Kenneth MacDonald hates being in the Russian army. General Walter Huston thinks he should spend less time reading medical books and do army stuff, there being a war on and all. MacDonald virtuously tells him off, so Huston unreasonably orders him shot. This upsets MacDonald's wife, Kay Francis, who conceives the plan of masquerading as a good-time girl in the local bar, seducing Huston, and getting him to rescind his order as a favor.
In other words, it's nonsense, conceived of by people who know nothing of Russians, armies or Generals, but they knew to make sure that Miss Francis had a lot of clothing changes. For decades, this great beauty and excellent actress was denigrated as simply a clotheshorse. With vehicles like this, even opposite Huston, what was the poor women to do except learn her lines and negotiate a better salary?
Piffle like this, with a Russian background, was common in the late silent and early talkie eras. All those tales of impoverished royalty! All those cruel, tyrannous aristocrats! All those horrible Bolsheviks! And being Russian, of course, they had the greatest writers: Tolstoy, Gorky, Pushkin.
Actually the story is told by Robert Heinlein that his second wife, learned Russian specifically to read those great novels in the original language. According to him, she said they gained something in the translation.
Well, considering the source, maybe. At least Miss Francis looks great.
In other words, it's nonsense, conceived of by people who know nothing of Russians, armies or Generals, but they knew to make sure that Miss Francis had a lot of clothing changes. For decades, this great beauty and excellent actress was denigrated as simply a clotheshorse. With vehicles like this, even opposite Huston, what was the poor women to do except learn her lines and negotiate a better salary?
Piffle like this, with a Russian background, was common in the late silent and early talkie eras. All those tales of impoverished royalty! All those cruel, tyrannous aristocrats! All those horrible Bolsheviks! And being Russian, of course, they had the greatest writers: Tolstoy, Gorky, Pushkin.
Actually the story is told by Robert Heinlein that his second wife, learned Russian specifically to read those great novels in the original language. According to him, she said they gained something in the translation.
Well, considering the source, maybe. At least Miss Francis looks great.