She Done Him Wrong (1933)

[7]

Mae West stars as an 1890’s club entertainer courting a variety of suitors while a dangerous boyfriend promises retribution if she leaves him. While the suitors keep her covered in diamonds, it’s the man running a mission next door who most strikes West’s fancy. That man is played by Cary Grant, in one of his earliest screen appearances.

Based on West’s own stage play, She Done Him Wrong moves briskly, clocking in at just over an hour long. The cast is full of supporting players, but as long as West is on screen, you can’t take your eyes off her. She utters more than a few classic one-liners, including her famous, ‘Come up and see me, anytime,’ and belts out three songs. My favorite, full of double entendre, is “I Wonder Where My Easy Rider’s Gone”. Not hard to figure out what that one’s really about, especially as West virtually gallops toward climax before taking a bow.

The club setting is exquisitely constructed and the costumes are from famed Edith Head. Of all her films, Mae West claims this was her favorite. A few years after She Done Him Wrong was released, the infamous Hays Code would be implemented, effectively shutting out performers as salacious as the colorful and rightfully celebrated Mae West.

Oscar Nomination: Best Picture