Perry Askam) who declares his love for her. When Lord Varney approaches and asks for his dance from Kitty, Captain O'Hara declares that "it 'was' his dance" and whisks her away. Lord Varney is approached by his friend who laughs at his shyness.
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