Directed by:
Wesley RugglesScreenplay:
Mae WestCinematography:
Leo ToverCast:
Mae West, Cary Grant, Gregory Ratoff, Edward Arnold, Kent Taylor, Gertrude Michael, Russell Hopton, Dorothy Peterson, William B. Davidson, Irving Pichel (more)Plots(1)
Tira works as a dancer and occasional lion tamer for a circus, but her greatest pleasure in life is in her liaisons with wealthy men. During one of her dances, she makes eye contact with a gentleman wearing a huge diamond ring. He later joins her in her hotel room for a nightcap but is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Slick Wiley, a pickpocket who thinks of himself as Tira's "man." Slick knocks the gentleman unconscious and steals his ring but later is arrested and thrown in jail. The circus owner offers to lend Tira money for a lawyer to avoid prosecution on condition that she put her head in a lion's mouth as part of a new act to tour major cities. Tira agrees and becomes the star attraction, gaining fame and wealth from her success. Various society patrons visit Tira backstage, among them Kirk Lawrence and his fiancée Alicia Hatton. Alicia is disdainful of Tira, but Kirk becomes infatuated with her, and a whirlwind romance ensues, with Kirk lavishing expensive gifts on Tira. Kirk's friend and associate Jack Barton calls on Tira to ask her to give up her relationship with Kirk on Alicia's behalf. Tira agrees and she and Jack fall seriously in love. One night after his release from jail, Slick enters Tira's penthouse and pretends to be her lover when Jack arrives. Jack calls off his engagement to Tira, who, unaware of Slick's ruse, sues Jack for breach of contract. Tira represents herself in court and proves to all concerned that she is a respectable woman and deserves substantial payment for damages. Realizing he was set-up, Jack agrees to the settlement. Later he and Tira reaffirm their love for each other. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Mae West
USA
Best movies:
I'm No Angel (1933)
Myra Breckinridge (1970)
Sextette (1978)
Cary Grant
UK
Best movies:
North by Northwest (1959)
Charade (1963)
Holiday (1938)
Gregory Ratoff
Russian Empire
Best movies:
All About Eve (1950)
Sabrina (1954)
The Moon Is Blue (1953)
Edward Arnold
USA
Best movies:
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Kent Taylor
USA
Best movies:
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
One Hour with You (1932)
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Gertrude Michael
USA
Best movies:
Caged (1950)
Search for Beauty (1934)
Cleopatra (1934)
Russell Hopton
USA
Best movies:
The Criminal Code (1931)
'G' Men (1935)
Secret of the Blue Room (1933)
Dorothy Peterson
USA
Best movies:
Dark Victory (1939)
The Woman in the Window (1944)
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
William B. Davidson
USA
Best movies:
Scarface (1932)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Irving Pichel
USA
Best movies:
Jezebel (1938)
Juarez (1939)
They Won't Believe Me (1947)
Dennis O'Keefe
USA
Best movies:
Producers' Showcase (1954) (series)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Fury (1936)
Hattie McDaniel
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Carefree (1938)
Vivacious Lady (1938)
Tom London
USA
Best movies:
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Our Hospitality (1923)
Freaks (1932)
Nat Pendleton
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful World (1939)
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
Bobby Barber
USA
Best movies:
Modern Times (1936)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Jack Pennick
USA
Best movies:
City Girl (1930)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Larry Steers
USA
Best movies:
The Gold Rush (1925)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Love Crazy (1941)
Ray Cooke
USA
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
The Cameraman (1928)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Nigel De Brulier
UK
Best movies:
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Wings (1927)
The Iron Mask (1929)
Edmund Mortimer
USA
Best movies:
Edison, the Man (1940)
It Started with Eve (1941)
Waterloo Bridge (1940)