Story of female con artist who falls for her scam victim is just a backdrop for Shearer, who photographs beautifully and shows a remarkable range without uttering a word (check out the "wedding veil" scene, where she moves from mocking the idea of marriage to momentarily embracing the idea, all within a few seconds of subtly-evolving facial gestures). Entertaining, even if plot takes a couple of slightly unbelievable twists, with nice balance of comedy and drama (again, Shearer's range of emotion in the last scenes of the film are impressive and engaging). Clearly shows why Norma Shearer was a major MGM star even before the advent of sound.
15 Reviews
The Con Artist and the Hunk
movingpicturegal3 July 2007
Entertaining silent film following the story of a gold-digger named Dolly aka "Angel Face" (played by Norma Shearer). Dressed up as the "good girl" we first meet Dolly working as a switchboard operator at a ritzy hotel, where she is recognized by two former partners in crime (slick, oily Brad and bad, blonde Gwen) who force her to rejoin their "racket" or face the consequences (she failed to report for her parole). Seducing a wealthy man she met at the hotel, he's soon minus $10,000 and picking out mug shots of Dolly at police headquarters. Brad and Gwen try to keep the dough for themselves, but wise Dolly gets the better of them - and wanting to work her own racket, she heads for Atlantic City where she ends up at a hotel absolutely swarming with men attending a "tile and cement" convention. There she meets her next "mark", an innocent Southern cement man/mama's boy (Johnny Mack Brown) who happens to be the perfect specimen of the "tall, dark, and handsome" man. She doesn't seem to notice his rather remarkable charms - under the impression he's about to make a million dollar deal, her heart is only on his wallet. Dolly bats her eyelashes into marriage, but things aren't exactly what she expects - and she just can't seem to escape from those two vultures either!
This is a fun film - amusing and well acted, with an interesting, if predictable plot line. Norma Shearer is great, as always, and has a lot of expression on her face in this film - Johnny Mack Brown is charming and oh so handsome to look at. Lowell Sherman, who plays Brad, is terrific in this as he plays the smarm to the hilt. There is some interesting photography in this - like a shot of just the feet of the actors as Dolly is chased by some phony cops, and another interesting shot of the heavily made-up face of "Angel Face" visualized atop her new switchboard operator look when she is recognized by Gwen. The version of this screened on TCM features a decent jazz score that suits the film well.
This is a fun film - amusing and well acted, with an interesting, if predictable plot line. Norma Shearer is great, as always, and has a lot of expression on her face in this film - Johnny Mack Brown is charming and oh so handsome to look at. Lowell Sherman, who plays Brad, is terrific in this as he plays the smarm to the hilt. There is some interesting photography in this - like a shot of just the feet of the actors as Dolly is chased by some phony cops, and another interesting shot of the heavily made-up face of "Angel Face" visualized atop her new switchboard operator look when she is recognized by Gwen. The version of this screened on TCM features a decent jazz score that suits the film well.
A nice little silent with the amazingly vampish Norma Shearer
planktonrules11 September 2007
While Warner Brothers and many of the other American studios were making more and more talking pictures in 1928, the world's largest and most prestigious studio, MGM, was still firmly convinced that sound was a fad that would soon pass. This is one of the main reasons that this film is a silent, though in a slight nod to the trend, it did feature sound effects and music.
During most of her career, Norma Shearer played rather nice ladies and that's why I enjoyed seeing her in this film, as she was a nasty piece of work. Not only was she a career criminal, but she had no qualms about cheating "suckers" out of their money. Eventually, though, she thinks she's ready for a big score when she meets a man who she thinks is really rich--though after they marry and move to his home she finds he's not rich but owns a small concrete business. What happens next is pretty interesting but I'd rather cut the summary short because it might spoil the film.
The film has decent writing (though at times it is predictable) and the acting is generally very good as well. Most importantly, it is fun to watch and entertaining. While not among the best silents, this is still worth a peek--especially if, like me, you are a huge fan of early film.
