Ladies of Leisure

1930
Approved
1h 39m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

An upper-crust artist hires a 'party girl' as a model; romance follows.An upper-crust artist hires a 'party girl' as a model; romance follows.An upper-crust artist hires a 'party girl' as a model; romance follows.

Director
- Frank Capra
Writers
- Milton Herbert Gropper
- Jo Swerling
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

1.5K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Frank Capra
Writers
- Milton Herbert Gropper
- Jo Swerling
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
According to Frank Capra's autobiographical book, he dismissed using Barbara Stanwyck when their interview went badly. Frank Fay, Stanwyck's husband at the time, called Capra up, furious over Stanwyck's having come home from the interview, crying. Capra blamed Stanwyck, saying she acted like she didn't even want the part. Fay responded, "Frank, she's young, and shy, and she's been kicked around out here. Let me show you a test she made at Warner's." (The test was for "The Noose," a Broadway play Stanwyck starred in and also a film made without Stanwyck in 1928 by John Francis Dillon for First National.) Capra was so impressed that he left the screening immediately to get Harry Cohn, who ran Columbia, to sign up Stanwyck as quickly as possible.

Goofs
At the 9:13 mark, Barbara Stanwyck is holding a cigarette in her right hand, while reaching into the coat pocket with her left hand. Next we see both her hands opening a wallet, then cut back to her holding up the cigarette in her right hand.

Quotes
Kay Arnold: Hey, what kind of a sap is that guy?
Dot Lamar: He's one of those fellas that even his best friends don't tell him.

Alternate versions
Columbia simultaneously released "Ladies of Leisure" in both sound and silent versions.

Connections
Featured in The 54th Annual Academy Awards (1982)

Soundtracks
Misterioso Agitato
(uncredited)
Music by Harold Smith

User reviews38

Review

Featured review

5/10

Rich Boy Meets Party Girl

The creative team of Barbara Stanwyck and director Frank Capra makes its debut in Ladies Of Leisure which casts a young Barbara as a party girl who falls big time for artist Ralph Graves after he hires her to model for him. They did a total of five films together, the last one Meet John Doe is considered a classic.

Ladies Of Leisure is far from that, but you can see why it helped make Barbara Stanwyck the star she became. Their are hints of her later Oscar nominated part in Stella Dallas in her performance here.

Ralph Graves isn't just any artist, he's the son of railroad tycoon George Fawcett and Nance O'Neil, but business just doesn't interest him which displeases dad. Fawcett wants him to forget this art kick and join the family firm. But that's nothing compared to how he and O'Neil feel about their son when he brings Stanwyck home after he's fallen for her.

The production values aren't the greatest, remember this is Columbia Pictures while it was still a poverty row studio like Monogram. Still Capra and Stanwyck show traces of the movie legends they became.

Nothing terribly special about Ladies Of Leisure other than these two people coming together for the first time.