To Be a Lady
Encyclopedia
To Be a Lady is a 1934
British romance drama, directed and produced by George King
, and starring Chili Bouchier
(credited here as Dorothy Bouchier) and Bruce Lester
. The film is the first screen editing credit of American film editor Elmo Williams
.
One day Diana spots a kitten in danger on a busy road, and dashes into the traffic to rescue it. Her kind action is witnessed by singer Jerry Dean (Lester), who strikes up a conversation and invites her for lunch the next day at the Ritz Hotel
. Diana is worried that has nothing suitable to wear to such a rarefied establishment, but is delighted when Annette produces a beautiful dress which she offers to loan to her. Unknown to Diana however, the dress has been stolen by a maid friend of Annette's from her wealthy employer, and passed to Annette for safe-keeping before it is sold to a dealer.
Diana and Jerry meet for their Ritz rendezvous. Unfortunately, also present is the Countess Delavell (Vera Bogetti
) lunching with her theatrical friend Dudley Chalfont (Charles Cullum), and it is the Countess' stolen dress which Diana is wearing. At the end of the meeting Jerry, explaining that he has to leave to fulfil engagements in Scotland, proposes to Diana and she accepts. Meanwhile the Countess' maid, aware that she is already under suspicion, steals some valuable jewellery, alerts Annette and the pair take off for France.
The Countess, believing Annette to be implicated in the thefts, visits the salon, identifies Diana as the girl who was wearing her dress, and Diana is arrested for receiving stolen property. She is found guilty and imprisoned for a month. She writes to Jerry at the address he has given her, but receives no acknowledgement. Jerry has in fact been seriously injured in a road accident en route to Scotland and is hospitalised for a lengthy period, but unaware of this, Diana believes he has abandoned her. On her release from prison, she decides to seek stage work and runs into Dudley. Dudley believes in her innocence and that she has been wronged, and offers her accommodation in his flat. He soon falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
Jerry is finally released from hospital and returns to London to look for Diana. Finding her living in another man's flat, he confronts her over her fickleness and in anger at his lack of faith in her, she sends him away. She realises that her feelings are still for Jerry and it would be unfair of her to marry Dudley, so in despair she leaves London and returns to her home village. Aware of what the situation must be, the kind-hearted Dudley travels to the village with Jerry, where he engineers a reconciliation between the two.
Surviving contemporary critical reaction suggests that the film was less well-received that had been hoped. The Picturegoer spoke of "moderate" acting, "unconvincing" plot and said "the wholly obvious theme is indifferently directed". Kine Weekly was similarly unimpressed with the storyline, but somewhat more enthusiastic about the standards of acting and direction.
There is no record of To Be a Lady after its original 1934–1935 cinema run. The British Film Institute
has been unable to locate a print for inclusion in the BFI National Archive
, and currently classes the film as "missing, believed lost". It is the only sound film of Bouchier's not known to survive, and is included on the BFI's "75 Most Wanted
" list of missing British feature films.
1934 in film
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
British romance drama, directed and produced by George King
George King (film director)
George King was an English actors' agent, film director, producer and screenplay writer. He helmed several of Tod Slaughter's melodramas, including 1936's The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.-Career:...
, and starring Chili Bouchier
Chili Bouchier
Chili Bouchier , later known as Dorothy Bouchier, was a British film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progressing to theatre later in her career.She made her first appearance as a child dancer at a...
(credited here as Dorothy Bouchier) and Bruce Lester
Bruce Lester
Bruce Lester was a South African-born English film actor with over 60 screen appearances to his credit between 1934 and his retirement from acting in 1958. Lester's career divided into two distinct periods...
. The film is the first screen editing credit of American film editor Elmo Williams
Elmo Williams
Elmo Williams is an American film and television editor, director, producer, and executive. His work on the film High Noon received the Academy Award for Film Editing...
.
Plot
Diana Whitcombe (Bouchier) works at her aunt's country inn, but dreams of escaping to London and making her way in society. When chance provides her with the necessary funds, she makes her way to the big city and takes up employment in a hairdressing salon where she befriends French fellow assistant Annette (Ena Moon), and moves into the same hostel in which Annette is living.One day Diana spots a kitten in danger on a busy road, and dashes into the traffic to rescue it. Her kind action is witnessed by singer Jerry Dean (Lester), who strikes up a conversation and invites her for lunch the next day at the Ritz Hotel
Ritz Hotel
The Ritz London is a luxury 5-star hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Swiss hotelier César Ritz, former manager of the Savoy Hotel, opened the hotel on 24 May 1906...