During most of her career, Norma Shearer played rather nice ladies and that's why I enjoyed seeing her in this film, as she was a nasty piece of work. Not only was she a career criminal, but she had no qualms about cheating "suckers" out of their money. Eventually, though, she thinks she's ready for a big score when she meets a man who she thinks is really rich--though after they marry and move to his home she finds he's not rich but owns a small concrete business. What happens next is pretty interesting but I'd rather cut the summary short because it might spoil the film.
The film has decent writing (though at times it is predictable) and the acting is generally very good as well. Most importantly, it is fun to watch and entertaining. While not among the best silents, this is still worth a peek--especially if, like me, you are a huge fan of early film.
a lady con artist falls for her victim.
jpickerel4 July 2007
This is Norma Shearer's last silent. She plays "Dolly", a con artist who, predictably, falls for her victim (Johnny Mack Brown). It is a hackneyed plot, since done better by more than one film maker. The joy here, though, is simply a treat for the eyes. (There are those who claim she was't beautiful - They've got to be kidding) and there are those who claim she wasn't even a good actress. I'm afraid one could not use this film to prove otherwise. There is nothing remotely subtle about her mugging her way through the part. She learned to be a passable actress with time and the advent of sound, though. Johnny Mack Brown is more than adequate in the part of her "mark". He was a very good actor, and is rarely given his due. Lowell Sherman, as her nemesis, (a fop, bent on blackmail over Dolly's past) is a delight to watch, as he preens, leers and struts his way through the role. He is accompanied in his nefarious task by Gwen Lee, a capable character actress who never really got a shot at lead roles. Her height is in stark contrast to Shearer's small stature. This film is well worth watching, as the photography and processing produced a crisp, visual delight.
A Lady of Chance review
JoeytheBrit4 May 2020
Norma Shearer's final silent is an amiable lightweight romantic comedy in which she plays a con woman who marries for money only to discover that her new husband lives in a shack with his mother and kid brother. Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee provide fun support as a rival pair of grifters who try to horn in on Shearer's mark.
Charming
Michael_Elliott27 February 2008
Lady of Chance, A (1928)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
MGM silent film about a con artist known as "Angel Face" (Norma Shearer) who lures rich, married men to her apartment so that she can blackmail them. After a con goes wrong she flees from the police and meets her next target (Johnny Mack Brown) but after marrying him she lears that he's actually poor, which doesn't sit well with her partners who want cash. This is a pretty typical story of a bad girl falling in love and then trying to go straight. What sets the film apart is the performance from Shearer who is very good as both the good girl and the vamp. There are several pre-code elements ranging from her lifting her skirt up to show off her legs to some other heated moments, which makes the film somewhat better. The biggest flaw is that we've seen this type of film countless times even before this one was released.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
MGM silent film about a con artist known as "Angel Face" (Norma Shearer) who lures rich, married men to her apartment so that she can blackmail them. After a con goes wrong she flees from the police and meets her next target (Johnny Mack Brown) but after marrying him she lears that he's actually poor, which doesn't sit well with her partners who want cash. This is a pretty typical story of a bad girl falling in love and then trying to go straight. What sets the film apart is the performance from Shearer who is very good as both the good girl and the vamp. There are several pre-code elements ranging from her lifting her skirt up to show off her legs to some other heated moments, which makes the film somewhat better. The biggest flaw is that we've seen this type of film countless times even before this one was released.
Late MGM Silent Is A Lot Of Fun
boblipton14 July 2022
Norma Shearer's last silent movie has her paroled from Joliet. She's working a hotel switchboard when she's spotted by Gwen Lee, who's working with Norma's old partner in the badger game, Lowell Sherman. After they all double-cross each other, Norma buys an expensive outfit and heads to Atlantic City, where she settles on a likely rich sucker, Johnny Mack Brown. Johnny is naive, and soon they are married and heading back to his home. But the reality is not what Norma expected. Johnny isn't rich, but poor. He's invented a new sort of cement, but it hasn't paid off yet.
