It's too bad that former Ziegfeld showgirl Peggy Shannon didn't last long in motion pictures. She was quite adept as an actress and had great charisma on screen. But obviously overworked which led to a substance abuse problem created rumors of difficulty, and that led her down the road to be movies and to an early sad death. One of the saddest elements of her life is that she isn't remembered among other young actresses of the 1930's who died young, and if her talent is to be judged by one film, this is it.
When her father allegedly committed suicide, having been ruined by political boss William B. Davidson, Shannon vows Revenge. It's a difficult situation because she's in love with his son, Richard Arlen. The love story is actually secondary to the story of her revenge, and with the involvement Senator Selmer Jackson, evidence begins to mount that can take down a whole bunch of political big wigs.
This is a very elegant and tough pre-code political drama, there was some great performances and some terrific comedy by Ned Sparks and Jed Prouty as some tough-talking journalists. Shannon's character is quite sly as she gets a job as a switchboard operator at the hotel where both Davidson and Jackson are staying. The Paramount glamour, usually shades for Jeanette MacDonald musicals or exotic Marlene Dietrich dramas, is in abundance here. It's obvious that Paramount didn't consider Shannon all that important because of the number of leading ladies they had under contract (she replaced Clara Bow on this film), but she's absolutely delightful in this and deserved better.
When her father allegedly committed suicide, having been ruined by political boss William B. Davidson, Shannon vows Revenge. It's a difficult situation because she's in love with his son, Richard Arlen. The love story is actually secondary to the story of her revenge, and with the involvement Senator Selmer Jackson, evidence begins to mount that can take down a whole bunch of political big wigs.
This is a very elegant and tough pre-code political drama, there was some great performances and some terrific comedy by Ned Sparks and Jed Prouty as some tough-talking journalists. Shannon's character is quite sly as she gets a job as a switchboard operator at the hotel where both Davidson and Jackson are staying. The Paramount glamour, usually shades for Jeanette MacDonald musicals or exotic Marlene Dietrich dramas, is in abundance here. It's obvious that Paramount didn't consider Shannon all that important because of the number of leading ladies they had under contract (she replaced Clara Bow on this film), but she's absolutely delightful in this and deserved better.