The Lady of Scandal 
(1930) 76 minutes, b&w

Ruth Chatterton has little material in Frederick Lonsdale’s The High Road upon which to exercise her talent. Basil Rathbone has much the best of things as the titled black sheep of an aristocratic English family, when he tries to make things pleasant for an actress who has been introduced into the horrified group as the fiancée of his young cousin. Of course he falls in love with her himself, but an affair of long standing with another woman proves a strong enough barrier to their marriage, so he nobly gives her up, the young cousin having previously renounced her—also nobly—in his favor. The film is extremely well cast. Frederick Bunston among others giving a delightful performance.

—Educational Screen, September 1930

Cultured audiences should enjoy this picture well, but it is doubtful if it will appeal to the rank and file, even though many of them will be attracted by Miss Chatterton. The story deals with society people, lords and ladies, and the action is mostly subtle—too subtle for the understanding of the average person. The direction and the acting are, of course, of the highest standard. And so is the recording.

The story deals with the heroine, a musical comedy actress, with whom the son of a lord had fallen in love. His family, however, objects to his marrying her. But because the young man is insistent, regardless of the feelings of his parents, the father invites the heroine at his home, hoping that she will find herself so out of place that she will give the young man up. But the heroine, not only does not feel out of place amongst them, but also becomes the dominating figure in the household. Her polished manners and her intellectuality soon win the admiration of every one. But she falls in love with the elder brother of the young man, and he in love with her. The young man, realizing that the heroine no longer loves him, pretends that he has fallen in love with another woman and asks her to release him of his promise to marry her. The heroine is happy. But when she finds out that the husband of the woman the elder brother had had an affair with is dead, she induces him to go back to her telling him that they would never be happy unless he did the right thing by that woman. The heroine returns to the stage.

Frederick Lonsdale’s “The High Road,” has furnished the plot. The picture was directed by Sidney Franklin intelligently. Basil Rathbone is the elder brother, Ralph Forbes the young brother. The talk is clear.

—Harrison’s Reports, June 21, 1930

Frederick Lonsdale’s play, “The High Road,” comes to the screen as a talker under the title of “Lady of Scandal,” but there’s little scandal in the lady and nothing of consequence in the picture itself.

As a program picture of ordinary strength, audiences will accept it as mildly interesting. It cannot hope to reach beyond that classification. The story has an English background, and the rather slow and draggy stage tempo has not been eliminated in the screen adaptation. But it is doubtful whether or not anything better could have been done with the material at hand.

Ruth Chatterton is spotted in the title role and provides most of the sparkle on the otherwise dull surface. Balance of the cast, including Ralph Forbes and Basil Rathbone, fit in nicely into their characterizations. Sidney Franklin had little chance to show anything in direction beyond regulation formula of translating a stage play to the screen, retaining the staginess thereby.

The story concerns a popular English actress who consents to marry a young nobleman. The latter takes her to meet his family, who are up in arms over his intentions. After piling insults on the girl, an agreement is reached whereby she will wait six months before marrying the boy.

The girl lives on the estate and gradually puts pep into the staid members of the family. In so doing, a secret love affair develops between the actress and Basil Rathbone, cousin of the intended bridegroom, who is rather noted for his way with women. The girl discovers Rathbone’s affair with the wife of another and decides to forget him. But Rathbone makes ardent love and declares he will give up his current affair. Discovery is made the woman’s husband has died in Paris, and Chatterton demands Rathbone make the trip to tell the widow of his new and greater love. While Rathbone is writing instead of going, Chatterton gets the widow on the phone and has Rathbone agree to come to Paris at once. Then the usual “it couldn’t have been otherwise” parting.

Close comes soon after with the young son deciding to release the actress from her engagement; and she returns to her old life on the stage as the reigning favorite.

“Lady of Scandal” will probably reach those week runs where Ruth Chatterton commands drawing power. It is a weak programmer and is better geared for the one and two day stands where business stands up as a matter of routine.

Draw comedies are badly needed with this one.

