Blonde Venus
What could she do but flee from love? She loved two men at once!
1932 | 93m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Josef von Sternberg |
|---|---|
| Writer: | S.K. Lauren, Josef von Sternberg, Jules Furthman |
| Staring: |
| In an effort to be able to afford expensive treatment for her gravely ill American husband, a retired German entertainer returns to the cabaret as Blonde Venus and catches the eye of a wealthy politician. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 23, 1932 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Josef von Sternberg |
| Writer: | S.K. Lauren, Josef von Sternberg, Jules Furthman |
| Genres: | Drama |
| Keywords | germany, prostitute, nightclub, deceived husband, radium, romance, chemist, pre-code, nightclub singer, motherhood, nightclub entertainer, mother child separation, cabaret singer, kept woman, fallen woman, adulterous wife, wife leaves husband, sick husband |
| Production Companies | Paramount Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Marlene Dietrich | Helen Faraday, aka Helen Jones |
| Herbert Marshall | Edward 'Ned' Faraday |
| Cary Grant | Nick Townsend |
| Dickie Moore | Johnny Faraday |
| Gene Morgan | Ben Smith |
| Rita La Roy | 'Taxi Belle' Hooper |
| Robert Emmett O'Connor | Dan O'Connor |
| Sidney Toler | Detective Wilson |
| Morgan Wallace | Dr. Pierce |
| Al Bridge | Bouncer (uncredited) |
| Marcelle Corday | Helen's Maid in France (uncredited) |
| Cecil Cunningham | Cabaret Manager in Norfolk (uncredited) |
| Sterling Holloway | Joe, Hiker (uncredited) |
| Hattie McDaniel | Cora, Helen's Maid in New Orleans (uncredited) |
| Dennis O'Keefe | (uncredited) |
| Dewey Robinson | Restaurant Owner (uncredited) |
| Bess Flowers | (uncredited) |
| Francis Sayles | Charlie Blaine (uncredited) |
| Glen Cavender | Ship's Officer (uncredited) |
| Émile Chautard | Chautard, Cabaret Manager in France (uncredited) |
| Clifford Dempsey | Judge in New Orleans (uncredited) |
| Charles Gemora | Helen Faraday in Gorilla Suit (uncredited) |
| Robert Graves | (uncredited) |
| Elsa Janssen | Gossiping Tenant (uncredited) |
| Bessie Lyle | Viola, Hotel Maid in Norfolk (uncredited) |
| Charles Morton | Bob, Hiker (uncredited) |
| Evelyn Preer | (uncredited) |
| Gertrude Short | Sally, Receptionist at Talent Agency (uncredited) |
| Pat Somerset | Henry Johnson (uncredited) |
| Larry Steers | Hotel Manager in Baltimore (uncredited) |
| Kent Taylor | Hiker (uncredited) |
| Jerry Tucker | (uncredited) |
| Lloyd Whitlock | (uncredited) |
| James Kilgannon | Landlord (uncredited) |
| Mary Gordon | Landlady (uncredited) |
| Harold Berquist | Angry Man in Nightclub (uncredited) |
| Mildred Washington | Dancer (uncredited) |
| Oscar Smith | Charlie, the Bartender (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| S.K. Lauren | Writer |
| Paul Marquardt | Original Music Composer |
| Oscar Potoker | Original Music Composer |
| Mel Ballerino | Casting |
| Fred A. Datig | Casting |
| Wiard B. Ihnen | Art Direction |
| Harry D. English | Sound Designer |
| Paul Ivano | Camera Operator |
| Joe Egli | Casting Assistant |
| William Rand | Camera Operator |
| Benny Mayer | Camera Operator |
| Neal Beckner | Assistant Camera |
| W. Franke Harling | Original Music Composer |
| Bert Glennon | Director of Photography |
| Josef von Sternberg | Writer, Director, Editor |
| Jules Furthman | Writer |
| John Leipold | Original Music Composer |
| Travis Banton | Costume Design |
| Lucien Ballard | Assistant Camera |
| Charles Gemora | Costume Design |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Josef von Sternberg | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 14 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 15 | 25 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 | 15 | 42 | 6 |
| 2024 | 7 | 13 | 32 | 7 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11 | 21 | 6 |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 5 |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 5 |
| 2024 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 4 |
| 2024 | 12 | 9 | 22 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 4 |
| 2025 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Trending Position
It's mesmerizing to watch von Sternberg and Dietrich at work in this melodrama, and fun to watch both her and Cary Grant in early roles before they became household names and cinematic legends. One can't help but sense the parallel between this story (Helen giving up her family to be a star) and her ... real life, as von Sternberg told her to give up her family and life in Germany as he would take her to America and make her a star.
Definitely one of Marlene Dietrich's more sensitive and powerful - though not sentimental - performances as a wife and mother whose husband (Herbert Marshall) becomes ill with Radium poisoning. Faced with mounting bills for his expensive treatment in Germany, she returns to her previous work as a ca ... baret singer and is soon involved with millionaire "Nick Townsend" (Cary Grant). Marshall is heartbroken to discover her infidelity and there ensues a sort of cat-and-mouse game as she and her son flee and try to stay one step ahead of her chasing husband and authorities. The three principals deliver strong performances and who will ever forget "Hot Voodoo" performed in the gorilla costume? The son (Dickie Moore) is quite cute and albeit briefly, contributes to the tensions later in the film quite convincingly. Allegedly, the censors had a field day with this but what is left still flows well under Von Sternberg's able, if not exactly flamboyant, direction.