Secrets of an Actress (1938) User Reviews

Nice Francis fare

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 28 September 2008]

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.

One of the better Kay Francis vehicles thanks to a clever script...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 18 September 2008]

It's nice to report that once in awhile KAY FRANCIS actually got to emote in a fairly decent script. This one benefits from the participation of Julius J. Epstein, a writer at Warner Bros. who wrote many fine scripts for that studio and others. This one is a formula story that benefits from some clever lines and amusing dialog, factors often missing in Miss Francis' films.

GEORGE BRENT and IAN HUNTER are her romantic co-stars, as architects who become involved in her show business aspirations. There's never much doubt as to which male will win her in the final reel, but getting there is pleasant enough with everyone getting a turn at some good quips thanks to a better than average script.

PENNY SINGLETON (who later became "Blondie") is almost unrecognizable as a brunette secretary with eyeglasses, but the chief femme roles go to GLORIA DICKSON as a gold-digger and ISABEL JEANS as Francis' flighty roommate who is a bit annoying in her overacted role.

Francis gives a smooth performance and it's a shame she never got a chance at scripts of this caliber during most of her early days at Warner Bros., the studio that had Bette Davis waiting in the wings to replace Francis as the number one dramatic star.

For a Post-Code film, it sure has the look of a Pre-Code picture!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 20 September 2008]

In 1934, a newer strengthened Production Code was put in place. Hollywood had agreed to clean up its act--removing nudity, adultery, bawdy language and excessively violent behavior from its films. During the rest of the 30s, divorce, for example, was hardly ever mentioned. In light of this, it was very surprising that SECRETS OF AN ACTRESS got the go ahead light. This film is about a new Broadway star (Kay Francis) and the men who love her (Ian Hunter and George Brent). In particular, she loves Brent, though she doesn't realize he's already married. To make this more palatable to the censors, they pointed out that Brent's wife didn't love him, was holding on to him for his money and that they'd been separated for several years. This was perhaps the only way the divorce angle could enter the film, though it also tended to make the film seem a bit contrived and impossible.

Overall, the film is entertaining though also very predictable. The stars do a decent enough job, though the less than outstanding plot and the god-awful character of Miss Plantagenet (who was like a walking migraine every time she appeared on screen) did a lot to sink this film to the mediocre level.

Kay Francis Star Vehicle

[drednm · 18 September 2008]

Kay Francis stars as a minor actress who wants to make it on Broadway. She meets a bored architect (Ian Hunter) who has always wanted to produce a play. She has one. They team up and she becomes the toast of the Great White Way. But Hunter also has a partner (George Brent)and it's love at first sight. But he has a grasping wife (Gloria Dickson)....

Fast-paced with a lot of one liners, this little Warners film is fun from the getgo. Francis is, as always, a delight to watch. Brent and Hunter are solid. Dickson is suitably vile as the shrew wife. Isabel Jeans is very funny as Marion, playing a combination of Alice Brady and Eric Blore. The 2 secretaries are nicely played by Dennie Moore and Penny Singleton.

This was one of Kay's final film for Warners, and you'll note they had already demoted her to first billing but beneath the title. Her legal battles with the studio were front-page news in the late 30s. The studio put her in B films and then blamed her for slipping at the box office. Still, Francis had the last laugh; she turned in great performances even in the drek Warners gave her (while handing the plums to the new Warners queen, Bette Davis).

love triangle from the 1930s...

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 7 April 2022]

Kay francis day on tcm. In this one, up and coming actress fay convinces an architect team to back her new play so she can play the lead. And it's a huge hit! The problem is that both partners in the firm have fallen for her; but she is in love with the one (dick) still married to the separated wife. Fay has made it clear her career will always come first. Which partner will win the love of fay ? It's all light and fluffy... we kind of forget about her acting career. Now the story is who will she end up with? One bonus here is dennie moore, the secretary at the firm... she played a small but important role in the women from 1939. Directed by bill keighley. He worked with bette davis and george brent, but never got the oscar.

Lack lustre, lukewarm romantic drama

[atlasmb · 6/10 · 13 January 2014]

Secrets of an Actress never reveals any secrets worth knowing.

