Blast from the Past: Greer Garson
The Law and the Lady, Edwin H. Knopf’s flat comedy, cannot be saved by its all-star cast, Greer Garson, Michael Wilding and Fernando Lamas.
Loosely based on Frederick Lonsdale’s 1925 play “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney,” this movie transfers the action to the turn of the century, changes the names, and shows the history of the two thieves.
Probably miscast, Greer Garson plays Jane Hoskins, a woman who has worked most of her life as a lady’s maid and is currently employed by Lord Minden (Wilding) and his haughty wife, Lady Sybil Minden.
Lord Minden’s younger twin brother, The Honourable Nigel Duxbury (also Wilding) received only 10,000 pounds, because his brother was born five minutes before him, which means he is legally the elder sibling.
Having squandered his money, Nigel sneaks into his brother’s home and steals Lady Minden’s earrings. Meanwhile, Jane is angry at being wrongly accused of theft by her employer and decides to quit her job.
Jane and Nigel travel to Monte Carlo, San Remo and Shanghai, where they cheat at gambling. Eventually they make their way to San Francisco, where they move into jewelry theft. Nigel gets himself a job as a butler named ‘Hoskin’s in the house of society queen Julia Wortin (Marjorie Main), and Jane befriends Mrs Wortin, and is invited as guest to the Wortin home.
Julia throws a party in Jane’s honour, and her exotic neighbor Juan (Lamas) begins to woo Jane, causing Nigel to become jealous.
Jane locates Julia’s safe and the necklace, but she is touched by the lady’s kindness and has second thoughts about their plan.
After Juan bows out gracefully, Jane and Nigel decide to go straight and pay back the stolen money. Irony strikes when Lord Minden suddenly dies in a shooting accident, making Nigel a Lord with fortune.
Nigel and Jane are now wealthy, however they are under arrest for their initial deception. The film ends with the couple going off to do their short jail term before living happily ever after.
Previous film versions of the story were made in 1929, starring Norma Shearer, and in 1937, starring Joan Crawford. Both retained the play’s contemporary setting, included a crew of confederates, and began with Mrs. Cheyney as an established figure in society.
This version also ends differently, with the partners in crime as romantic partners going back to England to face the music for their very first swindle. In the play and the two other films, Charles leaves and Mrs. Cheyney accepts Lord Dilling, who declares: “That’s the Last of Mrs. Cheyney!”
Garson, an actress who had never shown much sense of humor, takes a heavy handed approach to her part. And it does not help that there is no strong chemistry between her and her two co-stars, Micheal Wilding and Fernando Lamas; you don’t root for her to end up with either man.
The movie earned $563,000 in the U.S. and $797,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $395,000.
Cast
Greer Garson as Jane Hoskins
Michael Wilding as twin brothers, Nigel Duxbury (who masquerades as the butler Hoskins) and Lord Minden
Fernando Lamas as Juan Dinas
Marjorie Main as Julia Wortin
Hayden Rorke as Tracy Collans
Margalo Gillmore as Cora Caighn
Ralph Dumke as James Horace Caighn
Rhys Williams as Inspector McGraw
Phyllis Stanley as Lady Sybil Minden
Natalie Schafer as Pamela Pemberson
Bess Flowers as Mrs. Bruno Thayer
Holmes Herbert as English Colonel
Stuart Holmes as Mr. Bruno Thayer
Matt Moore as Senator Scholmm
Anna Q. Nilsson as Mrs. Scholmm
