Blonde Venus
| Blonde Venus | |
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 French film poster for contemporary "classics" series |
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| Directed by | Josef von Sternberg |
| Produced by | Josef von Sternberg |
| Written by | Jules Furthman S. K. Lauren |
| Starring | Marlene Dietrich Herbert Marshall Cary Grant Dickie Moore |
| Music by | W. Franke Harling John Leipold Paul Marquardt Oscar Potoker |
| Cinematography | Bert Glennon |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 16 September 1932 (U.S.) |
| Running time | 93 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Blonde Venus is a 1932 is a Pre-Code drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant. The movie was produced and directed for Paramount Pictures by Josef von Sternberg with a screenplay by Jules Furthman and S. K. Lauren adapted from a story by Furthman and von Sternberg. The music score was by W. Franke Harling, John Leipold, Paul Marquardt and Oscar Potoker, and the cinematography by Bert Glennon.
Dietrich performs three musical numbers in this film, including the now-obscure "You Little So-and-So" (music and lyrics by Sam Coslow and Leo Robin) and "I Couldn't Be Annoyed" (music and lyrics by Leo Robin and Richard A. Whiting). The highlight is perhaps "Hot Voodoo" (music by Ralph Rainger, lyrics by Sam Coslow), which is nearly 8 minutes long and mostly instrumental, featuring jazz trumpet and drums. Dietrich sings the lyrics toward the end of this sequence, which takes place in a nightclub.
This movie predates She Done Him Wrong by a year, although Mae West claimed to have discovered Cary Grant for that film, elaborating that up until then Grant had only made "some tests with starlets", an assertion rejected by some other actresses, including Sylvia Sidney.[citation needed]
[edit] Plot
American chemist Ned Faraday marries a German entertainer and starts a family. However, he becomes poisoned with Radium and needs an expensive treatment in Germany to have any chance at being cured. Wife Helen returns to night club work to attempt to raise the money and becomes popular as the "Blonde Venus". In an effort to get enough money sooner, she prostitutes herself to millionaire Nick Townsend.
While Ned is away in Europe, she continues with Nick but when Ned returns cured, he discovers her infidelity. Now Ned despises Helen but she grabs son Johnny and lives on the run, just one step ahead of the Missing Persons Bureau. When they do finally catch her, she loses her son to Ned. Once again she returns to entertaining, this time in Paris, and her fame once again brings her and Townsend together. Helen and Nick return to America engaged, but she is irresistibly drawn back to her son and Ned, and must decide which life she truly belongs in.
[edit] Cast
- Marlene Dietrich as Helen Faraday/Helen Jones
- Herbert Marshall as Edward 'Ned' Faraday
- Cary Grant as Nick Townsend
- Dickie Moore as Johnny Faraday
- Gene Morgan as Ben Smith
- Rita La Roy as Taxi Belle Hooper
- Robert Emmett O'Connor as Dan O'Connor
- Sidney Toler as Detective Wilson
- Morgan Wallace as Dr Pierce
- Clarence Muse as Charlie, the Bartender (unconfirmed)
- Andrea Palma (Dietrich stunt double, uncredited)
- Eric Alden as Guard (uncredited)
- Harold Berquist as Big Fellow (uncredited)
- Al Bridge as Bouncer (uncredited)
- Glen Cavender as Ship's Officer (uncredited)
- Emile Chautard as Chautard, French Nightclub Manager (uncredited)
- Davison Clark as Bartender Bringing Two Beers (uncredited)
- Marcelle Corday as Helen's Maid in France (uncredited)
- Cecil Cunningham as Norfolk Woman Manager (uncredited)
- Clifford Dempsey as Judge in Paris Nightclub Talking to Nick (uncredited)
- Bess Flowers as Minor Role (uncredited)
- Mary Gordon as Landlady (uncredited)
- Robert Graves as La Farge (uncredited)
- Sterling Holloway as Joe, Hiker (uncredited)
- Elsa Janssen as Gossip (uncredited)
- James Kilgannon as Janitor (uncredited)
- Brady Kline as New Orleans Policeman (uncredited)
- Bessie Lyle as Grace (uncredited)
- Hattie McDaniel as Cora, Helen's Maid in New Orleans (uncredited)
- Charles Morton as Bob (uncredited)
- Dennis O'Keefe as Minor Role (uncredited)
- Evelyn Preer as Viola (uncredited)
- Dewey Robinson as Greek Restaurant Owner (uncredited)
- Francis Sayles as Charlie Blaine (uncredited)
- Ferdinand Schumann-Heink as Henry (uncredited)
- Gertrude Short as Receptionist (uncredited)
- Pat Somerset as Companion (uncredited)
- Larry Steers as Hotel Manager in Baltimore (uncredited)
- Kent Taylor as Minor Role (uncredited)
- Jerry Tucker as Otto (uncredited)
- Mildred Washington as Viola, the Maid (uncredited)
- Lloyd Whitlock as Baltimore Manager (uncredited)
[edit] External links
- Blonde Venus at the Internet Movie Database
- Blonde Venus at AllRovi
- Reprints of historic reviews, photo gallery at CaryGrant.net
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