MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

mark.waltz 1938 marked Kay Francis's entrance into B films, making nearly a dozen of them during her last two years at Warner Brothers. This standard romantic drama wasn't anything new, but thanks to Kay, George Brent and Ian Hunter, it is an enjoyable time passer with amusing moments of comedy interspersed with the soapy main plot. So like the title says, Kay's an actress, turning down touring companies and settled in for a hopeful Broadway hit. Producer Hunter is in love with her and pushes her with the money men for a leading part. Investor George Brent, who has no interest in Broadway in general, isn't thrilled by her, but after a few tense meetings, they begin to fall in love. However, Brent has an estranged wife (Gloria Dickson) who won't let him go, so Francis turns to Hunter for comfort.Getting the bulk of the funny lines, glamorous Isabel Jeans plays Kay's dipsomaniac best friend who really has no involvement in the plot but steals the film anyway. Dickson has no real reason to hang onto Brent other than to creat a plot complications, and there are insinuations that they married simply for fun, not love. The three stars help raise this above mediocrity simply through their elegance, aided by some lavish art direction. Without them, this would have been just another B women's picture with a very ordinary plot that on its own is not really all that exciting.

dougdoepke An urban architect along with his married partner get caught up in a romantic triangle with an ambitious Broadway actress.Professionally done programmer that unfortunately fails to ignite. Frankly, the leads, Francis, Brent, and Hunter, go through the motions, but the men in particular don't project much emotion. Francis, on the other hand, lights things up with her smile and A-grade wardrobe. But she too doesn't go much beyond an indelible presence. Fortunately, supporting players Dickson, Jeans, and Singleton manage to inject needed verve and color.So, will the tangled relationships get straightened out by movie's end. Silly question. Too bad the film wasn't made before the deadening Production Code (1934). That way some real secrets might have been revealed. Instead, I'm pressed to pinpoint even one titillating faux pas. Looks like the title was little more than a commercial ploy. Anyway, the dialog is occasionally sprightly while director Keighley keeps things moving. Overall, the 70-minutes amounts to a cranked-out professional product with a highly misleading title.

bkoganbing Kay Francis must have had some interesting secrets in the way she had two men chasing her in Secrets Of An Actress. Beauty, talent, and that little something extra that makes one a star.In Secrets Of An Actress, Kay is the daughter of a famous stage actor who has tried to match that career. But all she gets is road company tours in various classics. She wants to be a hit on Broadway and in a role created for her. As it happens she has a play that she wrote with just that in mind. To find a producer is the key.Enter Ian Hunter who is a successful architect and pretty well fixed financially. A chance meeting in a bar with Francis and he's literally swept off his feet. Hunter has a younger associate in his firm played by George Brent who is likewise smitten with Francis, but he's just a little bit married to Gloria Dickson, one real piece of work.If you're a fan of Thirties screen comedies I think you'll know where this one is going. Doesn't mean the ride isn't pleasant. The script is a witty, sophisticated one and the cast performs it well. Look for a brilliant performance by Isabel Jeans as Francis's best friend, an old time actress with a little drinking problem. She plays it like a combination of Eve Arden and Zasu Pitts. In her case the old Latin phrase in vino veritas rings true as she has some really good observations, especially with a drink or two.A few years down the road, I think someone would have recognized Diana Barrymore for the model of Francis's character. Secrets Of An Actress, though from the Warner B picture unit is a bright comedy, very typical of its time.

blanche-2 Kay Francis was slapped into B films and her billing demoted in order to drive her out of Warner Brothers; she was making $200,000+ a year, and they were no longer interested in her. She wouldn't leave."Secrets of an Actress" is a pretty good B also starring Ian Hunter and George Brent. Francis teams up with an architect (Hunter) who wants to become a producer. Together, they make a great team. However, his partner (Brent) is less enthusiastic and at first suspicious of Francis. Then he falls for her and she for him. However, he's married to a real shrew (Gloria Dickson) - they're no longer together, but getting a divorce is proving difficult.Most of the B films Francis made were really more like A-, thanks to her. She had an elegant and likable presence that elevated everything she did. The acting is all-around good, especially from Isabel Jeans, who is a riot as Francis' friend Marion.Good for Francis fans.