Lulu Belle (film)

Lulu Belle (1948) is a film released by Columbia Pictures starring Dorothy Lamour, George Montgomery, and Glenda Farrell.

Directed by Leslie Fenton, the film was an adaption of a sensational 1920s hit play by Charles MacArthur and Edward Sheldon, about a mulatto songstress, a "man-trap" who bewitched powerful men in New Orleans.

The considerably cleaned up film version of the play was about a Caucasian songbird who could not be true to her boxer beau. Although the film offered a change of pace for its star, Dorothy Lamour, it was not a success at the box office.

Plot summary

Famous Broadway singer Lulu Belle (Dorothy Lamour) and Harry Randolph (Otto Kruger), her rich suitor, are found shot and severely wounded in her dressing room one night after the show. They are discovered by Lulu's best friend, Molly Benson (Glenda Farrell). Lulu and Harry are taken unconscious to the hospital.

Soon, Lulu's ex-husband, George Davis (George Montgomery), is accused of the shooting, since he has been previously convicted of attempted murder of a man who was a big fan of his wife. During George's interrogation e tells the story of how he met Lulu for the first time.

Lulu was performing in a dodgy place called Natchez café, and George was so taken with her that he left his fiancé and law practice to elope with her to New Orleans. They lived a wild life in luxury for a while, until George's money ran out. Lulu went on to another man, high-stakes gambler Mark Brady (Albert Dekker), to get support for her costly way of life.

George was jealous and wanted Mark out of the picture, so he sponsored the man's boxing career, which took him out of town on a tour. Soon after George hears Lulu scheme with another one if her admirers, Butch Cooper (Greg McLure), to rob Mark of his money. George realizes that Lulu is bad news and leaves her.

It doesn't take long before they get back together again. Lulu is offered a job by Mark, as a singer at a club he is starting, and George starts drinking heavily to drown his sorrows. He tries to get Molly to help stop Lulu's way of life. Eventually Lulu wants to divorce him to set him free. That night a wealthy man named Harry Randolph comes to visit the club with his wife. He is immediately smitten with Lulu, and decides to help her become a star on Broadway.

George picks a fight with boxer Butch and is beaten black and blue. George manages to stick a fork in Butch's eye and put an end to his fighting career. For this he is convicted and sentenced to prison. Lulu goes with Randolph, her new benefactor, to New York and Broadway.

Randolph puts a lot of money and effort into building Lulu's career and a theater. After five years of working close together, Randolph asks Lulu to marry him.

Lulu finds out that George has been released from prison and asks him to come her apartment. Afraid of her charms, George sends Butch to see her and he tries to strangle her, but is interrupted. Mark turns up later in the evening at the theater and tries to force Lulu to come back with him, but she refuses.

George meets Lulu right after the show that night and is sucked into her beam of charm again, when she proclaims her love for him. They decide to start a new life together. Without hesitation, Lulu tells Randolph that she won't marry him and he is upset.

Then comes the night of the shooting.

Returning to the present, police commissioner Dixon (Addison Richards) gathers all the persons involved in the story, including Mrs. Randolph, at the dying Mr. Randolph's bedside. He asks Randolph to tell them who the shooter was, and he reveals it was his wife. George is vindicated and freed of all charges. He stays by Lulu's side long enough to make sure she will recover, then returns to his hometown on his own.[1]

Cast

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82178/Lulu-Belle/