“Trouble in Paradise” (1932): A Masterclass in Pre-Code Elegance and High-Stakes Deception

Directed by legendary filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch, Trouble in Paradise (1932) is a quintessential pre-Code romantic comedy starring Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, and Miriam Hopkins. Set against a lavish European backdrop, the film opens in Venice, where debonair master thief Gaston Monescu (Marshall) meets a charming fellow pickpocket, Lily (Hopkins). Realizing they are kindred spirits in crime and sophistication, the two fall head-over-heels in love and join forces as partners in high-society theft.

Seeking their next big payday, the duo moves to Paris and targets Madame Mariette Colet (Francis), the glamorous, immensely wealthy head of a famous perfume house. Gaston manages to return a diamond-encrusted handbag he previously stole from Mariette, earning her immense gratitude, a hefty cash reward, and a position as her personal secretary. Lily joins the household as his typist, positioning the pair to orchestrate a massive embezzlement scheme from within Madame Colet’s opulent estate.

Complications arise as Gaston spends more time with his employer. Mariette’s effortless charm and undeniable elegance begin to captivate Gaston, leading to a passionate mutual attraction that threatens to derail the heist. With jealous suitors snooping around, Lily suspecting her lover’s shifting loyalties, and a high-stakes robbery hanging in the balance, Gaston finds himself caught in a delicate, witty game of love and deception.

 

Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall, and Miriam Hopkins

Ernst Lubitsch (1892 – 1947) was an influential German-born director, producer, and actor who became one of Hollywood’s most revered filmmakers. Beginning his career in Germany's silent film industry, he moved to Hollywood in the 1920s and developed a celebrated directorial style known as “the Lubitsch Touch”—characterized by visual wit, urbanity, and subtle double entendres. His acclaimed works include Trouble in Paradise (1932), Ninotchka (1939), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), and To Be or Not to Be (1942).

Miriam Hopkins (1902 – 1972) was an American actress who became one of early sound cinema’s leading stars, known for her sharp intelligence, screen intensity, and comic timing. She frequently collaborated with director Ernst Lubitsch, delivering memorable performances in The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), Trouble in Paradise (1932), and Design for Living (1933). She was also nominated for an Academy Award for her title role in Becky Sharp (1935), the first feature-length Technicolor film.

Kay Francis (1905–1968), born Katharine Edwina Gibbs in Oklahoma City, rose to prominence on Broadway before transitioning to Hollywood in the late 1920s, quickly becoming Warner Bros.’ highest-paid actress during the mid-1930s. Renowned for her striking dark hair, sophisticated glamour, and distinct minor lisp (often substituting ‘r’ sounds with ‘w’), she excelled in high-fashion melodramas and romantic comedies, including Trouble in Paradise and One Way Passage (1932). After serving extensively with the USO during World War II, Francis retired from acting in the late 1940s and lived a quiet, private life until her death from breast cancer at age 63.

English actor Herbert Marshall (1890–1966) was born in London and began a promising stage career before serving in World War I, where he suffered a severe leg injury that resulted in a prosthetic limb—a condition he masked so gracefully on screen that few audiences ever noticed. With his velvet-smooth baritone voice, impeccable dignity, and suave charm, Marshall became a major Hollywood leading man in the 1930s and 1940s, starring in masterpieces like Trouble in Paradise, The Letter (1940), and The Razor’s Edge (1946). He remained a sought-after character actor in film, radio, and television until his death from heart failure at age 75.

 

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Trouble in Paradise trivia

Banned by the Production Code: Because the film portrays crime as romantic and financially rewarding without moral punishment, it was withdrawn from circulation in 1935 after the Hays Code began strict enforcement, remaining unshown for decades.

Director’s Favorite: Director Ernst Lubitsch frequently cited Trouble in Paradise as his personal favorite among all his films, praising its visual fluidity and tone.

On-Set Rivalry: Co-stars Miriam Hopkins and Kay Francis reportedly had a tense relationship off-camera, competing over billing, wardrobe, and screen time throughout production.

