I'm No Angel (3½ Stars)

This is Mae West's third film, made in 1933. It was her second film with Cary Grant. She plays Tira, a woman who sings and dances in a carnival, Big Bill Barton's Wonder Show.

At least, the poster claims that she dances. We only see her sing.

But who cares? The men shout out compliments, and she replies contentedly.

Can you see that it's only men in the carnival tent, pressed hard against one another? If you look closely, you can see that she's wearing a skin colour dress. It doesn't actually reveal anything, but from the back of the audience it looks like it's see-through, which drives the men wild.

But carnivals were seedy places in the 1930's. Tira's associate Slick mingles with the audience, picking the men's pockets. That's one of the risks of keeping your wallet in your jacket pocket. I keep my wallet in my jeans, and the pocket is tight enough for me to notice anyone tugging at the contents.

Tira and Slick have another game they play. Tira invites wealthy men to her room, and when they're in a compromising position Slick bursts in, claiming to be her husband. The men who visit Tira are married – she makes sure they're wearing a wedding ring – which leaves them open to blackmail. But one of the tricks goes wrong. A man refuses to pay, so Slick hits him over the head with a bottle. They think he's dead, so Slick steals his ring and leaves. Before they can dispose of the body, the man stands up and calls the police. Slick is arrested, and Tira needs legal protection. Big Bill lends her money for a lawyer, on condition that she performs as a lion tamer.

Mae West looks good with a whip.

The lions purr like kittens at her touch.

According to the audio commentary, the lions' trainer was mauled during filming. This led to delays while it was made certain that Mae was safe.

A rich man called Kirk Lawrence is impressed by her act and visits her backstage. He becomes fascinated with her and showers her with gifts, even though he's engaged to be married.

Enter Cary Grant as Jack Clayton. He's Kirk's friend and business partner. He tells Tira that she's ruining Kirk's life, so she should stop seeing him. Normally Tira would ignore advice like this, but she finds out that Jack is richer than Kirk, so she has a new target. Jack happens to be single, which makes things easier.

Tira is dressed like a spider.

Jack looks at her from a safe distance.

He moves closer.

And closer. Now he's trapped in her web.

The relationship with Jack carries on for months. He's charming and rich enough for Tira to accept his marriage proposal. Slick is finally released from prison, and he's not happy. He thinks Tira is going soft. He keeps Tira away from Jack by having her car break down, and then he visits Jack to tell him she's lost interest in him.

This is a weak part of the plot. Jack believes Slick instead of returning the next day to ask Tira if it's true. He sues her for breach of promise, which I believe happened frequently in the early 20th Century. It's not a crime any more today.

There's a lengthy courtroom scene, which is a farce. Tira flirts with the judge and the jurors. She's allowed to question the witnesses herself. I didn't know that was permissible. Jack realises Tira still loves him and calls off the case. And they lived happily ever after.

There were variants used in "She Done Him Wrong", but this is the film in which she first uses her famous phrase, "Come up and see me some time". She speaks the words to one of the jurors.

She also speaks a few other memorable quotes.

"When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better".

"It's not the men in your life that counts, it's the life in your men".

"Always remember, take all you can get and give as little as possible".

The dialogue in Mae West's later films was censored heavily, but this film was relatively tame. Only one change had to be made. In one of her songs, the line "Nobody does it like a Dallas man" had to be changed to "Nobody loves me like a Dallas man".

"I'm No Angel" was a huge box office hit, and most of Mae West's fans consider it to be her best film. I have to disagree. I prefer "She Done Him Wrong". I'll give my opinion of her other films when I see them.