The Law and the Lady (1951) User Reviews

Entertaining comedy

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 29 December 2007]

Greer Garson is the lady in question in "The Law and the Lady," a 1951 film also starring Michael Wilding, Marjorie Main and Fernando Lamas. It's a loose remake of "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney." Here, Garson plays a former British household maid at the end of the 19th Century who hooks up with the brother of her ex-employer. They sort of fall into a con game and decide to keep going with it. After being asked to leave several countries when they're discovered cheating at gambling, they travel to America and San Francisco high society. They set their sights on a wealthy woman (Main) and her necklace. Complications arise.

This is a good movie with some very funny dialogue, especially in the beginning - when the lady of the house informs Garson she won't get a reference, she replies, "I won't be needing one. I intend to become a lady, and there are no character references necessary for that." Garson plays her role in a very cool, offhanded manner that is very effective. Wilding is amusing as her partner in crime, and Main is a riot as a tough old rich widow.

All in all, a very charming movie and worth seeing.

An under appreciated light comedy

[mdonath · 7/10 · 17 January 2002]

"The Law and the Lady" is a surprisingly good movie that doesn't get shown a lot for some reason. Greer Garson, Michael Wilding, Marjorie Main, and Fernando Lamas all shine in their roles. Wilding's character convinces Garson's to team with him as globetrotting con artists who wind up in California trying to cheat a disarmingly candid (and as always, tough minded) Main. Their plans are further complicated when Garson starts to fall for Lamas and starts to rethink her relationship with Wilding.

The comedy is light-hearted and avoids taking itself too seriously. Knopf, brother of the famous publisher, only directed a few films, and this was his only effort after the early 1930's. He was able to get good performances from his excellent cast.

1960's TV fans will recognize Natalie Schafer (Gilligan's Island) and Hayden Rorke (I Dream of Jeannie) playing small but noticeable roles.

Con caper with mixed results

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 27 August 2017]

There are several types of films that I generally don't like, and stories about con men (and women) is one type of film I generally avoid. But, I also have always liked Greer Garson, so this time I made an exception...and I'm glad I did.

The film doesn't start out strongly, but as it proceeds it builds to...well...the conclusion was actually a bit of a let down. Part of the problem is that this film can't quite decide if it's a comedy or a drama. Either way could have worked, and this does work, but I would rather that it would have been one or the other. Particularly at the end, when it seems to lean heavily toward comedy.

The cast here comes together nicely. Garson is pretty good as a con woman with a conscience. Michael Wilding is excellent as the male half of the con team. Fernando Lamas adds flair to the film, as well as some sentimentality. And this has to be one of Marjorie Main's best roles as a rich woman with little class.

Certainly not one of Garson's better films, but it is entertaining...at least after the introductory scenes, which I felt didn't really work well.

A lesser-known vehicle for the beautiful Greer Garson

[jimjo1216 · 4 September 2012]

THE LAW AND THE LADY (1951) is the third MGM adaptation of the play "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney" (previously filmed with Norma Shearer in 1929 and Joan Crawford in 1937).

While the Shearer and Crawford versions are very similar, THE LAW AND THE LADY branches out from the play's story, changing the names of the characters and expanding the backstory between the would-be jewel thief (a brunette Greer Garson) and the phony butler (Michael Wilding). This version is more romantic than its predecessors.

Here Garson is a former housemaid with gold-digging aspirations who falls in with Wilding, the no-good brother of her last employer, a wealthy English nobleman. With Garson posing as a widowed aristocrat ("Lady Loverly"), the two hop across the globe conning wealthy men at casinos before setting their sights on San Francisco society widow Marjorie Main and her one-of-a-kind diamond necklace.

That's where the "Mrs. Cheyney" plot starts kicking in, with Garson infiltrating Main's house as a weekend guest and Wilding securing a position as Main's butler (after a glowing recommendation from Lady Loverly). Over the weekend Garson meets the dashing and Hispanic Fernando Lamas, whose romantic overtures annoy Wilding, who's grown rather fond of his partner-in-crime. All this romantic tension complicates the jewel heist scheme.

