1939 Lady of the Tropics

From the house of MGM comes 1939's Lady of the Tropics. Starring Hedy Lamarr in her first picture as a contract player, following her success in Algiers and co-starring Robert Taylor and Joseph Schildkraut.  Filmed on location in Cambodia, as well as the MGM lot, this film gave Hedy Lamarr the opportunity to spread her wings where she would go on to be a top player for the studio. The film is full of eye candy, from the sets decorated by MGM's leading decorator Edwin B. Willis and gowns by Adrian. 

Lamarr plays Manon, her beauty stemming from her Asian mother and French father. She is stuck in Saigon in more than one way. Manon is struggling with who she is, and feels moving to France is the answer. Problem is, she isn't allowed to leave Saigon due to her background and must rely on Pierre (Schildkraut), who's influence forces her to seem interested in his advances. 

Robert Taylor plays Bill, a man on the prowl and winds up catching a glimpse of Manon. After an awkward dance and a charming scene where Manon helps Bill shop, the desire to marry a woman of riches goes out the window. Bill and Manon marry, with Bill under the impression that his pals back in the states can pull some strings to get his new bride back home. Unfortunately, his friends think Bill is crazy for marrying a woman who is mixed race, and his attempts to leave Saigon are stalled. 

      

Manon encourages Bill to get a job, and while he is away Manon continues to pal around with Pierre in hopes of moving forward with papers so that she and Bill can go to America. Bill comes home to discover Manon had spent time with her old beau and when confronted, she lies. This leads to an epic fight where Bill eventually leaves Manon feeling guilty for lying to the man she loves. Figuring this feud is enough to end their marriage, she takes irreversible actions into her own hands that backfire when she learns Bill still wants her. 

Although this film wasn't a huge success, it did ignite Hedy's career for MGM. Robert Taylor's stardom was already high, and although he wasn't fond of the script, he took the role to help boost Lamarr, knowing she would be a star after the film premiered. Efforts made by Adrian are visually stunning, with gowns and hats adding beauty to the cinematography of George J. Fosley who later would go on to gain recognition (and several Oscar nominations) for films like Meet Me in St. Louis, and Million Dollar Mermaid. In her personal life, Hedy had already met composer George Atelier at a party, but their plan to invent a frequency hopping device to deter enemy torpedoes had yet to come into fruition.