TRADE WINDS is supposed to be a film starring Fredric March and Joan Bennett, and certainly they get most of the film's major scenes. But while March was a good actor in comedy (NOTHING SACRED and I MARRIED A WITCH show that) his "Sam Wye" is snowed under by his three co-stars, Bennett, Ann Southern, and Ralph Bellamy - in particular Ralph Bellamy for his performance as "Ben Blodgett" the assistant to March on this case.
Bennett made film history here for a film trick that was the reverse of her sister Constance's trick four years earlier in MOULIN ROUGE. There Connie had to play dual roles as Franchot Tone's wife (a brunette) and a French entertainer named "Raquel" (a blonde). For the part of the wife Connie had to have her natural blonde hair dyed black (but at the conclusion, supposedly wearing her film's natural color dyed "blonde", she is wearing her hair blonde. Here fellow blonde sister Joan (for reasons of the plot) changed her hair to black as a disguise. But the new hairstyle found favor with the public. Up to 1938 Constance Bennett was the better regarded (as a film star) of the two sisters. When the public saw Joan as a brunette she looked a bit like Hedy Lamarr, and got more attention. So Joan remained a film brunette for the rest of her career (including the series of great films directed by Fritz Lang like SCARLET STREET, and the films with Spencer Tracy FATHER OF THE BRIDE and FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND).
TRADE WINDS is about a murder, and the leading suspect is Bennett. She flees and is crossing the Pacific with pal Southern. But they are being pursued by March, a detective who is known for his brains, his lack of ethics, and his chasing women. In a kind of twist to the plot strands in ONE WAY PASSAGE, March is determined to catch Bennett, but is falling for her. Soon he begins to wonder if he should let her escape. Bellamy (who for all his marvelous thick-headedness respects March's detective abilities) is appalled and starts working against him. Of course that is not much of a problem. Southern starts interfering with Bellamy and a second romance begins.
SPOILER COMING UP:
March does bring in Bennett, who faces trial and possible execution in California for the murder. While March re-evaluates the evidence to see if she really was responsible, she is visited in prison by Bellamy and Southern who try to comfort her. Bellamy is fine form saying, "Don't worry Miss Kerrigan. In the entire history of California jurisprudence only five women have been executed. FIENDS IN HUMAN FORM MA'AM!!" You can imagine how Bennett reacts to that comment (Southern trying to shut him up).
Bless the film gods for giving us Bellamy and his array of choice boobs!
Bennett made film history here for a film trick that was the reverse of her sister Constance's trick four years earlier in MOULIN ROUGE. There Connie had to play dual roles as Franchot Tone's wife (a brunette) and a French entertainer named "Raquel" (a blonde). For the part of the wife Connie had to have her natural blonde hair dyed black (but at the conclusion, supposedly wearing her film's natural color dyed "blonde", she is wearing her hair blonde. Here fellow blonde sister Joan (for reasons of the plot) changed her hair to black as a disguise. But the new hairstyle found favor with the public. Up to 1938 Constance Bennett was the better regarded (as a film star) of the two sisters. When the public saw Joan as a brunette she looked a bit like Hedy Lamarr, and got more attention. So Joan remained a film brunette for the rest of her career (including the series of great films directed by Fritz Lang like SCARLET STREET, and the films with Spencer Tracy FATHER OF THE BRIDE and FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND).
TRADE WINDS is about a murder, and the leading suspect is Bennett. She flees and is crossing the Pacific with pal Southern. But they are being pursued by March, a detective who is known for his brains, his lack of ethics, and his chasing women. In a kind of twist to the plot strands in ONE WAY PASSAGE, March is determined to catch Bennett, but is falling for her. Soon he begins to wonder if he should let her escape. Bellamy (who for all his marvelous thick-headedness respects March's detective abilities) is appalled and starts working against him. Of course that is not much of a problem. Southern starts interfering with Bellamy and a second romance begins.
SPOILER COMING UP:
March does bring in Bennett, who faces trial and possible execution in California for the murder. While March re-evaluates the evidence to see if she really was responsible, she is visited in prison by Bellamy and Southern who try to comfort her. Bellamy is fine form saying, "Don't worry Miss Kerrigan. In the entire history of California jurisprudence only five women have been executed. FIENDS IN HUMAN FORM MA'AM!!" You can imagine how Bennett reacts to that comment (Southern trying to shut him up).
Bless the film gods for giving us Bellamy and his array of choice boobs!
