Mandalay (film)
Mandalay is a 1934 American pre Code drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and written by Austin Parker and Charles Kenyon based on a story by Paul Hervey Fox. The film stars Kay Francis, Ricardo Cortez, Warner Oland and Lyle Talbot, and features Ruth Donnelly and Reginald Owen.
| Mandalay | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
| Produced by | Robert Presnell Sr. |
| Screenplay by | Austin Parker Charles Kenyon |
| Story by | Paul Hervey Fox |
| Starring | Kay Francis Ricardo Cortez Warner Oland Lyle Talbot |
| Music by | Uncredited: Heinz Roemheld Songs: Sammy Fain (music) Irving Kahal (lyrics) |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio |
| Edited by | Thomas Pratt |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $294,000[1] |
| Box office | $629,000[1] |
The film is about a world-weary woman (Francis) nicknamed "Spot White" at the local brothel-bar who does what she can to survive. Curtiz used cutting edge wipes and opticals in the film.[2] Future child star Shirley Temple won a small role in the film as the daughter of the Donnelly and Littlefield characters, but the role was little more than a walk-on. Originally, her name was not listed in the credits and was only included years later.[3]
Cast
- Kay Francis as Tanya Borodoff
- Ricardo Cortez as Tony Evans
- Warner Oland as Nick
- Lyle Talbot as Dr. Gregory Burton
- Lucien Littlefield as George Peters
- Ruth Donnelly as Mrs. George Peters
- Reginald Owen as Police Commissioner
- Shirley Temple as Betty Shaw (most scenes deleted)[4][5]
Production
The lead roles were initially offered to George Brent and his wife Ruth Chatterton. Chatterton turned down the role because she did not want to play a prostitute again, and Brent because he did not want to make the trip to the Stockton, California location on San Joaquin River, where the film shot for 10 days. Afterwards, Ricardo Cortez was assigned by the studio to play "Tony Evans".[6]
Reception
Although the critics did not see the film as anything better than a good "B-movie", it was well-received nonetheless, and was a moneymaker for the studio.[4]
Box office
According to Warner Bros records the film made a profit of $83,462.[1]
References
- Mandalay at Kay Francis Films Archived 2014-04-05 at the Wayback Machine accessed 16 March 2014
- Baxter 54
- Edwards, p. 49
- Stafford, Jeff. "Mandalay" on TCM.com
- Mandalay (1934) details Archived 2013-01-16 at Archive.today, allrovi.com; accessed August 30, 2015.
- Mandalay (1934) - film notes, tcm.com; accessed July 22, 2015.
Bibliography
- Baxter, John (1968), Hollywood in the Thirties, A. Zwemmer Ltd, London, UK, ISBN 0-498-06927-3
- Edwards, Anne (1988), Shirley Temple: American Princess, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.
External links
- Mandalay at IMDb
- Mandalay at the TCM Movie Database
- Mandalay at AllMovie
- Mandalay at the American Film Institute Catalog