While nothing substantial, this movie is enjoyable as a light romance with a criminal twist. And Greer Garson's beauty outshines any shortcomings the film may have (although some plot points don't seem fully developed). Having seen the two previous MGM versions of "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney", it's refreshing in a way to see a remake that feels like its own movie, telling its own story in its own way. A charming film, especially for Greer Garson devotees.

Garson a bit long in the tooth in dated dud of a remake

[beyondtheforest · 6/10 · 29 December 2007]

The Law and the Lady is an unnecessary remake of The Last of Miss Cheyney, which was filmed twice before (there is a Norma Shearer version and a Joan Crawford version, both of which are superior). This was resident MGM queen Greer Garson's turn in the role, in which she is miscast as a lady jewel thief. Although Garson was a beautiful woman and aged extremely well, she is slightly too mature for the role. At 46, she is still very pretty, but not effective at playing a mysterious and alluring femme fatale. As a poor woman masquerading as a lady in turn of the century San Francisco society, she is just a little bit too convincing as a lady. Greer Garson was perhaps unable to portray women of the lower class. She is entirely too classy to make this character work.

Furthermore, this appears to be a low-budget production, tailored for a fading star rather than a brilliant one. It is shot in black and white, the sets are nothing too extraordinary, and it has a shot-on-the-studio-lot feel to it, which makes it seem both dated and stuffy. This story had been around a long time by 1951, and it comes to the screen as tired as one would expect.

The writers apparently tried to inject some life in it through rewriting the script and changing some story elements, but overall it's nothing new. It's a mediocre film with mostly mediocre performances, even by the usually radiant Garson. One bright spot is Marjorie Main--she is indeed a hoot.

The Law and the Lady is, however, not a complete waste of time and if taken as light entertainment is a somewhat enjoyable movie for a rainy afternoon.

MGM'S Last Version

[boblipton · 6/10 · 15 August 2023]

Greer Garson is a maid to Phyllis Stanley. When jewelry goes missing, Miss Stanley accuses Miss Garson. It turns out her scapegrace brother-in-law, Michael Wilding took them. Miss Garson is released with a character and two hundred pounds. She and Wilding go into partnership fleecing wealthy men from Monte Carlo to Hong Kong in a perfectly respectable way. Finally, having been asked to leave everyplace else, they land in San Francisco. While Miss Garson masquerades as member of the peerage, Wilding pretends to be a butler, and they wind up in Marjorie Main's menage.

MGM's third version of THE LAST OF MRS CHENEY suffers from excessive length and the Production Code, which insists that all lawbreakers must be punished. Miss Garson is, as always, very charming. Among her suitors, Fernando Lamas is quite dashing, and Hayden Rorke is a drip. Miss Main steals everything in sight. I was occasionally annoyed by William Gulick & James E. Newcom 's editing. Not only does Carmen Dragon's score tend to mickey-mouse the action, but so does the pace of the cutting!

The Fleecing and Thieving business

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 30 September 2016]

MGM made its third sound version of The Last Of Mrs. Cheyney now entitled The Law And The Lady and the very British Greer Garson starred in the the last of the last. Retitiled The Law And The Lady her co- stars are the equally British Michael Wilding and the very Argentine Fernando Lamas. I was always amazed how many properties MGM found for both Lamas and Ricardo Montalban during their time at the studio that were not necessarily Hispanic per se.

Unlike the other two versions The Law And The Lady give the origin of the partnership of the two society crooks. Greer is a maid accused of stealing Phyllis Stanley's earrings, but her scapegrace of a brother-in-law Michael Wilding saves her from Scotland Yard. Wilding is a twin brother younger by five minutes. The two team up and go into the fleecing and thieving business.

