Very Naughty Myrna

Again, we revisit Ms. Myrna Loy in one of her early, supporting role.  The Naughty Flirt (1931) stars Alice White as, well, a flirt. She's Kay Elliott, a wealthy, irresponsible, flirtatious all-around brat.  She is being pursued by Jack Gregory (Douglas Gilmore) because he and his sister Linda (Myrna) have lost all their money in the stock market crash, and Kay's millions appear quite appealing.  Enter young businessman Alan Ward (Paul Page). He works for Kay's father, but finds Kay to be a major pain in his backside.  She, however, is fascinated by him, and proceeds to pursue HIM. Here is the the opening scene, in which her naughtiness is revealed (it's not all that bad). Plus, you get a glimpse of Ms. Loy :


The naughty flirt of the title is, of course, Kay, but Linda is surely the most naughty.  She prods her brother constantly to be more aggressive in his courtship of Kay.  He is unimpressed.  Myrna is just lovely and sinister as Linda.  She is smart, sexy and assertive.  She's also a decidedly NOT nice person.  Kay, on the other hand, appears on the surface to be a tad naive.  She isn't, of course, but Alice White (who is very good at pursing her lips into a little circle, as though she is about to kiss.  Her silent film experience is evident here.  She uses her eyes and mouth a lot. Her speech still is more cutsey than one would expect.  Loy, on the other hand, is sophisticated and comfortable with the sound camera. It is as though she was born to it.

More Myrna next week. Please join us then.