Raffles (1930 film)

Raffles
Directed by	George Fitzmaurice Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast (uncredited and replaced by Fitzmaurice)
Produced by	Samuel Goldwyn
Written by	Eugene Wiley Presbrey (play) E. W. Hornung (play and novel) Sidney Howard
Starring	Ronald Colman Kay Francis
Edited by	Stuart Heisler
Production company	Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	July 24, 1930
Running time	72 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Raffles is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy-mystery film produced by Samuel Goldwyn. It stars Ronald Colman as the title character, a proper English gentleman who moonlights as a notorious jewel thief, and Kay Francis as his love interest. It is based on the 1906 play Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman by E. W. Hornung and Eugene Wiley Presbrey, which was in turn adapted from the 1899 novel of the same name by Hornung.

Oscar Lagerstrom was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound, Recording.

The story had been filmed previously as Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman in 1917 with John Barrymore as Raffles, and again in 1925 by Universal Studios. A 1939 film version, also produced by Goldwyn, stars David Niven in the title role.

Gentleman jewel thief Raffles (Ronald Colman) decides to give up his criminal ways as the notorious "Amateur Cracksman" after falling in love with Lady Gwen (Kay Francis). However, when his friend Bunny Manders (Bramwell Fletcher) tries to commit suicide because of a gambling debt he cannot repay, Raffles decides to take on one more job for Bunny's sake. He joins Bunny and Gwen as guests of Lord and Lady Melrose, with an eye toward acquiring the Melrose necklace, once the property of Empress Joséphine.

Complications arise when a gang of thieves also decides to try for the necklace at the same time. Inspector Mackenzie of Scotland Yard (David Torrence) gets wind of their plot and shows up at the Melrose estate with his men. Burglar Crawshaw breaks into the house and succeeds in stealing the jewelry, only to have Raffles take it away from him. Crawshaw is caught by the police, but learns his robber's identity.