FALSE PRETENSES (1935) Irene Ware, Sidney Blackmer & Betty Compson | Comedy, Romance | B&W

False Pretenses is a 1935 American romantic comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Irene Ware.

SYNOPSIS
Problems develop when a girl borrows money from a friend so that she can impress a wealthy man who wants to marry her.

When Mary Beekman (Irene Ware) loses her waitress job after a fight with her loutish boyfriend, trucker Mike O’Reilly (Edward Gargan), she stands at a bridge on a windy night, loses her pay check to the wind and leans over the guardrail to catch it, but socialite Kenneth Alden (Sidney Blackmer) catches her. He’s lost everything that is not already mortgaged. Both down on their luck, they assume that the other is there to jump off the bridge.

Instead, Mary has an idea. If Ken sells shares to a syndicate of his wealthy friends, in a phoney beauty product, they’ll have enough money for some clothes to pass Mary off in society long enough to meet and marry a wealthy bachelor. Then, they can pay everyone back with interest. The con might work, except that Ken has too much integrity to marry Clarissa Stanhope (Betty Compson) for money, and Mary is beginning to see his point when she falls for Pat (Russell Hopton), who has secrets of his own.

The plot boils over when Mike shows up to blow the lid off. Pat's valet is a thief, who promised not to act foolishly, but escapes with a stolen tiara. Meanwhile, Mary plans to leave, so she shares a taxi to the station with Pat's valet. After a police chase, Mary is hauled off to the police station.

CAST & CREW
Irene Ware as Mary Beekman
Sidney Blackmer as Kenneth Alden (as Sydney Blackmer)
Betty Compson as Clarissa Stanhope
Russell Hopton as Pat Brennan
Edward Gargan as Mike O'Reilly
Ernest Wood as Tiffany Cortland
Lucy Beaumont as Miss Milgrim
Marshall Ruth as Gardner
Dot Farley as Mrs. Smythe

Directed by Charles Lamont
Written by Ewart Adamson, Betty Burbridge
Produced by George R. Batcheller
Cinematography M. A. Anderson
Edited by Roland D. Reed
Production company Chesterfield Pictures
Distributed by Chesterfield Pictures
Release date October 22, 1935
Running time 68 minutes
Country United States
LanguageEnglish