Single-handedly saving Paramount Pictures from collapsing and also having the honour of being the shortest film to be nominated for ‘Best Picture’, She Done Him Wrong is a charming, and surprisingly sensual comedy starring Mae West and a young Cary Grant in one of his early break-out roles.
There’s a whole array of characters here, but all are lost amidst the sheer dominance of Mae West’s Lady Lou, a singer at the Bowery saloon. She holds the plot together and creates an icon rammed full of cheeky and sexually-intended banter, including the famous ‘Why don’t you come up sometime and see me?’. Lady Lou was Mae West’s launch into stardom, with West quickly becoming a entertainment star and sex symbol.
The plot is intricate for a film so short. Lou’s boss, Gus (Noah Beery), is secretly running a criminal enterprise, dealing in burglary, counterfeiting and even prostitution. This is where Cary Grant comes in. Playing the role of missionary Captain Cummings, Grant catches the eye of Lady Lou and uses this to his advantage to infiltrate the bar, as he is secretly a Federal agent after Gus. Grant doesn’t have too much to do. He is good but is clearly still very much in the learning curve and hasn’t mastered his onscreen presence. A short shot of entertainment that blends comedy, crime and drama to varying degrees of success. But it’s worth seeking out for Mae West’s outstanding performance and a young Cary Grant. Score: 59/100