The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)

Director:

Lowell Sherman

Writers:

Zoe Akins (play)
Sidney Howard (adaptation)

Release Date:

13 February 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

THE MEN THEY "TOOK" CALLED THEM..."Gold-Diggers! - "Loreleis!" - "Man-Hunters!" - Adventuresses!"

Plot:

Sophisticated comedy: a trio of money hungry women who all have sugar daddies who keep them in the lap of luxury...

Plot Keywords:

Gold Digger | Beautiful Woman | Based On Play

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Joan Blondell	...	Schatzi
Madge Evans	...	Polaire
Ina Claire	...	Jean Lawrence
David Manners	...	Dey Emery
Lowell Sherman	...	Boris Feldman
Phillips Smalley	...	Justin Emery
Sidney Bracey	...	The Waiter

Also Known As:

The Greeks Had a Word for It (USA) (working title)
Three Broadway Girls (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

Adapted from a Broadway play by Zoe Akins, "The Greeks Had a Word for It". Since it dealt with a group of modern-day courtesans, the title was on the Hays Office banned list. Therefore, the last word in the title was changed to "Them". The original Broadway production opened at the Sam H. Harris Theater on September 25, 1930 Theater and ran for 253 performances.

Quotes:

Jean Lawrence: A speakeasy that closes at two o'clock is practically a tea room!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007)

Hard-boiled Pre-Code Comedy

Very modern comedy about gold-digging dames. Polaire is the sensitive one, Schatzi the nice one, and Jean is a complete bitch who screws her friends and their sugardaddies at every turn. Lots of teasing shots of girls in their slips, including a strip-search. Cut-throat jazz age immorality, lots of fun.