THE DEVIL'S SLEEP (1949)

[drednm]

Bad but fascinating exploitation film about the dangers of prescription drugs, here being administered at and via a fake fat farm. One of the lowest-budget films you'll ever see, but for some reason it toplines Lita Grey (as Lita Gray Chaplin) in her early 40s as a crusading judge. Aside from Grey, the only other "celebrity" is a Mr. America named George Eiferman. Films manages to show any number of women in bras and quite a bit of near nudity at the fat farm and at a pool party.

Grey appeared in only 3 silent films (one as an extra), and a handful of talkies (mostly shorts or as herself), but apparently had a career in nightclubs. She planned to make a film with her 2 sons, but Chaplin had the project killed.

Not that Grey was a great talent or anything but did Chaplin have the power to keep her from a film career? Or did she have enough money to not care? Doesn't seem like her $600,00 settlement would have lasted 20 years. Club work seems like a career comedown for a woman who billed herself as a Chaplin for 20 years after her divorce. She supposedly retired from show biz in 1947 but kept popping up (as in this, her only talkie feature as an actress) here and there and on TV.

She wrote a few books but admitted they were exaggerated.....

[ColemanShedman]

600,000 dollars in 1927 would equal about 6.4 million in today's dollars. I think I could scrape by for 20 years on that.

[entredeuxguerres]

Wiki claims it was the largest settlement up to that time; probably untrue, but it was undeniably huge by contemporary standards, and must have made teen tart Lita a highly coveted prize.

[drednm]

Since she ended up doing a club act, I assume she burned through the 600K in a flash. Is there any film of her singing and/or dancing? Apparently born in Hollywood and possibly the first film "star" actually born in Hollywood.

[mickeyfender]

In the 1933 Vitaphone short Seasoned Greetings she sings three songs. I don't recall seeing her dance in it -- it's been a while since I've seen it -- but she definitely sings.

[Danny]

"The Devil's Sleep": SEX! PILLS! DEPRAVITY! INNOCENT YOUTH TRAPPED IN A HOPPED-UP HELL!

Not only do you get a "Mrs Chaplin" and "Mr America", but also look for "Mrs Lloyd". Now don't correct me if I'm wrong, but Mildred Davis--former wife of Harold Lloyd-- was also in the cast of this masterpiece in a degrading role as an avoirdupois subject of ridicule.

Also look for John Mitchum, brother of Robert Mitchum.

Quite a pedigree, don't you think.

Danny

[drednm]

There's a Mildred Davis who plays Tessie Tesse and she's actually pretty funny with her self-deprecating humor. Whether it's THE Mildred Davis, I can't tell. Mrs. Lloyd would have been 48-ish and Tessie looks younger than that to me. Wikipedia lists it as her, but IMDb does not. Any photos of Mildred Davis from the late 1940s?

Oddly, Timothy Farrell, who plays Umberto Scalli, plays the same character in 1951's Racket Girls, which also features Muriel Gardner again as Ruby (exercise teacher in The Devil's Sleep. Gardner had also appeared in the lost Words and Music (1929). The 2 films were probably shot back to back but one film didn't get released in 1951.

Most of the cast in The Devil's Sleep never appeared in another film or TV show, but I liked Laura Travers, who played Jerri Wilson. She reminded me a lot of Gloria Grahame.

Aside from Lita Grey, every other woman in the cast appears in a bathing suit, exercise get up, bra top, or was naked (that includes Mildred Davis and the old lady playing Goldberg). The woman getting into the steam cabinet clearly exposes her breasts. The shot of the judge's daughter falling out of her towel and into the pool sure looks naked (but she's moving fast).

[drednm]

Mildred Davis at the end of the line. Mrs. Lloyd?

[Rob]

Definitely not the same Mildred Davis.

Rob

[drednm]

I sure couldn't make it look like her......