. Diana is worried that has nothing suitable to wear to such a rarefied establishment, but is delighted when Annette produces a beautiful dress which she offers to loan to her. Unknown to Diana however, the dress has been stolen by a maid friend of Annette's from her wealthy employer, and passed to Annette for safe-keeping before it is sold to a dealer.
Diana and Jerry meet for their Ritz rendezvous. Unfortunately, also present is the Countess Delavell (Vera Bogetti
Vera Bogetti
-Career:Left school to go straight into the cast of John Barrymore's Hamlet at the Haymarket Theatre in London. She played in many Leslie Henson farces on stage...
) lunching with her theatrical friend Dudley Chalfont (Charles Cullum), and it is the Countess' stolen dress which Diana is wearing. At the end of the meeting Jerry, explaining that he has to leave to fulfil engagements in Scotland, proposes to Diana and she accepts. Meanwhile the Countess' maid, aware that she is already under suspicion, steals some valuable jewellery, alerts Annette and the pair take off for France.
The Countess, believing Annette to be implicated in the thefts, visits the salon, identifies Diana as the girl who was wearing her dress, and Diana is arrested for receiving stolen property. She is found guilty and imprisoned for a month. She writes to Jerry at the address he has given her, but receives no acknowledgement. Jerry has in fact been seriously injured in a road accident en route to Scotland and is hospitalised for a lengthy period, but unaware of this, Diana believes he has abandoned her. On her release from prison, she decides to seek stage work and runs into Dudley. Dudley believes in her innocence and that she has been wronged, and offers her accommodation in his flat. He soon falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
Jerry is finally released from hospital and returns to London to look for Diana. Finding her living in another man's flat, he confronts her over her fickleness and in anger at his lack of faith in her, she sends him away. She realises that her feelings are still for Jerry and it would be unfair of her to marry Dudley, so in despair she leaves London and returns to her home village. Aware of what the situation must be, the kind-hearted Dudley travels to the village with Jerry, where he engineers a reconciliation between the two.
Cast
- Chili BouchierChili BouchierChili Bouchier , later known as Dorothy Bouchier, was a British film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progressing to theatre later in her career.She made her first appearance as a child dancer at a...
as Diana Whitcombe - Bruce LesterBruce LesterBruce Lester was a South African-born English film actor with over 60 screen appearances to his credit between 1934 and his retirement from acting in 1958. Lester's career divided into two distinct periods...
as Jerry Dean - Vera BogettiVera Bogetti-Career:Left school to go straight into the cast of John Barrymore's Hamlet at the Haymarket Theatre in London. She played in many Leslie Henson farces on stage...
as Countess Delavell - Charles Cullum as Dudley Chalfont
- Ena Moon as Annette
- Pat Ronald as Justine
- Florence Vie as Mrs. Jubb
- Tony de Lungo as Manager
Later history
To Be a Lady was mounted as a star vehicle for Bouchier, who at the time was one of Britain's biggest home-grown female screen stars, and one of the few who had been able to make the transition from silent to sound films without any loss in popularity. Indications are that the film was marketed as a prestige production, with advance publicity emphasising aspects such as "lavish mounting", "expert direction" and "faultless recording and camera work". It was reported that it had taken an entire day's filming for King to be satisfied with the kitten rescue sequence, which lasted a bare 60 seconds in the finished film.Surviving contemporary critical reaction suggests that the film was less well-received that had been hoped. The Picturegoer spoke of "moderate" acting, "unconvincing" plot and said "the wholly obvious theme is indifferently directed". Kine Weekly was similarly unimpressed with the storyline, but somewhat more enthusiastic about the standards of acting and direction.
There is no record of To Be a Lady after its original 1934–1935 cinema run. The British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
has been unable to locate a print for inclusion in the BFI National Archive
BFI National Archive
The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was originally set up as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955 its name became the National Film Archive, and in 1992, the...
, and currently classes the film as "missing, believed lost". It is the only sound film of Bouchier's not known to survive, and is included on the BFI's "75 Most Wanted
BFI 75 Most Wanted
The BFI 75 Most Wanted is a list compiled by the British Film Institute of their most sought-after British feature films not currently held in the BFI National Archive, and classified as "missing, believed lost". The films chosen range from quota quickies and B-movies to lavish prestige...
" list of missing British feature films.