The Cheat (1931)

Set in the country club set of Long Island, the upper class wife (Tallulah Bankhead) of a young stockbroker (Harvey Stephens) lives beyond her means. Not just clothes but gambling debts. When she embezzles $10,000 from the charity of which she is the treasurer, she turns to a sinister adventurer (Irving Pichel, who would later turn to directing movies like DESTINATION MOON) to loan her the money to replace the theft. However, what he wants in return isn't to be paid back but to possess her. A remake of the 1915 Cecil B. DeMille silent, this is a vehicle to showcase the talents of Bankhead, a popular stage actress whose film career never caught fire. But it wasn't until the 1940s when she had vehicles that showcased her properly (LIFEBOAT, A ROYAL SCANDAL). She's good but the low-minded material which was probably shocking in 1915 seems just coarse and obvious in 1931. Fortunately, at one hour and seven minutes, the film is economical in its storytelling and doesn't waste our time. Directed by the stage director George Abbott (THE PAJAMA GAME).