Dangerously Yours (1933)
At the lavish Long Island estate of the wealthy Mrs. Lathem, playboy Theodore Brill asks his friend Andrew Burke for the use of his yacht to entertain Claire Roberts, a charming young woman he's just started flirting with. Burke agrees—partly because he’s planning to steal Mrs. Lathem’s diamond necklace, but also because Claire has caught his own attention.
Burke “accidentally” wanders into Claire’s room under the pretense of looking for Brill’s and catches a glimpse of her in a state of undress. Claire, who’s been gathering intel on Burke through her maid Esther—who in turn is flirting with Burke’s roguish butler, Grove—is intrigued and tells Esther she hopes Burke’s misstep wasn’t entirely accidental.
During dinner that night, Burke and Claire engage in a charged but wordless flirtation. He invites her to join him for a sail the next day, but his growing affection is tested when a jealous acquaintance, Jo Horton, tells him about Claire’s past: after her banker father died by suicide and left her penniless, she entered into a transactional relationship with George Carr, a wealthy but uninspiring family friend.
Later that evening, Mrs. Lathem, now thoroughly drunk, is helped to bed, leaving her necklace unattended. Burke swipes it—but when he notices Claire watching him, he changes course and stashes it in the household safe.
The next evening, during a séance, the lights go out and Mrs. Lathem screams that her necklace is missing. Police and insurance investigators search the premises but find nothing, and guests are eventually allowed to retire.
Burke finds Claire packing. She reveals that she knows he took the necklace and claims she’s going back to Carr. In a desperate bid, Burke asks her to join him on a global getaway, funded by the robbery, and confesses his love. Claire suggests they go to New York instead. She retrieves the necklace from a hidden seam in Mrs. Lathem’s wrap and agrees to come along—only for Burke to overhear her on the phone with the police, arranging to meet them at Grand Central Station. Realizing she's an undercover insurance investigator, Burke abducts her and brings her aboard the yacht.
To prevent her escape, Burke chains her to the boat. When she later tries to signal a passing vessel, he kisses her to keep her quiet. In private, their emotions erupt—he confesses his love again, and though she responds passionately, she balks when he admits he still plans to steal Mrs. Lathem’s pearls. Claire accuses him of lacking principles, but Burke defends his thrill-seeking, anti-establishment lifestyle.
Claire eventually breaks free of the chain, escapes the yacht, and swims ashore. She reaches a police station, unsure whether to report the man she now loves. Despite her hesitation, the police arrest her as an accomplice, though Carr’s influence quickly secures her release. Burke, having followed her, listens outside the station door as she is questioned.
Another séance is held. This time, Claire is certain Burke is back to steal again. But when the lights go out, he quietly returns the necklace to Mrs. Lathem’s wrap instead. Even Grove, ever the cynical butler, offers no sarcastic remark—perhaps recognizing the power of love to redeem even a thief.
Vintage magazines
Photoplay , April 1933
Books with an entry on Dangerously Yours
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Aubrey Solomon The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935, A history and filmography Jefferson, N.C., 2011 |
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Larry Langman and Daniel Finn A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties Westport, Connecticut - London, 1995 |
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