Smart Woman (1931) Starring; Mary Astor, Robert Ames,
John Halliday, Edward Everett Horton, Noel Francis. Directed by Gregory
La Cava. Screenplay by Salisbury Field. Based on the play Nancy's Private
Affair by Myron C. Fagan (New York, 13 Jan 1930). Produced by William LeBaron.
Run time 68 minutes. USA Black and White. Pre-Code, Drama.
Mary Astor may be best known for her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) but before that film, and for many years after, she was a movie star with a career that dated back to silent films. Her first film role at the age of 14 in Sentimental Tommy (1921) may have ended up on the cutting room floor but that didn’t deter her. She would appear in other films before moving to Hollywood in 1923, with her parents, and signed with Paramount Pictures.
