"Back Street" Opens Tomorrow At Grand

Fannie Hurst's most absorbing story comes to the screen tomorrow, when Universal's picturization of "Back Street" opens an engagement at the Grand Theatre, with Irene Dunne and John Boles in the leading roles.

 This powerful and fascinating love-drama follows the romance of a girl and a man, held together by a sincere love inspite of the fact that the man is a husband and father. For twenty years, the attachement endures, ever increasing in intensity, until a tragedy brings the most extraordinary affair of its kind ever picturized into sharp focus.

 Throughout her life, the woman has sacrificed everything else to the man she loved, while the man has maintained his position in the social world and remained a respected member of the community in which he lives.

 The supporting cast includes June Clyde, George Meeker, William Bakewell, Arietta Duncan, Doris Lloyd, Walter Catlett and other favorites. The picture was directed by John M. Stahl.

Irene Dunne wears 23 changes of costume in her latest screen play. No wonder. The picture covers a period of 30 years.

"Back Street," adapted by Universal from the widely read novel by Fannie Hurst, is the picture, and since the story begins in 1900, and progresses to the present day, Miss Dunne's gowns undergo a constant  change in style. Many of them, it is said are gorgeous creations of the dressmaker's art, and were designed for Miss Dunne by Lambert Williamy, famous Hollywood stylist. But how many of the stars of today would look well in the costumes of yesteryear. Irene Dunne does, and that's one reason she plays this exacting role.

 "Back Street" begins in the old Prohibition days of 1895 in Cincinnati. The costumes of that period are grotesque enough on women of today. Strangely enough, they don't look grotesque at all on Irene Dunne. Then the scene moves with kaleidiscopic rapidity to New York, and we see Miss Dunne in the costumes of 1898. There are also Paris creations of 1900 contrasted with the most up-to-date gowns of a woman of the world of 1930, when the big punch scene of the drama takes place. As a contrast men's clothes have changed very little.

(The Daily News, Huntington, PA, Tuesday, September 6., 1932)

I watched "Back Street" several times, but never had the idea to count Irene's changes of costume!

Irene herself called Ray Schmidt, her character in "Back Street", a "pathetic character" which describes that woman perfectly. Anyway, Irene's performance in "Back Street" has to offer a lot more than the ability to wear period costumes properly - here is my review of "Back Street"