Broadway stage star Mae West was a fascinating woman. She came to Hollywood at almost forty, twice the age of the typical starlet. However, she made her mark, not only as an actress, but also as a screenwriter. In "She Done Him Wrong" she had her first starring role. She dominates the screen with her bawdy innuendos and double-entendres and facial expressions.
West plays singer Lady Lou, loosely modeled after the leading lady of her Broadway stage hit "Diamond Lil," but not as notorious. She loves her gems and has power over men. Her patron is Gus Jordan (Noah Berry, Sr.), who owns a Gay Nineties saloon in New York's Bowery. He keeps Lou around by keeping her well-supplied in diamonds. To do so, he also deals in counterfeit money and white slavery, but without her knowledge. Now Lady Lou has had many men regardless of age, so before Gus there was the gangster Chick Clark (Owen Moore). But Clark's in prison for a jewel heist after he was exposed by shaky ward boss / politician Dan Flynn (David Landau). The latter now plots to get Lady Lou for herself after he gets rid of Jordan. Among others into the mix there is Salvation Army Captain Cummings (Cary Grant), who runs the mission next door. Cummings constantly annoys Jordan because he is always coming into his place attempting to reform the customers. When Lady Lou sets her eyes on Cummings, she tells him, "Why don't you come up some time and see me?" But, as it turns out, he is an undercover cop ("The Hawk") in charge of eliminating corruption in the Bowery, and he is investigating Jordan. Things come to a head when Clark breaks out of jail, looking for Flynn and Lady Lou. When it is all over the cops catch the surviving bad guys, and Lou is left with the reforming Cummings. Will he place her in handcuffs? Earlier he had told her that her diamonds were cold and had no soul.
Quick-witted West, in tight-fitting dresses to accentuate her hourglass figure, stole every scene she was in. The star of theater knew how to put on a show. She had style, and was unlike any other screen personage. An example of her one-liners:
Pearl: "Your bath is ready, Miss Lou."
Lady Lou: "You take it; I'm indisposed" (meeting with handsome Serge, young Gilbert Roland).
West manages to belt out several saloon tunes, including "Frankie and Johnny," which unfortunately she never gets to finish because of a shooting. "She Done Him Wrong" is a drama with a rather thin plot, but one that captures the atmosphere and spirit of the late 1890s. It is a generally well-paced and dated but interesting curio. Cary Grant does not shine yet, but he will in time. By the way, Grant was a decade younger than the leading actress. This picture earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of the year, the only one for Miss West.
West plays singer Lady Lou, loosely modeled after the leading lady of her Broadway stage hit "Diamond Lil," but not as notorious. She loves her gems and has power over men. Her patron is Gus Jordan (Noah Berry, Sr.), who owns a Gay Nineties saloon in New York's Bowery. He keeps Lou around by keeping her well-supplied in diamonds. To do so, he also deals in counterfeit money and white slavery, but without her knowledge. Now Lady Lou has had many men regardless of age, so before Gus there was the gangster Chick Clark (Owen Moore). But Clark's in prison for a jewel heist after he was exposed by shaky ward boss / politician Dan Flynn (David Landau). The latter now plots to get Lady Lou for herself after he gets rid of Jordan. Among others into the mix there is Salvation Army Captain Cummings (Cary Grant), who runs the mission next door. Cummings constantly annoys Jordan because he is always coming into his place attempting to reform the customers. When Lady Lou sets her eyes on Cummings, she tells him, "Why don't you come up some time and see me?" But, as it turns out, he is an undercover cop ("The Hawk") in charge of eliminating corruption in the Bowery, and he is investigating Jordan. Things come to a head when Clark breaks out of jail, looking for Flynn and Lady Lou. When it is all over the cops catch the surviving bad guys, and Lou is left with the reforming Cummings. Will he place her in handcuffs? Earlier he had told her that her diamonds were cold and had no soul.
Quick-witted West, in tight-fitting dresses to accentuate her hourglass figure, stole every scene she was in. The star of theater knew how to put on a show. She had style, and was unlike any other screen personage. An example of her one-liners:
Pearl: "Your bath is ready, Miss Lou."
Lady Lou: "You take it; I'm indisposed" (meeting with handsome Serge, young Gilbert Roland).
West manages to belt out several saloon tunes, including "Frankie and Johnny," which unfortunately she never gets to finish because of a shooting. "She Done Him Wrong" is a drama with a rather thin plot, but one that captures the atmosphere and spirit of the late 1890s. It is a generally well-paced and dated but interesting curio. Cary Grant does not shine yet, but he will in time. By the way, Grant was a decade younger than the leading actress. This picture earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of the year, the only one for Miss West.