The Last of Mrs. Cheyney

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney is a 1925 Frederick Lonsdale play that was adapted to the screen three times.

Contents

[edit] Play

Frederick Lonsdale's play, about a jewel thief who passes herself off as a society lady, opened at the St. James's Theatre in London on 22nd September, 1925 and ran for 514 performances.

Reviewing the opening night for the Sunday Times, critic James Agate wrote: "It is not a good sort of play, but it is a very good play of its sort." He added: "The cast was made up of fashionable players, each of whom, finding nothing human to act, proceeded to give an impersonation of a familiar self at its greatest point of superbity, nonchalance, and what not. Thus Sir Gerald du Maurier flaunted his old impenitent grace, Miss Gladys Cooper aired her practised elegance, Mr Ronald Squire fired off the Roman candles of his punctilious wit, Mr Basil Loder edited whole volumes of bucolics, Dame May Whitty gave her exposition of mothering, and Miss Ellis Jeffreys soared into the empyrean of her own technique...But the best performance of all seemed to me to be the junior footman of Mr Frank Lawton."

  • Review reprinted in Agate's Red Letter Nights, Jonathan Cape (1944).

[edit] 1929 film

The first version of The Last of Mrs. Cheyney in 1929, starred Norma Shearer and Basil Rathbone. It was nominated for an Oscar in 1930 for "Best Writing, Achievement" for Hanns Kräly.

[edit] 1937 film

Main article: The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937 film)

The second version of The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, filmed in 1937 starred Joan Crawford, William Powell, Robert Montgomery and Frank Morgan. Crawford played the title role as a jewel thief who usurps the identity of a society lady.

[edit] 1951 film

The final version of the Lonsdale play, was titled The Law and the Lady filmed in 1951, and starred Greer Garson.

[edit] External links

 This 1920s comedy film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Languages