The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the resultant Depression proved fodder for scriptwriters in a number of Hollywood films revolving around the disastrous economic times. One of the more descriptive films to come out of the pre-code period showing the riches-to-rags descent was October 1932's "Faithless." Based on the Mildred Cram novel 'Tinfoil,' the MGM picture follows rich New York socialite Carol Morgan (Tallulah Bankhead) arguing with her working stiff fiance, Bill Wade (Robert Montgomery), about living on his (to her) low wages when they get married.
Bankhead appeared in "Faithless" as a loan-out to MGM from Paramount Pictures, a common practice in Hollywood at the time when actors and directors were contracted by one studio. The studio loaning out its talent to another collected nice 'rental fees' to pay above and beyond their salaries. Thirty-year-old Bankhead was especially problematic for Paramount since her previous five films with the studio hadn't performed well at the box office. In "Faithless," MGM hairdressers, make-up artists and dress designer Adrian gave Bankhead the Garbo look to heighten her public appeal. The highly-successful Broadway actress didn't like the movie-making process, but loved her $50,000 per motion picture salary.
Bankhead's role as a heiress to a fortune that disappeared by the Depression was perfect for the off-screen hedonist. In "Faithless," to support her fiancé in a relationship that was sputtering, she turned to soliciting in the streets after unable to find employment. Bill, sick and unaware of her activity, eventually discovers her methods of financial support. As modern film reviewer Laura Grieve notes," The plot would have been impossible to film just a couple of years later, especially as the heroine is not punished for her transgressions, as would have been required under the 1934 Code. The ending was somewhat unexpected and a bit improbable, but very touching."
The gritty nature of the film ran counter to the sophistication and richness of MGM movies. As one reviewer wrote, "There are some scenes in 'Faithless' that may require you to rewind the film to the beginning and see the lion again in order to convince yourself you're watching an MGM movie." After "Faithless," Bankhead's contract with Paramount ended. MGM head Louis Mayer was scared off by the actress' promiscuity and her complete frankness to the press whenever she was interviewed. She said to one reporter about the current movie production code under Will Hays, "I have followed Mr. Hay's advice and have taken up a completely sexless, nun-like, legs-crossed existence."
After recklessly sleeping with a number of Hollywood men and women, Bankhead returned to the New York stage when, during a 1933 performance of the play 'Jezebel,' she collapsed and underwent a five-hour emergency hysterectomy to cure her from an untreated disease she caught in California. Nearly dying, Bankhead was released from the hospital weighing 70 pounds. But the near-death experience didn't stop her from continuing her late-night partying with drugs and beddings. As she left the hospital, she told her doctor, "Don't think this has taught me a lesson!" Bankhead's return to the stage was a rousing success, winning a handful of acting awards in the process. "Faithless" was the final dramatic film she appeared in until Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 "Lifeboat."
Bankhead appeared in "Faithless" as a loan-out to MGM from Paramount Pictures, a common practice in Hollywood at the time when actors and directors were contracted by one studio. The studio loaning out its talent to another collected nice 'rental fees' to pay above and beyond their salaries. Thirty-year-old Bankhead was especially problematic for Paramount since her previous five films with the studio hadn't performed well at the box office. In "Faithless," MGM hairdressers, make-up artists and dress designer Adrian gave Bankhead the Garbo look to heighten her public appeal. The highly-successful Broadway actress didn't like the movie-making process, but loved her $50,000 per motion picture salary.
Bankhead's role as a heiress to a fortune that disappeared by the Depression was perfect for the off-screen hedonist. In "Faithless," to support her fiancé in a relationship that was sputtering, she turned to soliciting in the streets after unable to find employment. Bill, sick and unaware of her activity, eventually discovers her methods of financial support. As modern film reviewer Laura Grieve notes," The plot would have been impossible to film just a couple of years later, especially as the heroine is not punished for her transgressions, as would have been required under the 1934 Code. The ending was somewhat unexpected and a bit improbable, but very touching."
The gritty nature of the film ran counter to the sophistication and richness of MGM movies. As one reviewer wrote, "There are some scenes in 'Faithless' that may require you to rewind the film to the beginning and see the lion again in order to convince yourself you're watching an MGM movie." After "Faithless," Bankhead's contract with Paramount ended. MGM head Louis Mayer was scared off by the actress' promiscuity and her complete frankness to the press whenever she was interviewed. She said to one reporter about the current movie production code under Will Hays, "I have followed Mr. Hay's advice and have taken up a completely sexless, nun-like, legs-crossed existence."
After recklessly sleeping with a number of Hollywood men and women, Bankhead returned to the New York stage when, during a 1933 performance of the play 'Jezebel,' she collapsed and underwent a five-hour emergency hysterectomy to cure her from an untreated disease she caught in California. Nearly dying, Bankhead was released from the hospital weighing 70 pounds. But the near-death experience didn't stop her from continuing her late-night partying with drugs and beddings. As she left the hospital, she told her doctor, "Don't think this has taught me a lesson!" Bankhead's return to the stage was a rousing success, winning a handful of acting awards in the process. "Faithless" was the final dramatic film she appeared in until Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 "Lifeboat."