—review by Walter R. Greene, Motion Picture News, May 31, 1930

Metro-Goldwyn happily borrowed Ruth Chatterton from Paramount to play the shrewdly understanding actress heroine of what was once a stage play called “The High Road.” This is one of those swanky studies of British life. Drawing-room dramas, they used to call them in the old stage days. Miss Chatterton is adroit and sure as the actress who sends the man she loves back to the woman he has loved. And she is ably aided by Basil Rathbone as the man. This is tastefully directed and acted. It will hold you mildly, unless you buck at folks who hide their breaking hearts behind a teacup. The talkies, by the way, have been going in for this polite drama pretty heavily.

—New Movie magazine, July-December 1930

—The National Board of Review magazine, May-June, 1930

Any appearance of Ruth Chatterton is interesting because of her great and deserved popularity, but “The Lady of Scandal” does not present her at her best. Through no fault of hers the picture is tedious, a tired effort on the part of Frederick Lonsdale from whose play, “The High Road,” it is adapted. The fatigue and the uninspired quality of the original are preserved with unusual fidelity. This is enhanced by the efforts of the camera man to emphasize Miss Chatterton’s plainness. It is as if one of those subtle studio feuds were going on, aided and abetted by whoever chose Miss Chatterton’s dresses which, except in the music-hall scenes, are far from becoming. However, to our muttons.

The tarnished gem of a plot concerns an actress whose engagement to a youth of noble blood arouses the hostility of his family, not because she is, as the title falsely informs us, a lady of scandal, but because she appears on the stage in a sedate musical number. Treated rudely, according to the best traditions of protesting families on the screen, she finds a sympathetic oasis in the elder brother of her fiancé and acquiesces to the suggestion of the head of the family to abandon temporarily her unseemly career and remain with them for a few months, this musty situation recalling Norma Shearer’s “The Actress” nee “Trelawney of the Wells.” It is hardly necessary to say that she livens things up. Her prospective father-in-law succumbs to jazz and an older gentleman contracts the cocktail habit. Meanwhile the elder brother has fallen in love with the actress and she with him, notwithstanding the liaison he has been carrying on for years with the wife of the usual invalid husband. Suddenly comes word that the invalid is dead, and the actress concludes that the duty of the man she loves is to the widow. Sacrifice! Last scene of all finds her in black net singing “Say it with a Smile” to her public.

All this is set forth in the nigh-comedy drawing-room manner, which is to say that the English accent is rampant. Every one is so intent on acting as if he were uttering epigrams that no one seem really to care about any one else, least of all Miss Chatterton and Basil Rathbone, who, supposedly in love, indicate to the observer that personal differences may have existed. Their love-making is toleration more than heart interest. However, it may be nothing more strained than drawing-room technique.

—"The Screen in Review" By Norbert Lusk, Picture Play, September 1930

The title, "The Lady of Scandal," is hardly applicable to Elsie. Rather is scandal associated with Edward, son in the Crayle house, since frequent reference is made to his affair with an unintroduced married woman, while the only evidence against Elsie in this household is that she comes from the stage.

There are no love scenes, with the exception of a few moments of mild osculation between the principals, Miss Chatterton and Basil Rathbone. Neither is there anything risque or suggestive in the dialog. The theme is antiquated, with many of the best marriages of today being made by stage folk. There are no physical encounters nor insinuations at villainy.

Yet, "The Lady of Scandal" is a picture that never lets down in interest. The expertness of its very detail is its biggest asset.

Miss Chatterton's charm in this lies chiefly in the blandness of her retorts. This smoothness is reflected in the entire company. Even the rejoinders of Lord Trench, sinus-afflicted grouch, are of a differently refined brusqueness.

The capitulation of the entire Crayle estate to the unostentatious and informally natural Elsie comprises the network of this theme. With the exception of the sneering Sir Reginald, one by one members of the household come within Elsie's influence. Such little things as the elongated Lord Crayle succumbing to jazz and the teetotaling Trench getting drunk on cocktails, sent an average Capitol audience into gales of laughter.

The dramatic touch of "The Lady of Scandal" is provided by Elsie's self-sacrifice to the unseen married friend of Edward, who is suddenly widowed. Then comes a repetition of the theme song, "Say It With a Smile," which opens and closes Miss Chatterton as the performer.

—review by Waly, Variety, June 18, 1930