Kitty (1945 film) - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Kitty is a 1945 film, a costume drama set in London during the 1780s, directed by Mitchell Leisen, based on the novel of the same name by Rosamond Marshall (published in 1943), with a screenplay by Karl Tunberg. It stars Paulette Goddard, Ray Milland, Constance Collier, Patric Knowles, Reginald Owen, and Cecil Kellaway as the English painter Thomas Gainsborough. In a broad interpretation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion story line, the film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young guttersnipe, cockney girl.

Plot

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In 1783, Kitty (Goddard) is caught trying to pick the pocket of the painter Thomas Gainsborough (Kellaway). He offers to pay her more to sit for a portrait for him. There, she attracts the attention of Sir Hugh Marcy (Milland) and the Earl of Carstairs (Knowles). Sir Hugh, upon finding out her real social status, offers her a job as a scullery maid. Kitty learns that he is impoverished, having lost his post in the foreign office due to a scandal.

Gainsborough's portrait, The Anonymous Lady, creates a stir, as people try to guess who the subject is. The Duke of Malmunster buys both that painting and Gainsborough's The Blue Boy. When the duke asks Gainsborough who the model is, Sir Hugh claims she is his aunt's ward. The duke admits he may have been mistaken in having Sir Hugh dismissed from his position (in favor of the duke's nephew), and in exchange for an introduction to Kitty "Gordon", offers to reinstate him. Sir Hugh, who had planned to avenge his dismissal, changes his mind in favor of monetary gain.

He and his aunt, Lady Susan Dowitt, teach Kitty how to pose as a lady of fashion. What Sir Hugh does not count on is the attraction Kitty develops for him. When Hugh is sent to debtors' prison, Kitty charms the wealthy ironmonger Jonathan Selby into marrying her, using part of her dowry to free Hugh. Hugh is furious, but has to accept the situation.

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Hugh and Lady Susan soon spend the rest of the dowry and go back into debt. Kitty breaks into her husband's strongbox to get the pair out of debt, but Selby finds out and starts beating her. Seeing this, Kitty's loyal maid kills him, then commits suicide.

Kitty inherits a large fortune and wants to find happiness with Hugh, but he is determined to marry her off to the duke and reclaim his career. Kitty gives in. After the honeymoon, the duke lets it become known that Kitty is pregnant (though the father is actually Selby). After the birth of the boy, the future 10th duke, the old dissolute 9th duke dies, leaving Kitty extremely wealthy.

Kitty finally makes it clear to Hugh she married twice out of love for him. He, however, does not consider the relationship as anything other than business. The Earl of Carstairs, freshly returned from India, gets Kitty to agree to marry him. Hugh finally comes to his senses, but is unable to convince Kitty to break her engagement. Finally, he brings Old Meg to see her and Carstairs. Kitty tells Meg to tell all she knows about her old life, but Carstairs' love is unshaken. Defeated, Hugh genuinely congratulates Kitty and leaves. She realizes then that she will always love him and goes after him.

Cast

Paulette Goddard as Kitty. To acquire a Cockney accent, Goddard shared a room with the mother of actress Ida Lupino, who had quite a thick one for a time, and learned diction from Constance Collier. Upon seeing this film, the director Jean Renoir decided to cast Goddard in his film The Diary of a Chambermaid.

Ray Milland as Sir Hugh Marcy

Patric Knowles as Brett, Earl of Carstairs

Reginald Owen as Duke of Malmunster

Cecil Kellaway as Thomas Gainsborough

Constance Collier as Lady Susan Dowitt, Sir Hugh's aunt

Dennis Hoey as Jonathan Selby

Sara Allgood as Old Meg, the head of the thieving band to which Kitty belongs at the beginning

Eric Blore as Dobson, Sir Hugh's servant

Gordon Richards as Sir Joshua Reynolds

Michael Dyne as H. R. H. The Prince of Wales

Edgar Norton as Earl of Campton

Patricia Cameron as Elaine Carlisle

Percival Vivian as Dr. Holt

Mary Gordon as Nanny

Anita Sharp-Bolster as Mullens (credited as Anita Bolster)

Heather Wilde as Lil

Charles Coleman as Majordomo

Mae Clarke as Molly

Production

The film was nominated for one Oscar for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White (Hans Dreier, Walter H. Tyler, Sam Comer, Ray Moyer).

Director Leisen worked very hard with the set and costume designers to create a historically correct picture of 18th century England. The California portrait painter Theodore Lukits served as technical adviser for the film's artistic scenes and painted the portrait of Kitty that is seen in the film. Lukits knew Ray Milland because he had painted his wife's portrait in 1942.

Availability

As of early 2013, the film is not available on DVD and is rather hard to find on VHS, although on February 4, 2010, it was shown on Turner Classic Movies.

Radio adaptation

Kitty was presented on Hollywood Players on CBS November 5, 1946. The adaptation starred Paulette Goddard.

References

Kitty (1945 film) Wikipedia

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