Which brings them to Marjorie Main in San Francisco where they board and attempt to fleece. But Marjorie's also hosting Fernando Lamas whose got a distant connection to Spanish royalty. So it's a choice between Wilding, Lamas, the con artist life, or jail if Inspector Rhys Williams of Scotland Yard ever catches up with them. Maybe some of more than one choice.

This English comedy of manners is a great example of how MGM fit Lamas into non-Hispanic subjects with a bit of rewriting. Wilding and Garson do their lines well, I can't imagine original author Frederic Lonsdale having any objections or even someone like Oscar Wilde if he ever heard it.

This version holds up well compared to the other two, perhaps we'll see more remakes yet.

So-So Fluffy Re-make

[krdement · 6/10 · 30 September 2009]

The good stuff: The writing in this remake makes the motivations of the characters much clearer in the climactic scenes. Wilding is very good as the gentleman thief, Lamas is full of Latin brio and charm without being over the top, and Main is delightfully (and typically) over the top. Also, this version is not burdened by the turgid Joan Crawford, whose self-important acting style weighs down every film - even the heavy weepers and noirs for which she is best suited.

The not-so-good stuff: Garson is, indeed, a bit too mature and sophisticated for her role. I once considered her to be lovely, with exotic eyes. In this role, however, her eyes just looked puffy. Worse, her make-up accentuates her puffy eyes, rather large nose and weak chin. She looked like a caricature of herself. And her hair was not the soft, radiant red with which I am enamored, but very dark brunette, providing a stark contrast with her pale complexion and bad make-up. I could have suspended my disbelief enough to accept her as a working class woman, but her appearance was simply jarring. A real pity. The story is pure contrivance, the worst part being that despite the ease with which it could be done, nobody except Lamas' grandmother, the "princess," has the sense to actually check out Garson's story. I have a feeling that passing one's self off as a member of the nobility would take a little more effort and preparation than simply inventing a title and surname at a fancy restaurant.

I was immobilized at home after surgery when I saw this movie. It passed the time.

Among the best caper comedies plus satire and romance

[SimonJack · 10/10 · 4 June 2015]

"The Law and the Lady" is a delicious caper comedy. It's also a great spoof of upper class society and the rich. And it's a romance and love story to boot. The capers are in the form of scams and schemes to film-flam the rich. So, they are crimes. But, fair warning - it will be very tempting to not regard them as such in this film. In the end, justice is done - in an unexpected, humorous, and pleasing way.

One knows he or she is in for a real treat from the very start. The film opens with a text that reads, "This story begins in London at the turn of the century (20th). If they had known what was ahead, they never would have turned it." What follows is one of the funniest, wittiest, and most clever plots ever put on film in such an endearing story. It's a wonderful satire and hilarious spoof of royalty and high society.

This is actually the third movie that was based on a 1925 play by English writer and actor, Frederick Lonsdale. All three were made by MGM, and the 1929 and 1937 films kept the title of the play, "The Last of Mrs. Cheney." They all had fine casts of prominent actors of the day and were successful at the box office - as was the play that ran for 514 performances in London. But each of these films had quite different versions and adaptations so that they were different stories around a similar plot, with some of the same and some different characters and locales.

This is one instance when I think each succeeding version topped the one before it. The first film, in 1929, was very talky and stage-bound, as were most of the earliest sound pictures. The 1937 film was clearly in the modern era of motion pictures, and the roles were also better. But neither of those could compare with this last MGM production of "The Law and the Lady."

One normally doesn't think of Greer Garson in comedy. She acted in just a few comedies. But her role as Julia Packett in "Julie Misbehaves" of 1948 proved how adroit she was in comedy. That is one of the absolutely funniest films of all time. And, what a cast of actors who are well-remembered among cinephiles well into the 21st century. It's somewhat ironic that Garson apparently wanted to do more comedy films, but she became known mostly for some wonderful dramatic roles and movies.

