Blood Money (1933 film)
Encyclopedia
Blood Money is a 1933 crime film about a crooked bail bondsman
Bail bondsman
A bail bond agent, or bondsman, is any person or corporation that will act as a surety and pledge money or property as bail for the appearance of persons accused in court...

 played by George Bancroft
George Bancroft (actor)
George Bancroft was an American Hollywood film actor of the 1920s and '30s.-Biography:Bancroft was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1882. During his early days as a sailor he staged plays on board ship. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy, but left the Navy to become a "black...

, with Judith Anderson
Judith Anderson
Dame Judith Anderson, AC, DBE was an Australian-born American-based actress of stage, film and television. She won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award.-Early life:...

 as his longtime lover and Frances Dee
Frances Dee
Frances Marion Dee was an American actress. She starred opposite Maurice Chevalier in the early talkie musical, The Playboy of Paris...

 as the thrill-seeking socialite who catches his eye. This marked the film debut of Anderson (better known for her next role, housekeeper Mrs. Danvers in the 1940 Rebecca). The film was considered to be lost
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...

 for nearly forty years before reappearing.

Cast

  • George Bancroft as Bill Bailey
  • Judith Anderson as Ruby Darling
  • Frances Dee as Elaine Talbart
  • Chick Chandler
    Chick Chandler
    Chick Chandler was an American film actor. best known for his appearances in dozens of B-Movies and his role as Tubo Smith in the short lived Universal produced series Soldiers of Fortune...

     as Drury Darling
  • Blossom Seeley
    Blossom Seeley
    -Biography:Seeley was born Minnie Guyer, in San Francisco, California, USA. A top vaudeville headliner, she was known as the "Queen of Syncopation" and helped bring jazz and ragtime into the mainstream of American music. She introduced the Shelton Brooks classic "Some of These Days" in vaudeville...

     as Singer
  • Etienne Girardot
    Etienne Girardot
    Etienne Girardot was a diminutive stage and film actor of Anglo-French parentage born in London, England....

     as Bail Bond Clerk
  • George Regas
    George Regas
    George Regas was a Greek actor.Born in Sparta, Greece, he was the brother of actor Pedro Regas. He was a stage actor in Athens before coming to the U.S. In New York he played Romeo in a Grecian version of Romeo and Juliet.In 1921 Regas acted in his first motion picture: The Love Light with Mary...

     as Charley


Dee, normally cast in wholesome roles, described Talbert in the 2002 Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...

 documentary Complicated Women as ". . . a rather weird character, to say the least. She was a kleptomania
Kleptomania
Kleptomania is an irresistible urge to steal items of trivial value. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally, but not limited to, objects of little or no significant value, such as pens, paper clips, paper and tape...

c, a nymphomaniac, and anything in between." (One of her lines was, "What I need is someone to give me a good thrashing. I’d follow him around like a dog on a leash.")

Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...

 had an uncredited part.

Critical reception

New York Times critic Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for The New York Times, from October 1924 to September 1934....

was unimpressed, writing, "This whimsical little tale of thievery, thuggery and attempted slaughter was mistaken for entertainment by Darryl Zanuck". He appreciated the skills of many of the actors, but thought the plot lacked logic and characterized the film overall as "flat stuff".
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