Prosthetic Triumph: Despite Herbert Marshall having a wooden leg from his wartime injury, Lubitsch directed him to walk long distances and climb stairs seamlessly, keeping the actor's physical limitation invisible to audiences.

 

Discussion questions

How does Trouble in Paradise embody the unique freedom of pre-Code Hollywood cinema compared to films made just a few years later?

In what ways does Ernst Lubitsch use visual touches—such as doors, shadows, and subtle props—to convey romantic and sexual subtext without explicit dialogue?

Between Lily and Mariette, how do the female leads represent different ideals of femininity, independence, and social class in 1930s cinema?

Does the film present a sympathetic view of Gaston’s criminality, or does it serve as a subtle commentary on wealth inequality during the Great Depression?

 

 

“Design for Living”: A Pre-Code Tale of Love, Art, and Compromise

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, Design for Living (1933) is a sophisticated pre-Code romantic comedy about an unusual love triangle that forms in Paris. The story begins on a train where Gilda Farrell (Miriam Hopkins), an independent commercial artist, meets two struggling American artists: painter George Curtis (Gary Cooper) and playwright Tom Chambers (Fredric March). Intrigued by both men and unable to choose between them, Gilda proposes a “gentleman’s agreement”: she will move into their shared apartment as a platonic muse, critic, and friend to help guide their careers, with sex strictly off the table.

This platonic arrangement quickly unravels as professional success and romantic temptations test the trio’s bond. When Tom leaves for London to oversee the production of his newly written play, Gilda and George succumb to their feelings and begin a romantic affair. Upon Tom’s return, feelings of jealousy, betrayal, and passion resurface, throwing their living arrangement into chaos. Overwhelmed by the emotional drama, Gilda attempts to seek stability elsewhere by stepping away from their bohemian lifestyle.

Desperate for security, Gilda marries Max Plunkett (Edward Everett Horton), a conservative and wealthy advertising executive. However, her new life of domestic propriety and high-society parties leaves her deeply unfulfilled. When Tom and George crash her husband’s lavish gathering, the two men realize they miss Gilda as much as she misses them, forcing the trio to reconsider their unconventional dynamic and decide if they can design a way of living that suits all three of them.

 

Ernst Lubitsch (1892 – 1947) was an influential German-born director, producer, and actor who became one of Hollywood’s most revered filmmakers. Beginning his career in Germany's silent film industry, he moved to Hollywood in the 1920s and developed a celebrated directorial style known as “the Lubitsch Touch”—characterized by visual wit, urbanity, and subtle double entendres. His acclaimed works include Trouble in Paradise (1932), Ninotchka (1939), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), and To Be or Not to Be (1942).

Fredric March (1897 – 1977) was a versatile and acclaimed American actor whose career spanned stage and screen across five decades. One of Hollywood's most celebrated performers, March won two Academy Awards for Best Actor—for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)—and moved effortlessly between broad comedy, Shakespearean theater, and heavy dramatic cinema.

Gary Cooper (1901 – 1961) was an iconic American actor renowned for his understated performance style and tall, rugged screen presence. Though best remembered for his definitive roles in Westerns and dramas—winning Academy Awards for Best Actor in Sergeant York (1941) and High Noon (1952)—he displayed impressive comic range in pre-Code movies like Design for Living and romantic comedies such as Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and Ball of Fire (1941).

Miriam Hopkins (1902 – 1972) was an American actress who became one of early sound cinema’s leading stars, known for her sharp intelligence, screen intensity, and comic timing. She frequently collaborated with director Ernst Lubitsch, delivering memorable performances in The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), Trouble in Paradise (1932), and Design for Living (1933). She was also nominated for an Academy Award for her title role in Becky Sharp (1935), the first feature-length Technicolor film.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on the Internet Archive.