Garson had the theater persona of a dignified and proper, yet warm and caring woman. Yet her film persona fits perfectly for her role as Jane Hoskins, aka Lady Lovely, in this film. Her co-star, on the other hand, was an old hand at comedy, as well as drama. Michael Wilding is the perfect English gentleman and gadabout, Nigel Duxbury. He was born five minutes too late to be first in the family's royal line. He actually does double duty as his twin brother, the Baron of Duxbury, in the short film opening. Nigel is the witty disinherited man with a zest for life - just the right person to lead Jane astray.

IIt's all very innocent (well, except for the scam operations) and very funny. The brilliant script has scattered witticisms, quips and rejoinders throughout. Most, but not all of this, is from the two leads. But a supporting cast that includes Marjorie Main, Fernando Lamas and Rhys Willaims just cemented this as a great comedy.

Here are some sample lines from this great film.

Baroness, "But you'll get no character (reference, from me)." Jane, "I'm not interested in the character, baroness. I'm thinking of becoming a lady and for that no character is necessary."

Jane, "Mr. Duxbury, you are without question the most dishonest, the most immoral, the most unprincipled man I ever met in my life." Nigel, "That would sound more convincing if your hot little fist wasn't stuffed with money. But if it will make you any happier, we can always give it back - your half." Jane, "Let's not be too hasty, Mr. Duxbury. We can think more clearly when we've had a little wine."

Nigel, "You talk like Gladstone and look like Helen of Troy." Jane, "You look like a duke and act like the Artful Dodger."

Jane, "I shall find a man worth 10,000 ($1.2 million in 2015) a year and marry him." Nigel, "What about love?" Jane, "I have no objection to love as long as he still has the 10,000."

Jane, "This would be purely a working arrangement?" Nigel, "Oh, incredibly pure." Jane, "Then why the diamonds?" Nigel, "Because, without them you are Jane Hoskins, but with them you are Lady Lovely."

Jane, "You promised that our relationship was going to be incredibly pure." Nigel, "Yes, now it's purely incredible."

Tracy Collans (played by Hayden Rorke), "Hoskins, place me next to Lady Lovely at supper." Nigel, "That might be a bit of a problem, sir." Collans, "Solve it, Hoskins, and I'll make it worth your while." Nigel, "Bribery, sir?" Collans, "Yes." Nigel, "I just wanted to make sure."

Juan, "Do you like pigs, Lady Lovely?" Jane, "I've met so few."

Julia Wortin (played by Marjorie Main), "You oughta marry again, Jane." Jane, "You didn't." Julia, "At my age a good cook is more important than a husband."

Jane, "He offered me a hundred servants, a house of my own, and 8,000 pigs. He wants to marry me, Nigel."

Jane, "Nigel, I've been thinking. Couldn't you pinch the silver?" Nigel, "Oh, that's a very brilliant idea, indeed. I shall leave the house with one bag and four barrels?"

Julia, "They disappeared like beer at a policeman's picnic."

Juan, "You must love him." Jane, "Oh no. I hate him." Juan, "Jane, if ever I find a woman who can hate me so passionately, then I will know it is love."

Garson near the end of her reign as MGM's queen in a comedy trifle...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 29 September 2009]

It looks as though MGM didn't go to much expense to make THE LAW AND THE LADY, a re-working of an earlier vehicle that once starred Norma Shearer in a first version and then Joan Crawford.

The main trouble is not the script, which has some fairly good lines and situations, but the miscasting of ladylike GREER GARSON in the central role. She has so much class and sophistication that it's impossible to believe she's anything less than an aristocrat from head to toe. In fact, the revelation that she's really a working class girl comes as a shock of disbelief. This is similar to Audrey Hepburn being more believable as Liza the lady in MY FAIR LADY than Liza the gutter snipe.

Handsome FERNANDO LANZA isn't asked to do too much but he does it very well and MICHAEL WILDING appears to be enjoying himself pretending to be Garson's valet. But the comic presence of MARJORIE MAIN as a rich, tough talking widow who keeps her jewels in a wall safe saves the film from becoming static as it weaves its way through the slight story of two jewel thieves (Garson and Wilding) going about their business as partners in crime--until the law finally catches up with them.

