Steineded How sad is this?

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

mark.waltz I can't wait to be forgotten, Kay Francis once said, and as it inches closer to the 50th anniversary of her death, she is about as forgotten as another great star who also died the same year: Judy Garland. Only three years later, Liza Minnelli exclaimed in "Cabaret", "I feel just like Kay Francis!" It took decades for her re- discovery, but she has gained a true cult following as her glamorous image was captured by two books and constant showings of her movies on TCM. During the VHS era, only a handful of her films were available. Now through the TCM and Universal archives, they are slowly all coming out, and this soap opera is one of her best.As the Tallulah Bankhead of the fictional London stage, Stella Parrish is an American actress who is highly in demand, winning the love of her manager, Paul Lukas, and gaining the admiration from afar of journalist Ian Hunter. When she is visited by a mysterious man on opening night of what could be her greatest hit, Stella vanishes with her young daughter and companion, hiding in disguise and eventually befriending the suspicious Hunter. When the truth comes out, she becomes a temporary headline freak and makes a drastic decision to protect the young moppet, Sybil Jason.Francis shares the acting honors with vinegary Jessie Ralph, delightful as her tough but loving companion. Lukas and Hunter are decent, and while Jason can be cloying at times, something tells me that she had the women's audiences in tears. In fact, the film opens with Jason singing a cute little ditty imitating animal sounds that either had the audiences in hysterics, cooing over how adorable she was, or cringing over how cute they assumed she thought that she was. The play within the movie is set in Caligula's Rome and was almost concurrent with the unfinished "I Claudius". Unbilled Barton MacLane's voice is heard as the unseen mysterious man but instantly recognized. Certainly, there are some plot defects, but that doesn't seem to matter under Kay's emotional performance and the direction of Mervyn LeRoy. This was a huge smash for Kay, only surpassed just two years later by the emotional brilliance of " Confession". While some audiences might find it hard to believe that Kay could be considered a great star of the stage, that's exactly where she got her training and exactly where she returned to when her film career began to dry up. The conclusion has the emotional power of Vicki Lester's final line in "A Star is Born".

jjnxn-1 Super melodramatic sudser with Kay suffering and suffering and suffering and the audience suspending disbelief. If you can do that you'll enjoy this exercise in excess. Kay is as usual dressed in high fashion throughout. A kaleidescope of 30's fashion, which was what the public expected from a Kay Francis vehicle at the time and it's easy to see why. Due to her height, slenderness and perfect posture she's able to carry off even the most exaggerated clothes. However the clothes only take the film so far and the story that it's pegged on is the usual preposterousness that was also a regular component her films. Supported by a good cast, although Ian Hunter is rather stiff as the male lead, Kay plays one ridiculous situation after another with complete conviction. This was one of her biggest hits.

MartinHafer The film begins with the American, Stella Parish, well on her way to becoming the #1 star of the British stage. Yet, on the night of her greatest triumph, she disappears. This is because Stella (Kay Francis) has a hidden past as well as a daughter she's been keeping a secret. When her old mobster husband (Barton MacLane) finds her in London, this is what prompts her to disappear.Ian Hunter plays a very nosy reporter who inexplicably does some amazing things to try to find her. He actually goes to the trouble of following her trail on board a cruise ship, but finding Stella isn't easy, as she's in disguise as her daughter's 'aunt'. Ian insinuates himself in their lives and behaves like a friend---all the while planning on revealing her secrets once he learns them all. However, once he realizes exactly who she is and why she ran, he isn't terribly keen on betraying her to the public--though he already had sent some of the story to his publisher! But stopping this story is imperative, as by this point, Stella has fallen for him and he's come to realize what a great old gal she really is. Where this all eventually leads is,...well,...crazy! Up until the end, it's hard to dislike the film in spite of its faults but the end disappoints.This plot is all very hard to believe and if you can't get past all this, the film will be tough going. However, if you can look past this, the film is an entertaining soap opera--thanks mostly to good acting and direction. Also, when it comes to Stella's daughter, you'll either find her the most adorable thing you've ever seen on film or she'll make your blood sugar level shoot to the moon! Worth seeing but far from perfect.

John Seal Considering Mervyn Leroy directed this film, it has to rank as a disappointment. Kay Francis sleepwalks her way through a ridiculous plot about an actress whose career is threatened by blackmail. Casey Robinson's hastily written screenplay was probably an afterthought while he worked on Captain Blood, but there's no excuse for a film set (partly) in Britain to include constant references to people's 'apartments' and feature cars with left hand drives! Ludicrous Cockney accents we can overlook, but these details distracted me throughout the film. Everything about Stella Parish looks like a rush job, and Ms. Francis seems particularly anxious to call it a day. Not a complete disaster, but edging close to it.