Bette Davis plays a wallflower and a man chooses his novel over his family. What could go wrong?
Bart is a clerk for a publishing company; he has written a novel. His wife Peggy and he have five children. Bart's former girlfriend Mildred is manager of the company's Paris office. She manages to get the novel published and talks Bart into marrying her after he divorces Peggy. Initially successful, Bart must turn to writing trash to keep Mildred in money. When he sees how well his four sons and daughter Margaret have grown without his help, he asks Peggy to let them all come live with him and Mildred. Peggy agrees, but the arrival of his beloved children puts Mildred's future in jeopardy. Written by Ed Stephan
Acting
Genevieve Tobin as Mildred: glamorous, grasping, absolutely insufferable.
Direction
John M. Stahl milks every dramatic pause like it's 1931 and sound is still new.
Costume
Mildred's Parisian wardrobe vs Peggy's sensible cardigans = visual storytelling.
Director
John M. Stahl
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Bette Davis's fourth film; she later called her performance 'atrocious' and tried to buy the negative.
Pre-Code Hollywood allowed Mildred to be unapologetically sexual and mercenary—two years later, the Hays Code would have neutered her entirely.
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