Back Street **** (1932, Irene Dunne, John Boles, Doris Lloyd, June Clyde) – Classic Movie Review 6,999

The 1932 romance Back Street is the first of three Universal Pictures film versions of Fannie Hurst’s famous tearjerker novel about a woman (Irene Dunne)’s devoted love for a married man, a rich and handsome banker (John Boles), who is betraying his wife. 

Director John M Stahl’s 1932 romance Back Street is the first of three Universal Pictures film versions of Fannie Hurst’s famous romantic tearjerker about a woman (Irene Dunne)’s devoted love for a married man, a rich and handsome moustachioed banker (John Boles), who is betraying his wife (Doris Lloyd).

The lack of clarity in the screenplay and sense in the direction are giving the piece problems here, but the redoubtable Dunne finds a way through, and the Victorian melodrama- style weepie story is definitely strong enough to survive the passing years. Universal Pictures give it a plush production and all the technical credits are superb.

Dunne is tremendous as Ray Schmidt (‘Most of them think they can have me without marrying me’), but Boles and Lloyd are the weak links in the acting as Walter and Corinne Saxel, though the fine supporting cast compensates.

Also in the cast are June Clyde, George Meeker, ZaSu Pitts, Shirley Grey, Jane Darwell, William Bakewell, Arletta Duncan, Maude Turner Gordon, Walter Catlett, James Donlan, Paul Weigel, and Robert McWade.

Back Street is directed by John M Stahl, runs 93 minutes, is made and released by Universal Pictures, is written by Gladys Lehman, Lynn Starling, Gene Fowler (uncredited) and Ben Hecht (uncredited), based on the novel by Fannie Hurst, is shot in black and white by Karl Freund, is produced by Carl Laemmle Jr and E M Asher (associate producer), and is scored by James Dietrich, with Art Direction by Charles D Hall.

Release date: 4 August 1932.

It was a hit. On a budget of $426,000, the North American box office was $900,000.

It is followed by Back Street (1941) with Margaret Sullavan and Charles Boyer and the Eastmancolor remake Back Street (1961) with Susan Hayward, John Gavin and Vera Miles.

There are two other versions: one in 1948 by director Esther Eng, who changed the story’s setting to the Chinese-American community in San Francisco, and another in 1965 by director Mahmoud Zulfikar, starring Salah Zulfikar and Shadia.

John Boles and Irene Dunne in Back Street.

The cast are Irene Dunne as Ray Schmidt, John Boles as Walter Saxel, George Meeker as Kurt Shendler, ZaSu Pitts as Mrs Dole, June Clyde as Freda Schmidt, William Bakewell as Dick Saxel, Arletta Duncan as Beth Saxel, Shirley Grey as Francine, Doris Lloyd as Corinne Saxel, Paul Weigel as Adolph Schmidt, Jane Darwell as Mrs Schmidt, James Donlan as Phothero, Walter Catlett as Bakeless, Robert McWade as Uncle Felix, Maude Turner Gordon as Mrs Saxel Arletta Duncan, and Robert McWade.

Fannie Hurst’s 1931 romance novel Back Street tackles the themes of adultery and death in a story of a woman who spends her whole life in the back street as the secret mistress of a wealthy married man.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6,999

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