''Caught Cheating'' is a 1931 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Frank R. Strayer Frank Raymond Strayer (September 21, 1891 – February 3, 1964) was an actor, film writer, director and producer. He was active from the mid-1920s until the early 1950s. He directed a series of 14 '' Blondie!'' (1938) movies as well. Biography ...

from a screenplay by

W. Scott Darling William Scott Darling (May 28, 1898 – October 29, 1951) was a Canadian-born writer and a pioneer screenwriter and film director in the Hollywood motion picture industry. He is often known in Hollywood histories as Scott Darling, though he was ...

. The film stars

Charles Murray Charles Murray may refer to: Politicians *Charles Murray, 1st Earl of Dunmore (1661–1710), British peer *Charles Murray (author and diplomat) (1806–1895), British author and diplomat *Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore (1841–1907), Scotti ...

George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics ''Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive backgro ...

, and

Nita Martan Nita Martan (1898–1986) was an American actress, dancer, and singer who was active in the silent and early sound eras. Martan was active in musical comedy productions in New York and in vaudeville. On Broadway, she portrayed Ro See in ''China ...

, and it was released by

Tiffany Productions Tiffany Pictures, which also became Tiffany-Stahl Productions for a time, was a Hollywood motion picture studio in operation from 1921 until 1932. It is considered a Poverty Row studio, whose films had lower budgets, lesser-known stars, and overal ...

on January 31, 1931.

Plot

Madelynne Cabrone is the wife of gangster Joe Cabrone. She is having an affair, and her husband finds out about it and tracks her to a roadhouse, intent on killing her lover. She escapes in her car, but when it breaks down, she takes to the road, where she is picked up by the unwitting Sam Harris. Joe catches up to them, and believes Sam to be the man Madelynne is having an affair with. He is about to move in to kill him, when Sam is stopped for speeding. When Madelynne tells her story, it is printed in the papers, and Sam becomes something of a hero for saving her. Joe vows to kill Sam within twenty-four hours. T. McGillicuddy Hungerford, a wealthy businessman hears of Sam's heroism and offers to give Sam a huge order. Thinking that the order is dependent on him playing the hero, Sam keeps up with the pretense, although he is scared to death. A rival gangster, Tobey Moran, gives Sam two bodyguards to protect him from Cabrone. As part of Cabrone's plan to kill Sam, he sends him two tickets to a masquerade party at a local speakeasy. McGillicuddy, known as "Mac" wants Sam to go to the masquerade with him and two women. Since all wear masks, no one knows that one of the women is Madelynne. Sam's wife, Lena, believes that he is cheating on her, and also goes to the masquerade. Cabrone and his men show up as well, dressed as policemen. They abscond with Sam and Mac, taking them back to their hideout. Moran's men follow and a gunfight ensues where Cabrone and his gang are wiped out. The police arrive and declare Sam and Mac to be heroes, whereafter Mac awards the contract to Sam, and Lena understands the truth about Sam and Madelynne and forgives him.

Cast list

as T. McGillicuddy Hungerford *

as Sam Harris *

as Madelynne Cabrone * Robert Ellis as Joe Cabrone *

Dorothy Christy Dorothy Christy (born Dorothea J. Seltzer, later Dorothy Rucker; May 26, 1906 – May 21, 1977) was an American actress. She was sometimes billed as Dorothy Christie. Early years Christy was born Dorothea J. Seltzer on May 26, 1906, in Readin ...

as Tessie *

Bertha Mann Bertha Mann (October 21, 1893 – December 20, 1967) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Mann was born in Atlanta, Georgia."Raymond Griffith to Wed Actress" ''New York Times'' (January 4, 1928): 31. via ProQuest She trained as a ...

as Lena Harris *

Fred Malatesta Fred Malatesta (April 18, 1889 – April 8, 1952) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1915 and 1941. He was born in Naples, Italy, and died in Burbank, California. Selected filmography * '' Sherlock Hol ...

as Tobey Moran * George Regas as Guisseppe *

Tenen Holtz Tenen Holtz (born Alex Elihu Tenenholtz; February 17, 1887 – July 1, 1971) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 60 films between 1926 and 1961. Biography Holtz was born in Imperial Russia, and came to the United States when he wa ...

* Gertrude Sutton

Production

In October 1930 it was reported that W. Scott Darling was writing the screenplay for the film, based on a story by Dale Henry. The stars were announced as Charles Murray and George Sidney. In November, it was revealed that Bertha Mann, Fred Malatesta, George Regas, and Sally Carter had been added to the cast. The shower/bath scene featuring Dorothy Christy took over 6 hours to film. Production on the film was completed by early December 1930.

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' gave the film a good review, stating, "Broad farce comedy carries plenty of laughs in sophisticated story that runs pretty risqué. Not for the kiddies." They felt the direction was very good and also complimented the cinematography. Meanwhile, ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' was much less enthusiastic about the film, feeling the first half of the film was slow, while the second half did contain some interesting humor. Overall, they said, "the picture on the whole is nothing to brag about."

References

External links

* * * *
Still with Dorothy Christy
{{Frank R. Strayer 1931 comedy films 1931 films American comedy films Films directed by Frank R. Strayer American silent feature films Tiffany Pictures films American black-and-white films 1930s American films Silent American comedy films