Miss Shearer shows off her silent acting chops with an expressive face and some sardonic expressions. Brown is young, handsome, and has the expression of a hungry dog watching people eat roast beef. Robert Z. Leonard directs everyone ably as was his wont, and there are some very amusing titles written by Ralph Spence, who would go on to script such esteemed pictures as SH! THE OCTOPUS and DOWN ARGENTINE WAY.
Miss Shearer shows off her silent acting chops with an expressive face and some sardonic expressions. Brown is young, handsome, and has the expression of a hungry dog watching people eat roast beef. Robert Z. Leonard directs everyone ably as was his wont, and there are some very amusing titles written by Ralph Spence, who would go on to script such esteemed pictures as SH! THE OCTOPUS and DOWN ARGENTINE WAY.
Norma Shearer's last silent film
Patrick-9616 August 2001
"A Lady of Chance" was Norma Shearer's last silent film. The Turner Movie Classic channel debut of this forgotten gem with a brand-new score, took place on August 15, 2001. It was a total delight! The print was in excellent condition and looked just as audiences first saw it in 1928. Norma, who never looked lovelier, was in top form and showed how adept she was as a silent movie actress. Never let anyone say that she couldn't handle comedy! It's a fun film to watch and I recommend it to anyone, not just Shearer fans.
Shearer is fine, but plot is just average
gbill-7487723 March 2019
Norma Shearer is just fine in her last silent role and ekes everything she can out of it, but the plot lets her down and makes this just an average film. She plays a con who must keep ahead of the law as well as a couple of other grifters, who are played delightfully by Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee. Without spoiling it, where it takes a turn for the worse is when she shows she has a heart - it just wasn't believable based on everything that came before it, and made the rest of the film far less interesting than it could have been. If you love Shearer, there's enough here to watch it though.
You've Just Got to Love Norma Shearer!!!
kidboots19 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The other day I saw a few comments about Norma Shearer - sneering at her thespian abilities in "Marie Antoinette" and "Romeo and Juliet" - I just wanted to shout "You don't know the real Norma"!! In the two movies mentioned she was fully entrenched as "First Lady" of MGM but, in the silent era, she was a beautiful leading lady. With Joan Crawford as MGM's flapper in residence, Norma pushed back her hair in a distinctive style, got a wardrobe of rather daring Adrian gowns and added a little shady to the lady. "A Lady of Chance" was Norma's last silent and introduced a new sophisticated Norma to her already legion of fans.
Dolly (Norma Shearer) is working as a switchboard operator at a certain ritzy hotel when she is spotted by two former associates, Brad and Gwen (Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee), who recognise her as their one time partner in crime "Angel Face". Dolly hasn't reformed - she is trying her luck on her own - fleecing gullible millionaires out of their money, with pretty tears (she can cry on cue) and sad stories about dying mothers and sick little brothers. They "convince" her to come back to the gang, holding over her head the fact that she has failed to report to her parole officer. She reluctantly goes back, but is always one step ahead of her shifty con artist buddies. Again Dolly goes out on her own and finds herself at an Atlantic City Convention where she makes a play for Steve Crandall (Johnny Mack Brown), who she thinks is a naive Southern millionaire - "I never realised how uninteresting cement was - until I met you"!!! They marry (a funny title says "From now on I'll do the paying" to which Dolly replies when she closes the door "And How"!!!
Once she is in Steve's home town she realises she has made a ghastly mistake - he is not wealthy (he had been at the convention to interest people in his invention of unbreakable cement). He is working to pay off his ramshackle car and the plantation he had dreamed of returning to, well, his family owns the small homestead next door which is badly in need of paint. Dolly is thoroughly disillusioned but is won over by the family's love for her and contentment in the simple things in life - something she has never experienced. Like two bad pennies, Brad and Gwen turn up but before Dolly can convince them that Steve is really poor - Steve bursts through the door with the news that he has sold his invention for $100,000!!!
Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee almost steal the movie - Gwen Lee should have had a much bigger career but her height went against her in an era when leading men were not tall. Lowell Sherman had been playing dapper cads since "Way Down East" with Lillian Gish and his debonair and jaunty mannerisms gave this movie even more class. Even though it was just a frothy comedy it had all the style and sophistication that made MGM the greatest of the "Dream Factories".
Highly, Highly Recommended.
Dolly (Norma Shearer) is working as a switchboard operator at a certain ritzy hotel when she is spotted by two former associates, Brad and Gwen (Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee), who recognise her as their one time partner in crime "Angel Face". Dolly hasn't reformed - she is trying her luck on her own - fleecing gullible millionaires out of their money, with pretty tears (she can cry on cue) and sad stories about dying mothers and sick little brothers. They "convince" her to come back to the gang, holding over her head the fact that she has failed to report to her parole officer. She reluctantly goes back, but is always one step ahead of her shifty con artist buddies. Again Dolly goes out on her own and finds herself at an Atlantic City Convention where she makes a play for Steve Crandall (Johnny Mack Brown), who she thinks is a naive Southern millionaire - "I never realised how uninteresting cement was - until I met you"!!! They marry (a funny title says "From now on I'll do the paying" to which Dolly replies when she closes the door "And How"!!!
Once she is in Steve's home town she realises she has made a ghastly mistake - he is not wealthy (he had been at the convention to interest people in his invention of unbreakable cement). He is working to pay off his ramshackle car and the plantation he had dreamed of returning to, well, his family owns the small homestead next door which is badly in need of paint. Dolly is thoroughly disillusioned but is won over by the family's love for her and contentment in the simple things in life - something she has never experienced. Like two bad pennies, Brad and Gwen turn up but before Dolly can convince them that Steve is really poor - Steve bursts through the door with the news that he has sold his invention for $100,000!!!
Lowell Sherman and Gwen Lee almost steal the movie - Gwen Lee should have had a much bigger career but her height went against her in an era when leading men were not tall. Lowell Sherman had been playing dapper cads since "Way Down East" with Lillian Gish and his debonair and jaunty mannerisms gave this movie even more class. Even though it was just a frothy comedy it had all the style and sophistication that made MGM the greatest of the "Dream Factories".
Highly, Highly Recommended.
"Well if it isn't the same old Angel face at a brand new racket."
classicsoncall14 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
After all this time, this is my first look at Norma Shearer, just before she and MGM took the plunge into talking films. Very curiously, Turner Classics Movie host Robert Osborne introduced this picture the other night, stating that in one sense, this was Shearer's first 'talkie', but she didn't actually speak in it, having her voice dubbed in afterward when MGM realized that movie fans actually DID want to see them in preference to silent films. So the entire picture I'm waiting for her or any of the other characters to speak, but it never happened. So I don't know what happened there.
I was rather surprised by an early reference in the story to Dolly Morgan's (Shearer) character, after a title card mentioned that she provided businessman T. Roger Hammond with ten thousand dollars worth of experience! That could have been taken any number of ways and I'm wondering if my initial response was justified. You know what I'm talking about, what do YOU think?
Perhaps the bigger surprise for me in this picture was the appearance of Johnny Mack Brown (here billed as John Mack Brown). I'm more used to seeing him in cowboy gear atop a horse in any number of B Westerns, so he looked a bit out of his element here. He was actually quite the handsome leading man in this flick, but apparently with limited range as an actor, his career path brought him to the Western genre in which he became quite popular for almost three decades.
After 'trapping' Steve Crandall (Brown) into marriage, Angel Face Dolly undergoes a couple changes of heart before she realizes where her true feelings lie. I don't know if some of the situations were meant to be intentionally funny or not, but the mention of a 'tile and cement' convention in Atlantic City managed to crack me up considerably. Later on, the idea that Steve Crandall would offer to 'take custody' of Dolly after appearing before the parole board for past violations really made me think about how society dealt with these issues in the Twenties. There's also that uncomfortable reminder of race relations that existed almost a century ago, a repeated reference to 'darkies' that sounds rather jarring when you hear or read about it today.