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Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, and Gary Cooper

Design for Living trivia

• Screenwriter Ben Hecht completely reworked Noël Coward's stage play for the film adaptation, discarding almost all the original dialogue. Coward famously quipped that only three lines survived from his original play, including “Pass the mustard” and “for the good of our immortal souls.”
• The role of George was originally meant for Douglas Fairbanks Jr., but he contracted pneumonia right before production began, leading Ernst Lubitsch to cast Western and action star Gary Cooper in a rare comedic role.
• Nazi Germany’s Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, banned Design for Living upon its release, stating that the film was unacceptable because of the ironic manner in which it treated the institution of marriage.
• Released in late 1933 during the pre-Code era, the film faced severe censorship hurdles shortly after its release; when the Production Code Administration began strictly enforcing Hollywood moral guidelines in 1934, Design for Living was refused a seal for re-release due to its non-traditional relationship themes.

 

Discussion Questions

1. How does Design for Living challenge traditional Hollywood gender roles and expectations regarding romantic relationships, particularly through the character of Gilda?
2. In what ways does Ernst Lubitsch use visual humor and implicit storytelling “the Lubitsch Touch”) to convey romantic and sexual themes without openly breaking censorship limits of the era?
3. Compare the character of Max Plunkett with Tom and George. How does his character represent society’s conventional views on marriage and stability versus bohemian freedom?
4. How do you think the tone and resolution of Design for Living would change if the film were produced after the strict enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code in mid-1934?

Class Collisions and Culinary Cover-Ups: “The Mating Season”

Directed by Mitchell Leisen and released by Paramount Pictures in 1951, The Mating Season is a satirical screwball comedy starring Gene Tierney, John Lund, Miriam Hopkins, and Thelma Ritter. The story opens in Jersey City, where working-class hamburger stand owner Ellen McNulty (Thelma Ritter) loses her modest business due to financial misfortune. Undeterred, she travels to Ohio to visit her ambitious son, Val McNulty (John Lund), who has recently married Maggie Carleton (Gene Tierney), a gracious, high-society woman. Val, self-conscious about his humble origins, has kept his mother’s working-class background a secret from his new bride and her aristocratic mother, Fran (Miriam Hopkins).

When Ellen arrives unannounced at the newlyweds’upscale apartment while Val is away, she is mistaken by the snobbish Fran for a newly hired maid and cook. Rather than causing an embarrassing scene that might damage her son's social standing or new marriage, Ellen plays along and accepts the job, deciding to keep her true identity hidden. Val returns home shocked to find his mother cooking and cleaning for his wife and mother-in-law, but Ellen insists on maintaining the masquerade, using her practical wisdom and sharp wit to navigate high-society dinner parties, fix domestic disasters, and quietly mentor the well-meaning Maggie.

Complications multiply as social tensions mount, a snooty corporate rival threatens Val’s career, and Fran continually belittles the “hired help.”  Through her quiet dignity, maternal devotion, and unvarnished common sense, Ellen ultimately wins the genuine affection of Maggie and helps heal the artificial class divides surrounding her son. When the truth of Ellen’s identity is finally revealed, the pretenses of high society crumble, forcing the family to confront their biases and celebrate the enduring, unifying bond of selfless motherly love.

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Mitchell Leisen (1898 – 1972) was an American film director, art director, and costume designer known for his sophisticated visual style and elegant handling of romantic comedies and dramas during Hollywood’s studio era. Beginning his career in the 1920s as a set designer and costume maker for Cecil B. DeMille, Leisen transitioned to directing at Paramount Pictures in 1933. He became one of the studio's premier comedy directors, helming classics such as Easy Living (1937), Midnight (1939), and Remember the Night (1940), often working from screenplays written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Preston Sturges. Leisen earned acclaim for his strong direction of female performers, securing an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for Hold Back the Dawn (1941) and directing Olivia de Havilland to her first Oscar win in To Each His Own (1946).

Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an acclaimed American film and stage actress celebrated for her striking beauty and compelling dramatic performances during the 1940s and 1950s. After achieving success on Broadway, she signed with 20th Century Fox and achieved movie stardom as the mysterious title character in Otto Preminger's classic film noir Laura (1944). Tierney earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her chilling performance in Leave Her to Heaven (1945) and starred in acclaimed classics including The Razor’s Edge (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), and Whirlpool (1949). Despite enduring severe personal tragedies and mental health struggles throughout her life, she maintained a memorable career in both dramatic and comedic roles before retiring from screen acting in the late 1960s.

John Lund (1911 – 1992) was an American actor who worked extensively across theater, radio, film, and television. After building a successful stage career as an actor and writer—including starring on Broadway in The Hasty Heart (1945)—Lund was signed by Paramount Pictures, making his screen debut in To Each His Own (1946). He became a reliable leading man for Paramount throughout the late 1940s and 1950s, frequently starring in romantic comedies and dramas such as Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948), My Friend Irma (1949), and High Society (1956). Lund served as a vice president of the Screen Actors Guild during his Hollywood tenure before retiring from acting in the early 1960s to pursue business ventures.

Miriam Hopkins (1902 – 1972) was a versatile, high-energy American actress who excelled on the Broadway stage and in classic Hollywood cinema. Emerging as a top leading lady in the 1930s, Hopkins starred in several landmark films, including Ernst Lubitsch's Trouble in Paradise (1932) and Design for Living (1933), Rouben Mamoulian’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and Becky Sharp (1935), for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Renowned for her sharp intellect, intense dramatic style, and famous off-screen rivalries with fellow stars like Bette Davis, Hopkins successfully transitioned into character roles later in her career, earning critical praise in pictures such as The Heiress (1949), The Mating Season (1951), and The Children’s Hour (1961).

Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an iconic American character actress renowned for her distinctive Brooklyn accent, razor-sharp comic timing, and dry, working-class cynicism. After working in theater for decades and raising a family, Ritter launched a legendary Hollywood screen career in her late 40s following a minor, scene-stealing role in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). She became one of the most respected character performers in cinema history, earning six Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in All About Eve (1950), The Mating Season (1951), With a Song in My Heart (1952), Pickup on South Street (1953), Pillow Talk (1959), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962). Ritter also won a Tony Award in 1958 for her performance in the Broadway musical New Girl in Town.

Gene Tierney and John Lund

The Mating Season trivia

• Academy Award Recognition: Thelma Ritter earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Ellen McNulty, marking the second of her six record-setting supporting actress nominations.

• Berlin International Film Festival Win: The Mating Season was recognized internationally at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival in 1951, where it won the Bronze Bear for Best Comedy.

• Brackett Production and Script: The film was produced and co-written by Charles Brackett, marking one of his major comedy projects after his legendary writing and producing partnership with Billy Wilder ended following Sunset Boulevard (1950).

• Oleg Cassini Wardrobe: Gene Tierney’s elegant wardrobe for the film was designed by her husband, high-fashion designer Oleg Cassini, who frequently crafted her screen costumes during their marriage.

Discussion Questions

• How does The Mating Season use the classic comedy trope of mistaken identity to satirize postwar American social mobility and class anxiety?

• In what ways does Thelma Ritter’s character, Ellen McNulty, challenge the traditional portrayals of working-class mothers and household servants in 1950s Hollywood cinema?

• How do the contrasting performance styles of Miriam Hopkins (as the snobbish matriarch) and Thelma Ritter (as the grounded mother) enhance the film’s comedic and thematic conflicts?

• Comparing Mitchell Leisen's direction in The Mating Season to his earlier 1930s screwball comedies, how does the film reflect changing societal attitudes toward marriage, status, and family dynamics in early 1950s America?

Olivia de Havilland is “The Heiress”

The Heiress (1949) is an American drama produced and directed by William Wyler and starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, and Ralph Richardson. The supporting cast included Miriam Hopkins, Mona Freeman, Selena Royle, and Vanessa Brown.

The film takes place in New York City in 1849 and concerns one Catherine Sloper (de Havilland), a shy young woman, who lives with her wealthy father Dr. Austin Sloper (Richardson). Dr, Sloper and Catherine live in the prestigious Washington Square neighborhood.