Two men who are very good friends are in love with the same star (Kay Francis). The story treats Ms. Francis like a yo-yo, tearing her from one man's arms, then from the other's.

She is the "prize" in this film. It centers on her, making the two men appear not so valuable, as love objects. And, as a result, it makes Ms. Francis's decision feel somewhat unimportant, though it is what the film revolves around. Their little courtship dances grow wearisome by the end of the film.

You might wonder why Kay doesn't just choose the man she truly loves. The story sets up a "straw man" of an argument to keep the lovers apart just so it can later knock it down. I couldn't invest much emotion in the issues of our three protagonists.

This Secret is Out in the Open-Secrets of An Actress *

[edwagreen · 4/10 · 21 January 2010]

A rather benign 70 minute production where Kay Francis, the daughter of a famous actor, will not tour the country, but rather insists upon making the Broadway scene.

Whoever made up Miss Francis for this film did a terrible job. She looks just awful. For someone becoming a starlet on Broadway, she certainly does not look the part.

I never saw someone become a star so fast. Her play "Springboard" is never shown. We just see Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, etc. and people applauding.

The real good acting here goes to Gloria Dickson and Isabel Jeans, especially the latter, who is absolutely hilarious as the pal of Francis.

In the male roles, George Brent and Ian Hunter are appealing, but the film is so predictable and is ruined by the real lack of emotion here. The culprit is the bad writing.

Melodrama or Comedy?

[befred8 · 5/10 · 20 September 2008]

The reviews I've found call this a melodrama but it could also be labeled a comedy, though the laughs are not all intentional.

Take the scene where George Brent tries to convince Ian Hunter that backing a Broadway play is a bad investment. No matter how accurate the figures he throws up are, the audience knows anytime a film's stars "put on a show", it's going to be a hit.

What we might no expect is that the supporting characters are more interesting than the leads. It's not so surprising with Gloria Dickson since she's playing the villain but when the best friend (Isabel Jeans) steals every scene from the romantic lead (Kay Francis), we know the picture is in trouble.

The big problem is the film is not melodramatic enough to be a melodrama and not funny enough to be a comedy

I Want To Be A Producer

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 14 January 2010]

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.

I like George Brent, but...

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 5/10 · 1 January 2017]

In fact, I like Kay Francis, too, although I have learned that whether Francis was good or bad in a film depended a lot on whether the film, overall, was good or bad. And this is fairly bad one. Particularly the early parts of the film where the plot is being set up. But the worst part of the film is the dreadful performance of supporting actress Isabel Jeans; if there were a death penalty for bad acting, Jeans would have been in the gas chamber for this film.

Kay Francis struggles through here...and I mean that literally. To me her whole performance is off a bit. Okay, so she's an actress who wants to act only in New York City. I can accept that, but also understand how unrealistic it is to expect to go big time without paying your dues before that.

George Brent is an actor I enjoy, but without Bette Davis he was less interesting. And there's no Bette here. He does "okay" here as an architect turned set designer turned lover.

Ian Hunter, a likable and dependable actor is...likable and dependable here. No great shakes, but he does "okay" also. To emotionally generous to be in a triangular love affair.

And Gloria Dickson as Brent's wife...no thanks.

The trouble with this film is that there are things about it that are bad, things about it that are "okay", but very little about it that is good...and certainly nothing about it that is great.

Proceed at your own risk. Isabel Jeans as Marian Plantagenet

Mild

[GManfred · 1 February 2014]

"Secrets Of An Actress" is pretty much a routine soaper without much to recommend it - except that this one has a stellar cast trying bravely to put it over. The odds are stacked against them as the plot is hackneyed and predictable right up to the ending. There is nothing exceptional to the story, no real highs or lows and the best part of this trudge through the landscape is the background music.

In a review above, blanche-2 explains why Kay Francis, one of Hollywood's more glamorous and sophisticated 30's stars, found herself in this exercise in tedium. Ian Hunter and George Brent also must have been at loose ends and looking for something to do, but between the two of them and Kay Francis they are able to keep the lightweight story afloat. For my money the website has this picture very overrated.

Generic title and story; Great star.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 4 May 2018]

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.

