Secrets of an Actress (1938)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A Major Disappointment

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Blistering performances.

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.

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.

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

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).