Displaying the saddest (brown?) eyes in film Irene Dunne soldiers her way through one setback after the next in The Secret of Madame Blanche. Dealing with three generations of an upper crust family Dunne finds all kinds of ways to sing the blues over a twenty year period.
Silver spoon playboy Lenny St. John falls hard for showgirl Sally (Dunne) and in no time they are hitched. Dad Aubrey (Lionel Atwell) will have none of it and he browbeats sonny to end it who does so in the most extreme fashion by committing suicide. Aubrey, distraught by the realization that his money will be orphaned with no one to carry on his name has a detective shadow the pregnant Sally who after giving birth to a boy, sings for a living in a Paris pick-up joint. Aubrey abducts the child after slandering her and pulling some strings to get full custody. Years pass when her soldier son turns up at her bar makes a scene and gets involved in a murder. Madame Blanche in turn selflessly takes the fall instead.
On stage Dunne is more Chevalier than Mistinquette but when she deals with the family St. John she delivers powerfully in scene after scene as well as age convincingly. Atwell as old man Aubrey also registers powerfully with an intractable condescending cruelty. As Sally's son Holmes Philips chips in commendably as well playing at first a loutish dough boy before moving on to some tender moments with Dunne.
Taking place between fin de siècle and World War One the film is both sharply costumed (Adrian) and set designed (Cedric Gibbons) providing a lush look and background for Dunne's tragic Sally in this well mounted if at times far fetched tearjerker.
Silver spoon playboy Lenny St. John falls hard for showgirl Sally (Dunne) and in no time they are hitched. Dad Aubrey (Lionel Atwell) will have none of it and he browbeats sonny to end it who does so in the most extreme fashion by committing suicide. Aubrey, distraught by the realization that his money will be orphaned with no one to carry on his name has a detective shadow the pregnant Sally who after giving birth to a boy, sings for a living in a Paris pick-up joint. Aubrey abducts the child after slandering her and pulling some strings to get full custody. Years pass when her soldier son turns up at her bar makes a scene and gets involved in a murder. Madame Blanche in turn selflessly takes the fall instead.
On stage Dunne is more Chevalier than Mistinquette but when she deals with the family St. John she delivers powerfully in scene after scene as well as age convincingly. Atwell as old man Aubrey also registers powerfully with an intractable condescending cruelty. As Sally's son Holmes Philips chips in commendably as well playing at first a loutish dough boy before moving on to some tender moments with Dunne.
Taking place between fin de siècle and World War One the film is both sharply costumed (Adrian) and set designed (Cedric Gibbons) providing a lush look and background for Dunne's tragic Sally in this well mounted if at times far fetched tearjerker.