Look Again

[marciakmirage · 9/10 · 15 December 2016]

In light of some pretty corny stuff from "way back when" AND from 2016, this film took me by surprise! Kay Francis, whom I'd never thought of as attractive, was absolutely gorgeous, and the costuming (not mentioned in any user review here) is fabulous. And so was the way she wore them. She played a strong, ambitious woman -- thank you, screen writers -- who ultimately got what she wanted (a rarity in those days: it wasn't a husband), and succeeded because she was smart w/out being hard, charming w/o being silly, and a fine actress in the opening "audition" scene. The pace was terrific, plus I kept finding myself laughing out loud -- not at the dated girlfriend's routines (ugh -- annoyingly overacted and hammy) but by the unexpected frequent quips in the repartee, particularly between the two main male characters; 'I'll send you an icicle from Norway" instead of "I'll send you a postcard?" Continually unexpected and original, and for those days, realistically acted. My 9 instead of 10: the point I deducted was for the Plantaganet gal's hamming.Low key makes plot points & fits a team's acting. Timing is everything -- the film is well paced,and delightful. And Francis has chops! Looking back, ahead of its time in acting style AND clothing.

Pulchritude sweepstakes

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 9 July 2022]

There's a lot to be said for a modest little Warner Brothers programmer that packs a lot into a 71-minute running time. SECRETS OF AN ACTRESS is a film that Kay Francis probably didn't want to make, but she doesn't let her feelings about the material get in the way. She excels at romance dramas and is able to take a fairly standard script and elevate it.

In 1938 Miss Francis and her boss Jack Warner were at odds. He felt she was too expensive and in an attempt to try and void her contract, he began to assign lesser vehicles to her. If she refused to do them, he could place her on unpaid suspension and force her to quit. At this point, the studio still owed her a few more pictures under her original contract.

But Kay Francis was not willing to pack up just yet...she had no intention of walking away from several hundred thousand dollars (Depression era dollars). And to Mr. Warner's displeasure, she accepted these typically inferior assignments. At least she was able to keep Orry Kelly as her designer. So although she was now appearing in a "B" film, she was still dressed for an "A" film.

Fortunately, she was able to get decent costars and an excellent director. The only thing that really looks cheap in SECRETS OF AN ACTRESS is the sets. But we can't be too fussed on that since it's the story we're more invested in watching.

The plot has Miss Francis as a struggling New York-based actress turning thirty and still not having achieved a significant role on Broadway. (In reality, Kay Francis was 33.) There's a good backstory where we learn her dad was a famous Shakespearean actor who put the ham in Hamlet. Her father spent most of his time on the road in touring productions, but she wants more. She wants to headline her own play on the Great White Way.

Into her life walks an architect (Ian Hunter) who's interested in the idea of backing a show. Of course, he is also romantically interested in her. He soon announces that his firm will design the sets for a new production that will feature her in the lead role. As if that is not enough, Hunter also promises to build Francis her own theater when their first play is a hit. Move over Helen Hayes and Tallulah Bankhead.

Romantic complications occur when Francis ends up sparring with then falling for Hunter's business partner (George Brent). Meanwhile, Hunter remains smitten with Francis and he is not about to give up his chance to win the pulchritude sweepstakes. At the same time we find out that Brent is stuck in a loveless marriage with a high-society witch (Gloria Dickson) and cannot obtain a divorce.

Realizing that Brent is not legally available, Francis accepts Hunter's proposal. However, she is not really in love with him and still wants to be with Brent. It's all rather formulaic as far as these things go, but it's nonetheless engrossing. Miss Dickson steals every scene she's in and gives new meaning to the word leach. There's also a fine performance from Isabel Jeans as Francis' actress pal who is unhappy in love and usually has a few too many drinks to get through the day.

In some ways this films reminds me of the later Paramount picture FOREVER FEMALE starring Ginger Rogers. Whenever a famous Hollywood actress plays a famous theatrical actress on film, it always feels a bit heightened yet authentic. In this case, our star performer is successful at infusing melodrama with charm and perseverance. There's a happy ending for her...but not until after considerable anguish and hand-wringing has occurred.

Routine Programmer

[dougdoepke · 20 December 2016]

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.