Sylvia Scarlett (1935)

1930s

Nov 4

Katharine Hepburn finds herself in some queer situations while disguised as a young man in gay director George Cukor’s 1935 film SYLVIA SCARLETT.

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SYLVIA SCARLETT

1935. USA.

Director: George Cukor

Screenplay: Gladys Unger, John Collier & Mortimer Offner

Based on: “The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett” (1918) by Compton MacKenzie

Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Edmund Gwenn, Brian Aherne and Natalie Paley

In the film Sylvia Snow’s father is fleeing France and heading to London due to gambling debts and embezzlement. The two take on the new surname of Scarlett and Sylvia decides to disguise herself during travel as ‘Sylvester’ so they’re not as easy to track.

On their journey they are joined by a con man named Monkley (Cary Grant), with his help the newly formed trio decide to take up the art of conning together. First they attempt to swindle a maid and her mistress, but end up leaving empty handed and start a traveling dramatic act with the maid as the star.
Sylvia seems to be a magnet for queer situations. While in drag as Sylvester, her actress friend believes her to be a man and kisses her on the lips. Later, Monkley and another male acquaintance begin to have feelings for Sylvester before they know she’s female. Very surprising for a Hays Code-era Hollywood film, considering queer characters/situations were forbidden.

Once it is revealed she’s ‘Sylvia’ and not ‘Sylvester’ everything makes sense to the fellows pining after her…they couldn’t possibly have felt an attraction to a person of the same sex! She was a woman the whole time!

SYLVIA SCARLETT is now thought to have been ahead of its time (it was too queer for audiences of the 1930s) – When it was originally released the film was a box-office flop that nearly ruined Hepburn's career. The director, Cukor, was also soured from the experience working with the studio RKO and never made another film with them after this one.

Hepburn was labeled "box office poison" and had difficulty getting roles afterward. Her big comeback was in another picture with Cukor and Cary Grant, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (which, if you haven't seen it, is another MUST see).