A con artist falls for her mark in this 1927 gem where everyone's scamming everyone.
Nan Carey ( Betty Compson ), a shoplifter, is caught by the police but acquitted through the influence of Lazare ( Lucien Littlefield ), a crooked lawyer, who places her with a gang of crooks. Posing as the Brockton family, they move to a seaside home, where they plan to steal the jewel collection of the Palmers, their neighbours. Nan wins the confidence of the family by flirting with Tom ( Kenneth Harlan ), who becomes infatuated and wants to go away with her, but she refuses him. Tom is caught red-handed in the Brockton mansion attempting to steal their jewels while Nan is making a success of the Palmer robbery.
Acting
Betty Compson's expressive face does ALL the heavy lifting here.
Production
Seaside mansion location screams 'we spent the whole budget on this house.'
Director
Edward Laemmle
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Edward Laemmle was Carl Laemmle's nephew, so yes, this is pure Universal Studios nepotism cinema.
This pre-Code comedy lets a female criminal protagonist win—something the Hays Code would soon make nearly impossible.
US
