Poss Spoilers ** "Woman in Red" is based on Wallace Irwin's novel "NorthShore". Barbara Stanwyck and Gene Raymond star as Shelby Barrett and John Wyatt, who meet at the polo grounds. This film from 1935 was at the beginning of the "golden age" for both of them -- Raymond was about to make Smartest Girl in Town, Love on a Bet, There Goes my Girl. Stanwyck would go on to make Annie Oakley, Stella Dallas, and Double Indemnity. During this time, the Hays Production code was now being enforced, so suddenly there were scads of more innocent love stories taking place in upper crust venues than the previous ten years. They get married under adverse conditions, and try to muddle through on love. Then they try to figure out how to earn some money, in spite of the disapproval from their families and Wyatt's ex-girlfriend. For those who have seen "The Bride Walks Out" (which also starred Stanwyck and Raymond), this one has a very similar plot...newlyweds who really do love each other fighting over money. Their friend Gene Fairchild is Mr. bigshot businessman, and gives them money and a horse to get them started in their horse-boarding and training business. This will be important later... This was also the third time Robert Florey had directed Gene Raymond. Remade (sort of ) in 1984 with Gene Wilder and Kelly LeBrock, with some differences. One has to wonder if changes were made to the original novel to clean it up for the production code... ie... was the wife really being naughty on Fairchild's yacht when the interlopers came aboard ? The book is long out of print now, so unless someone has the book in their attic, we'll never know... Good story. I hope Turner Classic shows it more often.
Review of The Woman in Red