I was rather surprised by an early reference in the story to Dolly Morgan's (Shearer) character, after a title card mentioned that she provided businessman T. Roger Hammond with ten thousand dollars worth of experience! That could have been taken any number of ways and I'm wondering if my initial response was justified. You know what I'm talking about, what do YOU think?
Perhaps the bigger surprise for me in this picture was the appearance of Johnny Mack Brown (here billed as John Mack Brown). I'm more used to seeing him in cowboy gear atop a horse in any number of B Westerns, so he looked a bit out of his element here. He was actually quite the handsome leading man in this flick, but apparently with limited range as an actor, his career path brought him to the Western genre in which he became quite popular for almost three decades.
After 'trapping' Steve Crandall (Brown) into marriage, Angel Face Dolly undergoes a couple changes of heart before she realizes where her true feelings lie. I don't know if some of the situations were meant to be intentionally funny or not, but the mention of a 'tile and cement' convention in Atlantic City managed to crack me up considerably. Later on, the idea that Steve Crandall would offer to 'take custody' of Dolly after appearing before the parole board for past violations really made me think about how society dealt with these issues in the Twenties. There's also that uncomfortable reminder of race relations that existed almost a century ago, a repeated reference to 'darkies' that sounds rather jarring when you hear or read about it today.
Cute story but talented actors needed to tone it down
morrisonhimself3 November 2015
Too much mugging by the top-billed actors leave Johnny Mack Brown and Eugenie Besserer the most believable members of an actually very talented cast. In fact, "A Lady of Chance" is much like an old-time pantomime at times, and not at all subtle.
Even in 1928, Lowell Sherman was already a veteran, but so was Norma Shearer, who, though only 26 at this time (two years older than Brown), had been making films since about 1919.
Gwen Lee, who was much more restrained, had also made many movies by 1928 but hadn't started until about three years before. (She just had a very busy three years.)
Brown was still a relative newcomer, but had amazing screen presence. He eventually acted opposite such grand ladies as Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo, among others.
After a while, though, he stuck with westerns and was one of the most popular western stars.
Those of us who love westerns were the beneficiaries, but I wonder if Mr. Brown would have been any happier had he been an A picture fixture.
Again, in "A Lady of Chance," he really stood out, showing talent and looks and ability at underplaying the country boy intended to be a sucker.
There are no other surprises in this pleasant movie. The ending seems to be tacked on, but I don't think anybody would want another.
I do recommend "A Lady of Chance," which I saw on Turner Classic Movies 3 November 2015 during a night of Norma Shearer films. (That night it was followed by "The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg" in which she was adorable, charming, lovely, enticing ... just wonderful. And more restrained though still exuberant. Pretty nearly perfect.)
Even in 1928, Lowell Sherman was already a veteran, but so was Norma Shearer, who, though only 26 at this time (two years older than Brown), had been making films since about 1919.
Gwen Lee, who was much more restrained, had also made many movies by 1928 but hadn't started until about three years before. (She just had a very busy three years.)
Brown was still a relative newcomer, but had amazing screen presence. He eventually acted opposite such grand ladies as Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo, among others.
After a while, though, he stuck with westerns and was one of the most popular western stars.
Those of us who love westerns were the beneficiaries, but I wonder if Mr. Brown would have been any happier had he been an A picture fixture.
Again, in "A Lady of Chance," he really stood out, showing talent and looks and ability at underplaying the country boy intended to be a sucker.
There are no other surprises in this pleasant movie. The ending seems to be tacked on, but I don't think anybody would want another.
I do recommend "A Lady of Chance," which I saw on Turner Classic Movies 3 November 2015 during a night of Norma Shearer films. (That night it was followed by "The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg" in which she was adorable, charming, lovely, enticing ... just wonderful. And more restrained though still exuberant. Pretty nearly perfect.)
