Lady with Red Hair *** (1940, Miriam Hopkins, Claude Rains, Richard Ainley) – Classic Movie Review 8062

Miriam Hopkins is the titular redhead in director Curtis Bernhardt’s 1940 drama Lady with Red Hair, a glossy, fictional account of the career and times of actress Mrs Leslie Carter and her guiding hand, the romantically inclined producer David Belasco (played by Claude Rains), who plans to make her a star, even without any stage training.

The very agreeable, ideally cast and well matched stars do sterling work, even in an off-key movie, and there is typical smooth and sprightly direction from Bernhardt, as well as a typically plush Warner Bros production.

But, despite some nifty scenes, Charles Kenyon and Milton Krims’s screenplay often falls short of holding the attention fully and the film fails to grip the imagination throughout. The good acting from the stars and supporting players, strong direction and interest in the story keep it going though.

Also in the cast are Richard Ainley, John Litel, Laura Hope Crews, Helen Westley, Mona Barrie, Victor Jory, Cecil Kellaway, Fritz Leiber, Halliwell Hobbes, Selmer Jackson, Doris Lloyd, Alexis Smith, William Hopper, Creighton Hale, Russell Hicks, Cornel Wilde, Paul Stanton, Virginia Brissac and John Ridgely.

Lady with Red Hair is directed by Curtis Bernhardt, runs 80 minutes, is made and released by Warner Bros, is written by Charles Kenyon (screenplay), Milton Krims (screenplay), N Brewster Morse (story) and Norbert Faulkner (story), based on the memoirs of Mrs Leslie Carter, is shot in black and white by Arthur Edeson, is produced by Jack L Warner (executive producer), Bryan Foy (executive producer) and Edmund Grainger (associate producer) and is scored by Heinz Roemheld, with art direction by Max Parker.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8062

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