Strictly Dishonorable (1931 film)
| Strictly Dishonorable | |
|---|---|
title card
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| Directed by | John M. Stahl |
| Produced by |
Carl Laemmle Jr. John M. Stahl |
| Written by |
Preston Sturges (play) Gladys Lehman (screenplay) |
| Starring |
Paul Lukas Sidney Fox Lewis Stone |
| Music by |
Giuseppe Becce J. S. Zamecnik |
| Cinematography |
Karl Freund Jackson Rose |
| Edited by | Arthur Tavares Maurice Pivar |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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December 26, 1931 |
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Strictly Dishonorable is a 1931 romantic comedy film directed by John M. Stahl, starring Paul Lukas, Sidney Fox and Lewis Stone, and featuring George Meeker and Sidney Toler. It was written by Gladys Lehman and based on Preston Sturges' 1929 hit Broadway play of the same name.Strictly Dishonorable was Sturges' second play on Broadway, and his first to be filmed for the silver screen.
As a film made before the advent of the Production Code, the film-makers were able to preserve the cheerfully uninhibited sexual innuendo of the Sturges play in their movie version, which he is said to have unofficially endorsed.
Snubbish, quick-tempered Henry Greene (George Meeker) and his fiancee Isabelle Perry (Sidney Fox) stop into a New York speakeasy owned by Tomasso Antiovi (William Ricciardi) for a drink. There, they meet retired Judge Dempsey (Lewis Stone), an amiable man who befriends the Southern belle, much to Henry's dismay. Famous opera singer "Tino Caraffa", a charming but notorious playboy whose real name is "Gus" Di Ruvo, (Paul Lukas) is there as well, and while Henry is gone to move his illegally parked car, Gus and Isabelle, an opera fan, get acquainted. When Henry returns he's incensed to learn that the two of them have been dancing together. He wants Isabelle to leave with him, but she refuses and breaks off their engagement, returning his ring. Henry tries to get the police to help him force Isabelle to leave, by telling them that she has been "kidnapped by villains", but Judge Dempsey sets them straight, getting Henry arrested and taken away.
Gus offers to put Isabelle up for the night, assuring her that his intentions are "strictly dishonorable". The Judge warns Isabelle about Gus, but she is adamant about staying, since she has fallen in love. So, too, has Gus: overwhelmed by Isabelle's sweetness and innocence, he spends the night in Judge Dempsey's apartment.
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