Not a Bad Story
ldeangelis-7570830 January 2023
I don't watch many silent films (wish they'd take the time to get the speed right) but this one was okay, partially because I didn't have to put up with Norma Shearer's exaggerated acting voice! Silent (and pleasantly so), she did a good job as a former con artist who thought she married money but ended up in love, only to discover her new husband may soon be the wealthy man she thought he was! Just when she's about to have it all, her past comes back to haunt her.
Will she allow herself to be blackmailed? Will her husband find out the truth? Will it matter to him if he does? Will she beat her former associates at their own game?
Tune in and find out.
Will she allow herself to be blackmailed? Will her husband find out the truth? Will it matter to him if he does? Will she beat her former associates at their own game?
Tune in and find out.
Shearer's Last Silent
wes-connors31 May 2012
In a "ritzy" hotel, seductive Norma Shearer (as Dolly "Angel Face" Morgan) uses her job as telephone operator to connect with wealthy gentlemen. Recently paroled, Ms. Shearer shows off her thighs under torn stockings while sharing a hard luck story, then lures the men to her apartment. There is, of course, a high price to be paid; in case on screen, Shearer makes out with a tidy $10,000. The plot thickens when Shearer's crooked cohorts Lowell Sherman (as Bradley) and Gwen Lee (as Gwen) want a piece of her solo action. Shearer successfully scams the pair, but they turn up to cause more trouble when she sets her sights on handsome cement tycoon Johnny Mack Brown (as Steve Crandall), who has a surprise of his own to reveal...
This was Shearer's last "silent" film; though MGM seemed reluctant to move their stars into talking pictures, several of them became even bigger stars, so the delay worked out very well for those. Curiously, this film has been shown without its "Synchronized Musical Score and Sound Effects" (SSE) on "Turner Classic Movies" (TCM). TCM premiered "A Lady of Chance" with an "all-new" music score in 2001, but had host Robert Osborne discussing the original soundtrack before a 2012 "Silent Sunday" airing, apparently unaware TCM was not showing the original version. Late 1920s "silent films" (which were never "silent") were typically released with SSE. Hopefully, the original soundtracks will be restored; the present trend needs reversing.
***** A Lady of Chance (12/1/28) Robert Z. Leonard ~ Norma Shearer, Lowell Sherman, Johnny Mack Brown, Gwen Lee
This was Shearer's last "silent" film; though MGM seemed reluctant to move their stars into talking pictures, several of them became even bigger stars, so the delay worked out very well for those. Curiously, this film has been shown without its "Synchronized Musical Score and Sound Effects" (SSE) on "Turner Classic Movies" (TCM). TCM premiered "A Lady of Chance" with an "all-new" music score in 2001, but had host Robert Osborne discussing the original soundtrack before a 2012 "Silent Sunday" airing, apparently unaware TCM was not showing the original version. Late 1920s "silent films" (which were never "silent") were typically released with SSE. Hopefully, the original soundtracks will be restored; the present trend needs reversing.
***** A Lady of Chance (12/1/28) Robert Z. Leonard ~ Norma Shearer, Lowell Sherman, Johnny Mack Brown, Gwen Lee
Silent Shearer
charlesem13 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
In A Lady of Chance, Norma Shearer has a role that would later be perfected by Barbara Stanwyck: the tough grifter with a soft heart. The story is nonsense: She falls for her mark, a Southerner (Johnny Mack Brown) she thinks is a rich man, even after he takes her home to Alabama and she learns that she has jumped to the wrong conclusion. Stanwyck does it better in Ball of Fire (Howard Hawks, 1941) and The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941), but Stanwyck also had better directors than the prolific but undistinguished Robert Z. Leonard. He allows, or perhaps encourages, Shearer to mug and pose endlessly; at first she's delightful, but a little of that sort of thing goes a long way. A Lady of Chance also contains an embarrassing heap of period racism, when Shearer and Brown are being wheeled along the Atlantic City boardwalk by a singing black man, and Brown remarks that it reminds him of "the darkies singing on the plantation back home."
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