''Quality Street'' is a 1937

period film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

made by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

.''

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 ...

'' film review; March 20, 1937, page 47. It was directed by

George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, film producer, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nomi ...

and produced by

Pandro S. Berman Pandro Samuel Berman (March 28, 1905July 13, 1996), also known as Pan Berman, was an American film producer. Early life Berman was born to a Jewish family in Pittsburgh in 1905. His father Henry was general manager of Universal Pictures durin ...

. Set in 19th-century England, the film stars

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

and

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

makes one of her early (uncredited) film appearances. The screenplay was by Allan Scott,

Mortimer Offner Mortimer Offner (November 3, 1900 – September 1965) was an American photographer, political activist, and screenwriter. He created portraits of leading film stars before successfully moving to screenwriting. His career ended when he was blackli ...

, and

Jack Townley Jack Townley (March 3, 1897 – October 15, 1960) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for nearly 100 films between 1926 and 1957. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * ''The T ...

, based on the 1901 play '' Quality Street'' by

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

. This 1937 version was filmed at the RKO Encino

movie ranch A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. The fir ...

, RKO Forty Acres backlot, and RKO Hollywood Studios. ''Quality Street'' was a box office failure, recording a loss of $248,000.Richard Jewel, "RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951". ''Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television'', Vol 14 No 1, 1994; p. 44 It was Katharine Hepburn's fourth flop film in a row for RKO Pictures, which added to Miss Hepburn’s label as "box office poison" by the 1938 national group of movie exhibitors.

Roy Webb Royden Denslow Webb (October 3, 1888 – December 10, 1982) was an American film music composer. Webb has hundreds of film music credits to his name, mainly with RKO Pictures. He is best known for film noir and horror film scores, in particular f ...

's music was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Score.

Plot

In 1805 England, eligible bachelors are scarce on Quality Street. Twenty-year-old Phoebe Throssel (Hepburn) becomes very hopeful when one of the few, Dr. Valentine Brown (Tone), tells her he has something important to say to her that day. Both she and her older sister Susan believe he will propose. However, he informs her that he has enlisted in the army to fight in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Phoebe hides her devastation so well that Dr. Brown never suspects she is deeply in love with him. She gives up hope of ever marrying. By contrast, the Throssels' servant Patty, though she is a decade older and aware she is no beauty, is confident that she will get a man. For the next ten years, the Throssels run a school for young boys and girls. Then, with the wars over, Brown returns as a captain. When he comes to invite the sisters to a ball, he is taken aback by how much Phoebe's looks appear to have deteriorated. Hurt by this, Phoebe declines. To lift her spirits, Phoebe sheds her drab everyday clothes and dresses up in a beautiful gown. When Brown returns unexpectedly, Patty thinks quickly and identifies her as Phoebe's niece Livy. Taken in completely, Brown invites her to the ball. She accepts, planning to make him eventually fall in love with her, then when he proposes, reject him. At the ball, she is quickly surrounded by admirers, much to Brown's annoyance. In the days that follow, she flirts with all the men. Finally, at a party, Brown approaches Livy. To her shock, instead of asking for her hand in marriage, he merely lectures her on her behavior and reveals that he is in love with Phoebe. The next day, the Throssels have to fend off their neighbors, the Willougbys, who suspect that Livy and Phoebe are one and the same, particularly elderly Mary Willoughby. When Brown comes calling, the Willoughbys mention their suspicions. He eventually corners Patty and gets the truth from her. With the help of the sergeant who first recruited him, he puts clothes around a large seat cushion and puts "Livy" in a carriage to return home, all in sight of the snooping neighbors. He tells the sergeant and Patty to get rid of the "niece" and not to return until much later. The couple are delighted to spend time together. Brown goes inside and embraces Phoebe.

Cast

as Phoebe Throssel *

as Dr. Valentine Brown *

Eric Blore Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appe ...

as Recruiting Sergeant *

Fay Bainter Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 – April 16, 1968) was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Jezebel'' (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Bainter wa ...

as Susan Throssel *

Cora Witherspoon Cora Witherspoon (January 5, 1890 – November 17, 1957) was an American stage and film character actress whose career spanned nearly half a century. She began in theatre where she remained rooted even after entering motion pictures in the ...

as Patty *

Estelle Winwood Estelle Winwood (born Estelle Ruth Goodwin, 24 January 1883 – 20 June 1984) was an English actress who moved to the United States in mid-career and became celebrated for her wit and longevity. Early life and early career Born Estelle Ruth Go ...

as Mary Willoughby * Helena Grant as Fanny Willoughby (uncredited) *

Florence Lake Florence Lake (born Florence Silverlake, November 27, 1904 – April 11, 1980) was an American actress best known as the leading lady in most of the Edgar Kennedy comedy shorts. Early life Lake was born in Charleston, South Carolina. In t ...

as Henrietta Turnbull (uncredited) *

as Charlotte Parratt (uncredited) *

Bonita Granville Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather (February 2, 1923 – October 11, 1988) was an American actress and producer. The daughter of vaudevillians, Granville began her career on the stage at age three. She initially began as a child actress, making h ...

as Isabella (uncredited) *

Clifford Severn Clifford Severn (September 21, 1925 – June 4, 2014) was an American cricketer and child screen actor. Clifford Severn was the son of Dr. Clifford Brill Severn (1890-1981). His parents emigrated from South Africa to Los Angeles after he was born. ...

as Arthur, school bully (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * * {{George Stevens 1937 films 1930s romantic comedy-drama films 1930s historical romance films 1930s historical comedy-drama films American historical comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Romantic period films Films scored by Roy Webb Films based on works by J. M. Barrie Films directed by George Stevens RKO Pictures films Films set in the 1810s Films set in England Remakes of American films Sound film remakes of silent films American historical romance films 1937 comedy films 1937 drama films 1930s American films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links