Murder in Panama sets a woman acquitted of the crime on a desperate search for respectability, and this means changing her identity and getting a prestigious job as an interior decorator so she can enter society the right way. When that shady dame is none other than Tallulah Bankhead, the chances of her succeeding is extremely rare. Going from the bottom of the heap to the well-dressed social climber with a heart of gold, Tallulah bares all the emotions that has made her a legend, and her husky voice adds to that.
Unfortunately, on screen as a young woman, Tallulah never seemed at home, her casa being the stage. She would have to obtain that legendary reputation through years of good and bad publicity, finally capturing her magic on-screen more than a decade later in "Lifeboat". Her early film talkies only toss her into the category of being a rival to the more exotic Dietrich, no matter how sincere her performance is.
Fredric March serves as window dressing to the unforgettable Tallulah as her attorney in Panama who helped her to alter her identity. Harry Davenport is excellent as another attorney who recognizes her immediately behind her silks and sequins when she ironically becomes engaged to his nephew. Stagily directed by Broadway legend George Abbott, this only has a few of those pre-code moments that made the "sinning woman" films of this era so much fun. Without Tallulah in it, I'm afraid I'd have to dismiss this as standard early talkie melodrama.
Unfortunately, on screen as a young woman, Tallulah never seemed at home, her casa being the stage. She would have to obtain that legendary reputation through years of good and bad publicity, finally capturing her magic on-screen more than a decade later in "Lifeboat". Her early film talkies only toss her into the category of being a rival to the more exotic Dietrich, no matter how sincere her performance is.
Fredric March serves as window dressing to the unforgettable Tallulah as her attorney in Panama who helped her to alter her identity. Harry Davenport is excellent as another attorney who recognizes her immediately behind her silks and sequins when she ironically becomes engaged to his nephew. Stagily directed by Broadway legend George Abbott, this only has a few of those pre-code moments that made the "sinning woman" films of this era so much fun. Without Tallulah in it, I'm afraid I'd have to dismiss this as standard early talkie melodrama.