Alice White & Myrna Loy in "The Naughty Flirt" (1930) - A Delightfully Mischievous Pre-Code Romance

Spoiled but spirited heiress Katherine Constance "Kay" Elliott (Alice White), the fun-loving daughter of prominent attorney John Raleigh Elliott (George Irving), lives a carefree life of parties, wagers, and practical jokes. After one particularly wild evening lands Kay and her friends in night court, family attorney Alan Joseph Ward (Paul Page) comes to her rescue at her father's request. Although Kay is deeply in love with Alan, he has grown tired of her reckless behavior and refuses to encourage her romantic advances, believing she must first learn responsibility. Hurt by his rejection, Kay angrily tells him to "go jump in the lake." Meanwhile, fortune-hunting siblings John Thomas "Jack" Gregory (Douglas Gilmore) and Linda Gregory (Myrna Loy), whose finances have been ruined by the stock market crash, see Kay's wealth as the perfect solution to their problems. Jack begins pursuing the wealthy heiress and quickly proposes marriage, while Linda quietly encourages the match in hopes of restoring their family's fortune. Alan intervenes before Kay can impulsively marry Jack, but his continued emotional distance leaves her confused about his true feelings. Determined to win Alan's affection, Kay devises a series of schemes to attract his attention, including luring him to what she falsely claims is her father's birthday celebration. The plan backfires, however, and Alan leaves even more convinced that she is hopelessly immature. Following another confrontation—including Alan's shocking decision to spank the headstrong heiress—Kay finally resolves to change. She accepts a secretarial position in her father's law office, determined to prove she can become the sensible, dependable woman Alan believes she can be. Although Alan initially criticizes her work and she quits in frustration, he gradually realizes that Kay's efforts to mature are genuine. Believing Alan will never return her feelings, Kay reluctantly agrees to marry Jack. As the wedding approaches, Alan finally recognizes that beneath Kay's mischievous exterior is the woman he truly loves. At the altar, Kay confesses that she cannot go through with the ceremony because her heart still belongs to Alan. Her declaration finally breaks through Alan's reserve, and he openly admits that he loves her as well. With Jack and Linda's fortune-hunting scheme defeated, Alan and Kay are joyfully reunited, bringing this lively Pre-Code romantic comedy to a happy conclusion. A 1931 American Black & white pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Edward Cline, screenplay by Richard Weil and Earl Baldwin, cinematography by Sidney Hickox, starring Alice White, Paul Page, Myrna Loy, Robert Agnew, Douglas Gilmore, George Irving, Sayre Dearing, Geraldine Dvorak, Thelma Hill, Lloyd Ingraham, Jane Keckley, Fred Kelsey, and Marian Marsh. Released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Based on Frederick A. Bowen's original story "Man Crazy". John Warburton appeared in the “Star Trek” episode “Balance of Terror” that introduced the Romulans. He played Centurion to Mark Lenard’s Romulan Commander. This film features one of Myrna Loy's early roles. Loy was 26 at the time and this was her last Warner Bros. film before moving on to Sam Goldwyn, then 20th Century Fox for a year, finally settling at MGM. Edward F. Cline (1891-1961), born Edward Francis Cline in Kenosha, Wisconsin, began directing comedy shorts for Mack Sennett in 1915, and was an American screenwriter, actor, writer and director. When Buster Keaton began making his own shorts, after having worked with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle for years, he hired Cline as his co-director—then when Keaton went on his own Cline directed a slew of Jackie Coogan and Alice Day movies. He directed nearly 60 Mack Sennett comedies between 1914 and 1933. Eventually he directed W.C. Fields in “The Bank Dick” (1940) and “Never Give a Sucker an Even Break" (1941). When Keaton went over to television in the 1950s, Cline joined him. Comic bandleader Spike Jones was famous for using wild visual gags in his band's performances, on his TV show. Jones found an ideal resource in Eddie Cline, whose knack for comedy (and long memory for old sight gags) made him a valuable resource. Cline remained in Jones's employ well into the 1950s. Cline married twice. His first wife was 18 when they got engaged in 1913, and had been engaged three times in three months. So, apparently Cline knew from naughty flirts. The third of three movies Cline directed with Alice White, but her last starring role. This is a fun and fascinating story, providing a glimpse into a delightful period that evokes the relatively care-free life many of the very rich maintained even in aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash. This lively romp is a classic case of opposites attract. Enjoyable frolics, follies, and light fun abound in this minor, but amusing, comedy. Recommended for fans of classic Pre-Code Hollywood cinema, zany romantic farces, mischievous heroines, and Myrna Loy completists.