Joan Crawford’s Controversial Film Letty Lynton Returns After 90 Years
After being legally sealed away since 1936 due to a plagiarism lawsuit, Joan Crawford’s 1932 MGM film Letty Lynton is finally available for public viewing. The drama, inspired by the real-life Madeleine Smith murder case, was a box office hit but faced intense scrutiny from censors for its risqué themes of sex, drugs, and poison. MGM originally attempted to adapt the play Dishonored Lady but was blocked by the Hays Office, leading them to purchase rights to Marie Belloc Lowndes’ novel instead. Despite these efforts, playwrights Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes sued MGM for plagiarism, forcing the studio to withdraw the film from circulation in 1937. Beyond its legal troubles, the film left a lasting impact on fashion, popularizing Adrian’s design of a white organdy dress with oversized sleeves. Now, ninety years later, Crawford’s grandson has facilitated the film's release, allowing modern audiences to witness the controversial performance that once baffled critics and defined an era of Hollywood glamour and scandal.
Wire timeline
Joan Crawford’s Controversial Film Letty Lynton Returns After 90 Years
After being legally sealed away since 1936 due to a plagiarism lawsuit, Joan Crawford’s 1932 MGM film Letty Lynton is finally available for public viewing. The drama, inspired by the real-life Madeleine Smith murder case, was a box office hit but faced intense scrutiny from censors for its risqué themes of sex, drugs, and poison. MGM originally attempted to adapt the play Dishonored Lady but was blocked by the Hays Office, leading them to purchase rights to Marie Belloc Lowndes’ novel instead. Despite these efforts, playwrights Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes sued MGM for plagiarism, forcing the studio to withdraw the film from circulation in 1937. Beyond its legal troubles, the film left a lasting impact on fashion, popularizing Adrian’s design of a white organdy dress with oversized sleeves. Now, ninety years later, Crawford’s grandson has facilitated the film's release, allowing modern audiences to witness the controversial performance that once baffled critics and defined an era of Hollywood glamour and scandal.
The Guardian