(no subject)
She Done Him Wrong
Director: Lowell Sherman
Starring: Mae West, Cary Grant
1933
So the re-enforcement of the Hayes Code in 1934 was essentially because censors thought She Done Him Wrong was just too damn racy. Interesting, then, re-evaluating the film that prompted the establishment of such strict censorship of Hollywood films for decades.
Mae West plays Lady Lou, a singer at a bar, who is brilliantly introduced in the film only after nearly every single male character has said something about how beautiful she is, how talented she is, and how much in love with her they are. This fantastic buildup is a little comical when Mae West eventually comes on the screen - she’s older, she’s a little heavier, and frankly, a little dumpy. But it works! Mae West is a woman who knows her body, and she works every curve and every angle. And when she opens her mouth, the woman positively purrs every line, seducing every man she comes in contact with. Her lips purse, her eyelashes bat, and she grins a wicked grin, one that makes it tremendously clear what she’s thinking, and she’s thinking terribly naughty thoughts.
There’s a plot to the film, yes, but really, it’s unimportant. The film is ultimately a vehicle for West and all the men are simply accessories to her. The one possible exception is Cary Grant playing a missionary who wants to reform West and her corrupt ways. Terribly early in his career, Grant is every inch the suave, debonair charmer that was his screen persona for so many decades to come. Rumor has it West is credited with picking Cary Grant personally for the role. When the movie became a smash hit, it also made Cary Grant a star.
As I learned from the introduction on the DVD by Robert Osbourne (love him!), the film was an adaptation of Mae West’s hit touring stage show, “Diamond Lil.” In order to tone the original play down, more blatant sexual references were removed and replaced with innuendo and double entendres, and thank goodness! The film works so well because of all those funny little asides and one-liners. It’s chock full of lines like:
I’ve heard so much about you.
Yeah, but you can’t prove it.
Haven’t you ever met a man who could make you happy?
Sure, lots of times.
Sergei is my new assistant, Lou.
Day or night work, Rita?
You know, ever since I sang that song, it’s been haunting me.
It should haunt you - you murdered it!
This is really great pre-Code bawdy fare. Mae West is practically poured into all of her cleavage-baring gowns, and she oozes sex appeal from every orifice. The enforcement of the Code literally killed her film career - the strict, no-fun moral rules had no place for a spitfire like West. Too bad, really. Mae West may be many things, but boring she is not. It’s worth your 65 minutes (yes, it’s a very short film) to check out the hilarity and the sexiness that is Mae West in one of her biggest hits.