Such a frustrating disappointment

A Disappointing Continuation

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

In fact, I like Kay Francis, too, although I have learned that whether Francis was good or bad in a film depended a lot on whether the film, overall, was good or bad. And this is fairly bad one. Particularly the early parts of the film where the plot is being set up. But the worst part of the film is the dreadful performance of supporting actress Isabel Jeans; if there were a death penalty for bad acting, Jeans would have been in the gas chamber for this film.Kay Francis struggles through here...and I mean that literally. To me her whole performance is off a bit. Okay, so she's an actress who wants to act only in New York City. I can accept that, but also understand how unrealistic it is to expect to go big time without paying your dues before that.George Brent is an actor I enjoy, but without Bette Davis he was less interesting. And there's no Bette here. He does "okay" here as an architect turned set designer turned lover.Ian Hunter, a likable and dependable actor is...likable and dependable here. No great shakes, but he does "okay" also. To emotionally generous to be in a triangular love affair.And Gloria Dickson as Brent's wife...no thanks.The trouble with this film is that there are things about it that are bad, things about it that are "okay", but very little about it that is good...and certainly nothing about it that is great.Proceed at your own risk. Isabel Jeans as Marian Plantagenet

Kay Francis must have had some interesting secrets in the way she had two men chasing her in Secrets Of An Actress. Beauty, talent, and that little something extra that makes one a star.In Secrets Of An Actress, Kay is the daughter of a famous stage actor who has tried to match that career. But all she gets is road company tours in various classics. She wants to be a hit on Broadway and in a role created for her. As it happens she has a play that she wrote with just that in mind. To find a producer is the key.Enter Ian Hunter who is a successful architect and pretty well fixed financially. A chance meeting in a bar with Francis and he's literally swept off his feet. Hunter has a younger associate in his firm played by George Brent who is likewise smitten with Francis, but he's just a little bit married to Gloria Dickson, one real piece of work.If you're a fan of Thirties screen comedies I think you'll know where this one is going. Doesn't mean the ride isn't pleasant. The script is a witty, sophisticated one and the cast performs it well. Look for a brilliant performance by Isabel Jeans as Francis's best friend, an old time actress with a little drinking problem. She plays it like a combination of Eve Arden and Zasu Pitts. In her case the old Latin phrase in vino veritas rings true as she has some really good observations, especially with a drink or two.A few years down the road, I think someone would have recognized Diana Barrymore for the model of Francis's character. Secrets Of An Actress, though from the Warner B picture unit is a bright comedy, very typical of its time.

The reviews I've found call this a melodrama but it could also be labeled a comedy, though the laughs are not all intentional.Take the scene where George Brent tries to convince Ian Hunter that backing a Broadway play is a bad investment. No matter how accurate the figures he throws up are, the audience knows anytime a film's stars "put on a show", it's going to be a hit.What we might no expect is that the supporting characters are more interesting than the leads. It's not so surprising with Gloria Dickson since she's playing the villain but when the best friend (Isabel Jeans) steals every scene from the romantic lead (Kay Francis), we know the picture is in trouble.The big problem is the film is not melodramatic enough to be a melodrama and not funny enough to be a comedy

In 1934, a newer strengthened Production Code was put in place. Hollywood had agreed to clean up its act--removing nudity, adultery, bawdy language and excessively violent behavior from its films. During the rest of the 30s, divorce, for example, was hardly ever mentioned. In light of this, it was very surprising that SECRETS OF AN ACTRESS got the go ahead light. This film is about a new Broadway star (Kay Francis) and the men who love her (Ian Hunter and George Brent). In particular, she loves Brent, though she doesn't realize he's already married. To make this more palatable to the censors, they pointed out that Brent's wife didn't love him, was holding on to him for his money and that they'd been separated for several years. This was perhaps the only way the divorce angle could enter the film, though it also tended to make the film seem a bit contrived and impossible.Overall, the film is entertaining though also very predictable. The stars do a decent enough job, though the less than outstanding plot and the god-awful character of Miss Plantagenet (who was like a walking migraine every time she appeared on screen) did a lot to sink this film to the mediocre level.