Millie

Drama

Millie (Helen Twelvetrees) is a naive young woman who marries a wealthy man from New York, Jack Maitland (James Hall). Three years later, unhappy in her marriage due to her husband's continued infidelity, she asks for and receives a divorce.

Because of her pride, she does not want his money, but she also does not want to deprive her daughter of a comfortable lifestyle. She allows Jack and his mother (Charlotte Walker) to retain custody of her daughter Connie (Anita Louise).

Focusing on her career, she rises through the hierarchy of the hotel where she is employed, shunning the attention of the rich banker Jimmy Damier (John Halliday), preferring the attentions of the reporter Tommy Rock (Robert Ames), although, due to her prior sour relationship, she refuses to marry him. Eventually, Millie is promoted to the head of operations for the hotel.

At the same time, Tommy is offered a lucrative position at the bank by Damier as a favor to Millie. However, at the celebration party, Millie discovers that Tommy, just like Maitland, is cheating on her.

Betrayed a second time, Millie becomes very bitter. With her female cohorts, Helen and Angie (Lilyan Tashman and Joan Blondell, respectively), she becomes a woman who loves a good time, floating from man to man.

This goes on for several years, until she hears that Damier has taken an interest in her teen-age daughter, Connie, who bears a striking resemblance to her.

Millie warns Damier to leave her daughter alone, but, although he promises to stay away from Connie, he ignores Millie's warning and takes Connie to a remote lodge to groom her. Millie is tipped off, goes to the lodge with a gun, confronts Jimmy and kills him.

In the ensuing murder trial, Millie tries to keep her daughter's name out of the press and claims not to remember why she shot Jimmy. She says that another woman ran out of the lodge after the shot, but claims that she did not see who the woman was and has no idea as to her identity. The prosecution thus claims that Millie's motive was jealousy of Jimmy's romantic relationship with this unknown other woman.

Millie's friends, however, help to bring out the truth, and when the jury finds out that Millie's true motive was to protect her daughter from Jimmy's lascivious intentions, they acquit her. In the end, Millie is reunited with her daughter and her estranged husband's family. (Wikipedia)

Movie Info

Starring: Helen Twelvetrees
Directed by: John Francis Dillon
Written by: Charles Kenyon, Ralph Morgan

Based on: Millie 1930 novel by Donald Henderson Clarke
Produced by: Charles R. Rogers, Harry Joe Brown (assoc.)
Cinematography: Ernest Haller
Edited by: Fred Allen

Music by: Arthur Lange, Nacio Herb Brown
Production company: RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by: RKO Radio Pictures
Release dates: February 6, 1931 (Premiere-New York City), February 8, 1931 (US)

Running time: 85 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English

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