It passes the time pleasantly enough but amounts to little more than a trifle.

And a Witty Wilding Too

[misctidsandbits · 8/10 · 2 January 2013]

Guess the butler got left out of the title, but he was so spot-on with his many graces and polish. That cape in the early segment was quite dashing, along with the top hat and stick. Did not like Ms. Garson's dark hair in this or in "Mrs. Parkington." It just doesn't suit her, but she is still quite lovely. Her voice alone is ample attraction. "When Thieves Fall Out" would be a good title, maybe adding, "… And Make Up." Lots of irony there at the rancho, with everyone's righteous indignation fizzling out when their dirty linen got a genteel airing. Then, just when everything was all smiles again, along comes the extradition agent, all over a measly hundred pounds. What a bore. Oh well, maybe time off for good behavior will come sooner than expected, what with all the repository of charm brought to bear from the respective parties. Then, tally ho, off to the country house, manor house, town house and/or shooting box. This is so changed around, one needn't compare with previous editions. Certainly an interesting group of scenarios. Fun picture.

Bizarre and bad

[AlanaFu · 1/10 · 25 December 2016]

I stumbled upon this movie on Christmas, after the opening tune of "The twelve days of Christmas" I thought it was a Christmas movie so I kept watching. Although they played the tune throughout the whole movie, it has nothing to do with Christmas what so ever. The movie itself is just as random as it's soundtrack, there's no chemistry or dynamics between the two characters, Garson seems too old for the role and Wilding seems too young. I like caper movies but this one is a real let down. Having no well-thought-out crimes or heart gripping romances, the only thing I found interesting was the costume designs and hair styles. It's pretty bland in general.

Greer Gone Wild!

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 7 October 2010]

"I am going to become a lady, which requires no character", well-spoken upstairs maid Greer Garson tells her female employer who has falsely accused her of stealing her earings. Garson teams up with her employer's brother-in-law (Michael Wilding) after telling him he looks like a gentleman while acting like the Artful Dodger. From there, Garson, who doesn't need the Pygmallion transformation like Eliza Doolittle, becomes a lady with Wilding's assistance. Even more than Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady", there is no doubt from the beginning that Garson is already a lady, even in her servant clothes. She somewhat resembles a young Rosalind Russell more than she does her classic role of Mrs. Miniver in her short-dark wig. Garson then disguises herself as European royalty on holiday in Europe. After being kicked out of Monte Carlo when their con game is discovered, Garson and Wilding head to several elaborate destinations where the same thing happens. They end up in San Francisco where their aristocratic ways fool the local wealth, lead by well-dressed but rough and tough Marjorie Main, playing a role similar to the one played by Jessie Ralph in "San Francisco". With such high-society folks as "I Dream of Jeanie's" Hayden Rourke and "Gilligan's Island" Natalie Schaefer in Main's circle, Garson's presence is soon considered to be the social event of the year. This leads to a comedy of manners with Garson fooling the general population, although she definitely seems too gentile for the role. As Garson gains Main's trust, she plans to steal her jewels, but doesn't count on falling in love with a handsome Latin Lothario (Fernando Lamas). And with Wilding breathing down Garson's neck (while posing as Main's butler), Garson is in great danger of being exposed. This is light comedy at MGM's most sophisticated, perhaps not as polished as the two previous versions ("The Last of Mrs. Cheyney", 1929 with Norma Shearer, 1937 with Joan Crawford), but still fast moving and entertaining. The conclusion, however, is totally preposterous and seems entirely forced.

Poor knock-off of the Last Mrs. Cheney

[bfromberkeley · 3/10 · 26 December 2007]

I really don't have much to say about this movie because there is so little on which to comment. If you have ever seen the "Last Mrs. Cheney" and enjoyed it, this will likely be a disappointment. Greer Garson is fright. Fernando Lamas is at his best, which means he is at his hammiest. The plot and the pacing are all over the map because they tried to disguise the remake by re-writing it in random ways. Michael Wilding is good, but he is no William Powell. The final straw was the "deus ex machina" ending.

