Review of Lady of the Tropics

Although some reviewers disagreed, I thought Jack Conway's direction was very smooth. I also found Robert Taylor's acting reasonably convincing, despite some of the hokey dialogue he was sometimes forced to handle. But the film belongs to sultry Hedy Lamarr who is efficaciously cast in this one as a beautiful half-caste in French Indo-China, whom American playboy Robert Taylor pursues and marries. Costumed by Adrian and strikingly photographed by George Folsey - often in film noir style - Hedy not only looks very young but suitably vulnerable. As noted above, co- star Taylor plays the hero with reasonable conviction, but is creamed in the acting stakes by Joseph Schildkraut who contributes a fascinating study in ego-maniacal cunning and evil. Others worth mentioning in the topflight cast include Mary Taylor – no relation of Robert Taylor. She was a New York model who – between 1936 and 1941 – made only four films (this is the second). She married producer Al Zimbalist in 1952. Despite her intriguing face, fetching figure and great performance here as Dolly Harrison, Mary Taylor was overlooked by reviewers who had eyes only for the dazzling Lamarr. Another in the great support cast that I would single out is Ernest Cossart, who often played priests and authority figures. Here he shoulders the white man's burden – an attitude which is now dated and even abhorrent! But to end this review on a more positive note, watch out for Gloria Franklin (in her second of only eight movies). She sings (or Harriet Cruise dubs) "Each Time You Say Goodbye (I Die a Little)" by Phil Ohman and Foster Carling.