''Fast and Loose'' is a 1930 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the 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 censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and starring

Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. Her best-known roles included a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' T ...

, Carole Lombard and

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

. The film was written by Doris Anderson, Jack Kirkland and

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' The Great McGinty'' (1940), h ...

, 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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

detective comedy starring Robert Montgomery and

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary ''Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...

, are not related to this film.

Plot

The Lenox family of Long Island, headed by Bronson (

) and Carrie (Winifred Harris), is wealthy and respectful of tradition, but their children Bertie (Henry Wadsworth) and Marion (

) 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 Charles Robert Starrett (March 28, 1903 – March 22, 1986) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the ''Durango Kid'' westerns. Starrett still holds the record for starring in the longest series of theatrical features: ...

), an auto mechanic, the family tries to intervene to prevent their children from marrying beneath themselves.

Cast

as Marion Lenox * Carole Lombard as Alice O'Neil *

as Bronson Lenox *

as Henry Morgan *

Henry Wadsworth Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

as Bertie Lenox *

Winifred Harris Winifred Vera Emily Harris (17 March 1880 – 18 April 1972) was a British actress with a substantial career in America. She appeared in New York plays beginning in 1914 and acted in numerous plays up to 1934. She left Broadway plays for films tho ...

as Carrie Lenox *

Herbert Yost Herbert Yost (also credited as Barry O'Moore and Bertram Yost; December 8, 1879October 23, 1945) was an American actor who in a career that spanned nearly half a century performed predominantly on stage in stock companies and in numerous Broadw ...

as George Grafton * David Hutcheson as Lord Rockingham *

Ilka Chase Ilka Chase (April 8, 1905 – February 15, 1978) was an American actress, radio host, and novelist. Biography Born in New York City and educated at convent and boarding schools in the United States, England, and France, Chase was the only child ...

as Millie Montgomery *

Herschel Mayall Herschel Mayall (July 12, 1863 – June 10, 1941) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1912 and 1935. Biography He was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and died in Detroit, Mic ...

as Judge Summers A typographical error in the title cards for this film credited starlet Carol Lombard as ''Carole'' Lombard, a name she kept for the remainder of her career.Erickson, Ha
Plot synopsis (Allmovie)
/ref>

Production

David Gray and Avery Hopwood's play, ''The Best People'', opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

on August 19, 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. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

series of movie musicals. ''The Best People'' was made into a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

in 1925, ''

The Best People ''The Best People'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Warner Baxter in the leading role. The film was remade in 1930 as '' Fast and Loose ...

'', before

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

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

' second Hollywood assignment, after ''

The Big Pond ''The Big Pond'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code 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 dialo ...

'' (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."

References

External links

* * * *
lobby poster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fast And Loose (1930 Film) 1930 films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Fred C. Newmeyer Paramount Pictures films 1930 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films