Blonde Fever
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| Blonde Fever | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Whorf |
| Screenplay by | Patricia Coleman |
| Based on | the play Delila by Ferenc Molnár |
| Produced by | William H. Wright |
| Starring | Philip Dorn Mary Astor Felix Bressart Gloria Grahame |
| Cinematography | Lester White |
| Edited by | George Hively |
| Music by | Nathaniel Shilkret |
| Distributed by | MGM |
Release date |
|
Running time | 69 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Blonde Fever is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Richard Whorf and starring Philip Dorn, Mary Astor, Felix Bressart, Gloria Grahame. It is also known as Autumn Fever.
Plot
Peter Donay (Philip Dorn) is the not-so-happy owner of the Café Donay, which is a fancy roadside establishment somewhere between Reno and Lake Tahoe in Nevada. His marriage is not what it should be, and he has a gambling addiction.
One day, he meets nightclub waitress Sally Murfin (Gloria Grahame), who is a lot more interested in Peter's money and business than in anything else. Peter’s wife, Delilah (Mary Astor), knows about her husband's love affair and is determined to get rid of Sally by tricking her into believing that there is no money to be had from Peter by telling Sally about the gambling and lying about the business being poor. Her plan does not work, so Delilah tries to split them up by hiring Sally’s beau Freddie Bilson (Marshall Thompson) as a waiter and letting him stay above their garage. Her plan goes to waste when Sally overhears that Peter is the winner of $40,000 in a lottery. Now Sally is more determined to lay her hands on Peter.
Sally's advances on Peter makes Freddie very jealous. Eventually, Freddie pulls a gun on Peter and threatens to shoot him. Peter confesses that he and Sally are in love and going to get married. Delilah asks Peter for a divorce, asking him for the winning lottery ticket as her settlement. Peter refuses at first, but eventually he gives in and gives her the money.
Full of regret, he then tells Sally’s friend Johnny about his mistake, and that he wants his wife back. Sally is outraged when she hears about the settlement and is more interested in Freddie, now that Delilah has bought him a new motorcycle. Sally disappears with Freddie, and Peter begs his wife Delilah for forgiveness, and gets it. It turns out she was bluffing about divorcing and leaving him all along, when her suitcase opens as they kiss and make up, revealing that it is empty.
Cast
- Philip Dorn as Peter Donay
- Mary Astor as Delilah Donay
- Felix Bressart as Johnny
- Gloria Grahame as Sally Murfin
- Marshall Thompson as Freddie Bilson
- Curt Bois as Brillon
- Elisabeth Risdon as Mrs. Talford
- Arthur Walsh as Willie
- Jessica Tandy as diner at inn (uncredited)
- Hume Cronyn diner at inn (uncredited)
External links
- Blonde Fever at IMDb
- Blonde Fever at the TCM Movie Database