When Catherine is introduced to Morris Townsend (Clift) at a ball, she is charmed by the handsome young man. Catherine falls madly in love with Morris. He seems gracious and caring…and loving. However, Catherine’s stern father disapproves of the relationship, concerned that Morris is only interested in Catherine because of her wealth.

Will Catherine and Morris’s relationship thrive or die over her father’s objections?

 

Montgomery Clift, Olivia de Havilland, and Ralph Richardson

William Wyler (1902 - 1981) was an American (born in Mulhouse, Alsace, then part of Germany) film director and producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Direction three times: Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959). Wyler was nominated 12 times for Best Director, an Academy Award history. Wyler started working in the movie business during the silent era, eventually making a name for himself as a director in the early 1930s. He would go on to direct Wuthering Heights (1939), The Westerner (1940), and The Little Foxes (1941). Actress Bette Davis received three Oscar nominations under Wyler’s direction, winning her second Oscar for her performance in Jezebel (1938). Other popular films directed by Wyler include The Heiress (1949), Roman Holiday (1954), Friendly Persuasion (1956), The Big Country (1958), and Funny Girl 1968).

Olivia de Havilland (1916 – 2020) was a British-American actress and two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner. De Havilland’s career spanned more than five decades. She was one of the leading actresses of the 1940s and was the last major surviving star from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Some of de Havilland’s classic films include The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), Hold Back the Dawn (1941), To Each His Own (1946), The Snake Pit (1948), and The Heiress (1949).

Montgomery Clift (1920 – 1966) was an American actor. He was a four-time Academy Award nominee for Best Actor. Like Marlon Brando and James Dean, Clift was considered one of the original method actors. Clift got his start on the stage as a young man and starred opposite the likes of Tallulah Bankhead, Frederic March, and Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Clift’s first movie role was in Howard Hawks’s Red River (1949), starring opposite John Wayne. He went on to co-star with Olivia de Havilland in William Wyler’s The Heiress (1949). He reached superstar status in the role of George Eastman in the George Stevens production of A Place in the Sun (1951), starring opposite Elizabeth Taylor. Clift would later star in Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess (1953) and Fred Zinnemann’s From Here to Eternity (1953). Other films followed, including Raintree County (1956), The Young Lions (1958), Lonelyhearts (1958), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), and Wild River (1960).

Ralph Richardson (1902 – 1983) was an English stage and screen actor. Along with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, he dominated the British theatre for most of the 20^th century. Richardson worked in movies in Britain and the United States throughout his long career. Some of his famous films include The Fallen Idol (1948), The Heiress (1949), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), Women of Straw (1965), and Doctor Zhivago (1965).

 

Olivia de Haviland and Ralph Richardson

The Heiress trivia

• After seeing The Heiress on the Broadway stage, de Havilland approached William Wyler about directing her in a screen adaptation.
• Wyler became a fan of de Havilland’s acting talent and was annoyed by Clift’s disdain for her performance and for Ralph Richardson’s attempt to scene-steal through improvisation.
• Clift was so disappointed by his performance that he walked out of the premiere.
• Basil Rathbone played Dr. Sloper on the stage and hoped to recreate the role for the film version.
• De Havilland won her second Best Actress Academy Award for her performance.
• Wyler originally wanted Errol Flynn to play Morris.

 

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Discussion questions

1. Many consider Olivia de Havilland’s performance as one of the greatest of the 20^th century. Do you agree?
2. When do you think Catherine’s personality began to become imbittered?
3. Montgomery Clift was unhappy with his performance. What did you think? Was he wrong to be unhappy about it?
4. What did you think of Ralph Richardson’s characterization as Dr. Sloper? Do you think he loved Catherine?
5. Do you think Morris was interested in Catherine only for her money?
6. Would Catherine have been happy with Morris if they had married?

Happy New Year from Classic Movie Man!

Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins in Old Acquantance (1943)