A Notorious Affair
| A Notorious Affair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lloyd Bacon |
| Produced by | Robert North |
| Written by |
Play: Audrey and Waverly Carter Screenplay: J. Grubb Alexander |
| Starring |
Billie Dove Basil Rathbone Kay Francis |
| Music by | Cecil Copping |
| Cinematography | Ernest Haller |
| Edited by | Frank Ware |
| Distributed by | First National Pictures |
Release dates | May 4, 1930 |
Running time | 69 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
A Notorious Affair is a 1930 early talkie pre-Code film, which was produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros..
It was directed by Lloyd Bacon and starred Billie Dove, Basil Rathbone and Kay Francis.[1] The film was adapted from the play Fame, which was written by Audrey and Waverly Carter.
Synopsis
Billie Dove plays Lady Patricia, a socialite who, despite being engaged to an aristocrat, shocks her friends and social class by marrying a poor Italian violinist Paul Gherardi (Rathbone). Through her wealth and influence, Patricia makes Paul famous and wealthy. In spite of this, Paul falls for the charms of a vamp, Countess Olga Balakireff (Francis) who likes to fool around with rich men. Eventually Paul has a nervous breakdown due to overwork and collapses.
Dr. Pomeroy (played by Kenneth Thompson) is sent for; he happens to be one of Patricia's former lovers. Balakireff, annoyed at Paul's increasingly irritable behavior, decides she has had her fun and leaves him. Paul then suffers a paralytic attack. Patricia and Dr. Pomeroy take Paul to a surgeon for an operation. After his operation, Patricia stays at her husband's side to nurse him back to health. As he is recovering, Paul accuses Patricia of wanting to leave him for Thompson. When she tells him that she no longer loves Dr. Pomeroy, he begins to recover.
Cast
- Billie Dove - Lady Patricia Hanley Gherardi
- Basil Rathbone - Paul Gherardi
- Kay Francis - Countess Olga Balakireff
- Kenneth Thomson - Dr. Alan Pomeroy
- Montagu Love - Sir Thomas Hanley
- Malcolm Waite - Higgins, Countess Balakireff's butler
Preservation
The film survives intact and has been broadcast on television and cable. A print is held by the Library of Congress and it is also preserved in the Turner Library.[2]