Violet Barton, a femme-fatale goal-setter, fascinates men and readily returns their affection to obtain the wealth she desires, even to the point of bigamy. She has an affair with gambler Gregg Delaney but marries his best friend, Johnny Hale, when she discovers Hale is the richest man in Texas. This loses her the respect of her sister, Janet, who loves Hale, and Delaney, who loves Violet. Meanwhile, town sheriff Bill Howard is working hard to get Delaney to confess to a murder.
Acting
Vera Ralston commits to delicious villainy with ice queen precision.
Direction
Dwan's efficient 90-minute moral collapse—he made 400 films, he knows pacing.
Costume
Violet's wardrobe screams 'I came for your oil money'.
Director
Allan Dwan
Vera Ralston
Violet Barton
John Carroll
Gregg Delaney
Walter Brennan
Sheriff Bill Howard
Francis Lederer
Henry Vaan
William Ching
John Beauregard Hale
Maria Palmer
Janet Barton
Jane Darwell
Molly Hale
Roy Barcroft
Deputy Gerard
Paul Fix
Deputy Williams
Esther Dale
Aunt May
Edward Norris
Wilbur
Howland Chamberlain
The Casino Manager
Norman Budd
Carson - the Blackmailer
Nacho Galindo
Gringo
Jeff York
Canning
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Allan Dwan's 400th film—he started in 1911 and never stopped.
The 'amoral woman' marketing deliberately evoked 1930s pre-Code sensationalism, despite 1950 Production Code restrictions.
US
