Fast and Loose (film)
Encyclopedia
Fast and Loose is a 1930 romantic comedy film
directed by Fred C. Newmeyer
and starring Miriam Hopkins
, Carole Lombard
and Frank Morgan
. The film was written by Doris Anderson, Jack Kirkland and Preston Sturges
, based on the 1924 play The Best People by David Gray and Avery Hopwood
. Fast and Loose was released by Paramount Pictures
.
Other films or TV series with identical or similar titles, such as the 1939 MGM detective comedy starring Robert Montgomery
and Rosalind Russell
, are not related to this film.
) and Carrie (Winifred Harris), is wealthy and respectful of tradition, but their children Bertie (Henry Wadsworth) and Marion (Miriam Hopkins
) are more irreverent. When Bertie gets involved with a chorus girl, Alice O'Neil (Carole Lombard
), and Marion falls in love with Henry Morgan (Charles Starrett
), an auto mechanic, the family tries to intervene to prevent their children from marrying beneath themselves.
Cast notes:
's play, The Best People, opened on Broadway
on 19 August 1924 and ran for 142 performances. (It was later revived in 1933 when it ran for a more modest 67 performances.) Hopwood was a prolific and successful playwright, many of whose plays were adapted into films – his 1919 play The Gold Diggers provided the template for the Warner Bros.
series of movie musicals
.
The Best People was made into a silent film
in 1925, The Best People, before Paramount
had it refashioned into a vehicle for Miriam Hopkins, an established Broadway star who had just signed with the studio after making the short subject The Home Girl for them in 1928. Fast and Loose was her second film appearance.
Fast and Loose was also Preston Sturges
second Hollywood assignment, after The Big Pond
(and its French-language version La grande mare
). Carole Lombard, on the other hand, had appeared in over 40 films by the time Fast and Loose was released, all as "Carol Lombard."
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
directed by Fred C. Newmeyer
Fred C. Newmeyer
Fred C. Newmeyer was an American actor and film director. A native of Central City, Colorado, he is best known for directing a handful of films in the Our Gang series and for directing Harold Lloyd movies The Freshman and Girl Shy. Newmeyer also had an extensive directing and acting resume in...
and starring Miriam Hopkins
Miriam Hopkins
Ellen Miriam Hopkins was an American actress known for her versatility in a wide variety of roles.Hopkins was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Bainbridge, a town in the state's southwest near the Alabama border...
, Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
and Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
. The film was written by Doris Anderson, Jack Kirkland and Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
, based on the 1924 play The Best People by David Gray and Avery Hopwood
Avery Hopwood
James Avery Hopwood , was the most successful playwright of the Jazz Age, having four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920.-Biography:...
. Fast and Loose was released by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
.
Other films or TV series with identical or similar titles, such as the 1939 MGM detective comedy starring Robert Montgomery
Robert Montgomery (actor)
Robert Montgomery was an American actor and director.- Early life :Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery, Jr. in Beacon, New York, then known as "Fishkill Landing", the son of Mary Weed and Henry Montgomery, Sr. His early childhood was one of privilege, since his father was president of the New...
and Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Mame Dennis in the film Auntie Mame...
, are not related to this film.
Plot
The Lennox family of Long Island, headed by Bronson (Frank MorganFrank Morgan
Frank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
) and Carrie (Winifred Harris), is wealthy and respectful of tradition, but their children Bertie (Henry Wadsworth) and Marion (Miriam Hopkins
Miriam Hopkins
Ellen Miriam Hopkins was an American actress known for her versatility in a wide variety of roles.Hopkins was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Bainbridge, a town in the state's southwest near the Alabama border...
) are more irreverent. When Bertie gets involved with a chorus girl, Alice O'Neil (Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
), and Marion falls in love with Henry Morgan (Charles Starrett
Charles Starrett
Charles Starrett was an American actor best known for his starring role in the Durango Kid Columbia Pictures western series. He was born in Athol, Massachusetts.-Career:...
), an auto mechanic, the family tries to intervene to prevent their children from marrying beneath themselves.
Cast
- Miriam HopkinsMiriam HopkinsEllen Miriam Hopkins was an American actress known for her versatility in a wide variety of roles.Hopkins was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Bainbridge, a town in the state's southwest near the Alabama border...
as Marion Lenox - Carole LombardCarole LombardCarole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
as Alice O'Neil - Frank MorganFrank MorganFrank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
as Bronson Lenox - Charles StarrettCharles StarrettCharles Starrett was an American actor best known for his starring role in the Durango Kid Columbia Pictures western series. He was born in Athol, Massachusetts.-Career:...
as Henry Morgan - Henry Wadsworth as Bertie Lenox
- Winifred Harris as Carrie Lenox
- Herbert YostHerbert YostHerbert Yost was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 91 films between 1908 and 1934.He was born in Harrison, Ohio and died in New York City.-Selected filmography:* The Golden Louis...
as George Grafton - David Hutcheson as Lord Rockingham
- Ilka ChaseIlka ChaseIlka Chase was an American actress and novelist.Born in New York City and educated at convent and boarding schools in the United States, England, and France, she was the only child of Edna Woolman Chase, the editor in chief of Vogue magazine, and her first husband, Francis Dane Chase.Chase made...
as Millie Montgomery - Herschel MayallHerschel MayallHerschel Mayall was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 112 films between 1912 and 1935.He was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and died in Detroit, Michigan from a cerebral hemorrhage....
as Judge Summers
Cast notes:
- A typographical error in the title cards for this film turned starlet "Carol Lombard" into "Carole Lombard", a name she kept for the remainder of her career.
Production
David Gray and Avery HopwoodAvery Hopwood
James Avery Hopwood , was the most successful playwright of the Jazz Age, having four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920.-Biography:...
's play, The Best People, opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on 19 August 1924 and ran for 142 performances. (It was later revived in 1933 when it ran for a more modest 67 performances.) Hopwood was a prolific and successful playwright, many of whose plays were adapted into films – his 1919 play The Gold Diggers provided the template for the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
series of movie musicals
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
.
The Best People was made into a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
in 1925, The Best People, before Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
had it refashioned into a vehicle for Miriam Hopkins, an established Broadway star who had just signed with the studio after making the short subject The Home Girl for them in 1928. Fast and Loose was her second film appearance.
Fast and Loose was also Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
second Hollywood assignment, after The Big Pond
The Big Pond
The Big Pond is a 1930 American romantic comedy film based on a 1928 play of the same name by George Middleton and A.E. Thomas. The film was written by Garrett Fort, Robert Presnell Sr. and Preston Sturges, who provided the dialogue in his first Hollywood assignment, and was directed by Hobart...
(and its French-language version La grande mare
La Grande Mare
La Grande Mare Hotel Golf & Country Club is a hotel and golf course in Vazon Bay, Castel, Guernsey. The house, set in 120 acres, contains 12 suites, 12 double rooms and 10 self-catering units....
). Carole Lombard, on the other hand, had appeared in over 40 films by the time Fast and Loose was released, all as "Carol Lombard."