Universal Pictures
This is the story of Lady Lou (Mae West) — a bawdy nightclub singer in the 1890s, who spends most of her time tossing witty barbs at the overheated clientele. With her old man locked up in the slammer, Lou is forced to amuse herself with the legions of men fighting for her attentions. She keeps her many admirers at arm’s length, even if she does accept the generous diamond-studded gifts they bestow upon her. But the tough cookie soon finds her heart melting for a handsome young man who works at the local mission. Based on West’s play Diamond Lil, She Done Him Wrong co-stars screen legend Cary Grant with Gilbert Roland and Noah Beery. With wonderful direction by Lowell Sherman, She Done Him Wrong earned a 1934 Best Picture Oscar nomination.
REVIEW
As I plow through more of Mae West’s films, the next on my list is the film immediately prior to I’m No Angel, released in the same year (1933). While West does not have the screenwriting credit she received on her next film, she still receives story credit as She Done Him Wrong is based on her bawdy play Diamond Lil which, even before the Hays Office Production Code was enacted, was still considered far too risqué to be filmed (although the Hays Office did demand that there be no reference to the show in the film, including any titles that contained the word ‘diamond’), so the basic story was retained and Harvey Thew and John Bright constructed a new screenplay that retained the basics of the show without the more questionable elements. And in the process, in my opinion, gave West a character that allowed her to actually stretch as an actor and not just be ‘Mae West’. I actually enjoyed her performance more here because her Lady Lou has a range of emotion. She not just all one-liners, although this film does include her always misquoted line ‘Why don’t you come up sometime and see me’, said to Cary Grant’s character, which has been mistakenly spoken as ‘Come up and see me sometime’ (to be fair, the misquote was used in promotion for this film AND I’m No Angel, and West herself adopted it). Any way you look at it, West gives a truly great performance with a very well-rounded character.
This film also marked Cary Grant’s first time on screen with West (although not his first time on screen, as West liked to claim it was she who discovered him), although they don’t share as much time together here as they do in I’m No Angel. Grant is fine here but sometimes comes off as a little stiff, as if he’s trying to hide something … and perhaps his character does have a secret. He’s fine though, and dashing, but is more a secondary character than a true co-star to West. The film isn’t as flashy as I’m No Angel, but West still has some fabulous costumes and gets to perform several musical numbers in the saloon (which seems to always have the same patrons in the audience regardless of what day it is). The cohesive story actually has a beginning, middle and end (with a twist) without an infuriating plot device to get us to the climax. Over all, it’s a very well-crafted film from the direction and writing to the production values to the performances, particularly West’s, and it’s not hard to see why the film earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
Universal Pictures
BLU-RAY
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray for She Done Him Wrong is from a new 4K restoration of the film and it looks beautiful, probably better than it looked upon its theatrical release in 1933. The image is finely detailed with a nice range of gray tones. Whites are never blown out and the blacks are solid.
West’s diamonds sparkle, and you can clearly see the faces of the audience. The film has a heavier grain pattern than I’m No Angel, and I did notice a couple of very fine hairline scratches and the occasional speck, but it is still a gorgeous presentation. The mono audio track is perfection, clear, no pops or hiss, and nicely balanced with West’s voice loud and clear over the musical accompaniment during her songs. This disk does contain a few more extras than I’m No Angel:
- Audio commentary by film historian David Del Valle – Del Valle’s commentary is part historian, part fanboy speaking from the experience of having met Ms. West in her later years. His commentary is sometimes frantic as he switches between the film and his knowledge of West, jumping from one train of thought to the next, but his enthusiasm is always entertaining.
- Audio commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger – Ellinger’s commentary track is as equally enthusiastic about West, serving up facts about the woman and the film. It is also an entertaining listen. With the film being just over an hour long, it’s easy to listen to both commentary tracks in one sitting!
- Introduction by Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne taken from the TCM presentation of the film.
- She Done Him Right (7:57) – A cartoon short by Walter Lantz that follows the plot of the film but the characters are canine in appearance. It’s quite saucy, even more so than the actual film.
- Trailers for other Kino Lorber Mae West films
OVERVIEW
The fact that She Done Him Wrong got made at all is a miracle, and now almost ninety years later it’s even more miraculous that the movie has been preserved in such pristine condition. This was Mae West’s first lead role in a film (she has basically a cameo in her first film Night After Night) and this Blu-ray should serve as a monument to her talent and tenacity in Hollywood, doing things her way, saving a studio from bankruptcy, and entertaining the masses. And the fact that her humor still works today is a testament to her genius. She Done Him Wrong should be a welcome addition to any movie fan’s collection.
Kino Lorber generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
She Done Him Wrong has a running time of 1 hour 6 minutes and is not rated.
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