If there is no other option for watching a good classic movie, this flick might squeak by as an alternative. My apologies to those of you who like this movie. Sorry we can't see eye to eye on this one.

MGM Should Not Have Remade The Last of Mrs. Cheyney

[tr-83495 · 4/10 · 14 June 2019]

This poor knock-off, starring a past-her-prime Greer Garson looks like what it is: a conflation of all the MGM contract players squeezed into roles they weren't necessarily congruent with. Garson, unfortunately, for the time, was not well accepted in coquettish female roles because of her age. Her heyday came and went with the stirring Mrs. Miniver when she was head of a family. Now, she needed a family to mother and MGM has thrown her out to be a jewel thief. MGM, in fact, did her much injustice during the 1950s as they miscast her over and over again in search for that second Mrs. Miniver, which was never to come.

Other actors, like Myrna Loy, got out of their contracts with the studio and negotiated independently for roles. Loy smartly chose motherly roles as she grew older and did not try to hold on to her youth: "The Best Years of Our Lives", "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House", the sixth and final "Thin Man" and "Cheaper by the Dozen" (a big box office hit in 1950 that is not owned by TCM and is subsequently never aired).

Garson remained with MGM and they kept the movies coming. Someone in management must have really liked her.

problems after promising start

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 14 August 2023]

In turn of the century London, Nigel Duxbury (Michael Wilding) steals a pair of earrings from his sister-in-law Lady Sybil Minden who immediately accuses her maid Jane Hoskins (Greer Garson). Nigel casually returns the earrings and Jane demands an apology. She quits and aspires to be a Lady herself. Nigel is completely taken with her. The two of them start coning the upper class. Eventually, she falls for Juan Dinas (Fernando Lamas) and abandons her partnership with Nigel.

I really like the start and the initial chemistry of the thieving duo. It should turn into a caper where they steal from some snotty rich folks. It would help if the high society people are actually evil. The con jobs are not that fun and the couple chemistry stagnates. I don't like the Juan detour and the return trip ending is oddly upbeat. It's a small loss after a promising start.

Perhaps a bit better than the originals...but that isn't saying a lot.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 17 November 2022]

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney 1929, 37.

Good until she wanted to turn good--not realistic.

"The Law and the Lady" is a remake of the 1929 and 1937 film "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney". I happen to have seen all three films and all three suffer from the same fatal error...the final portion of the story simply doesn't make a lot of sense. It's frustrating, as the first 2/3 of the film works very well.

Jane (Greer Garson) is a maid for a very rich but nasty woman. After she's falsely accused by her employer of stealing jewelry, her employer 'magnanimously' agrees to not fire her...but she refuses to apologize for the accusation. Clearly, Jane is innocent and it's obvious to everyone...yet her haughty employer won't lower herself to apologize to 'the help'. So, Jane quits and takes up with a real rogue, Nigel (Michael Wilding). Now, she wants to live like a lady and no longer be a maid....and that means creating an all new fake identity. Now Jane travels the world as some supposedly rich Marchioness...and folks fall all over themselves kissing up to this society matron. And how can she afford to live this lifestyle? Well, she and Nigel cheat their new rich friends. And, when they are caught in one scheme or another, they disappear and reappear in a new city.

After traveling much of the world, Nigel and Jane graduate from cheating to outright stealing. Now their mark is a rich but very earthy woman from San Francisco (Marjorie Main)...so they insinuate themselves into her life and the plan is to steal a valuable necklace.

Up to this point, the film is good...and enjoyable. However, what happens AFTER the pair steal the necklace, well, it just doesn't make a lot of sense. No, wait...it doesn't make ANY sense. A flat and completely unrealistic ending really ruin the film. So, while this remake might be marginally better than the previous versions, it STILL completely falls apart at the end and is quite disappointing.