Last of Mrs. Cheyney, The

Joan Crawford, William Powell and Robert Montgomery shine in this sparkling drawing room comedy, costarring Frank Morgan, Jessie Ralph and Nigel Bruce. When wealthy American widow Fay Cheyney (Crawford) sets up house in London, she quickly becomes the darkling of British society. But looks can be deceiving, as Fay and her butler, Charles (Powell), are really part of a gang planning to steal a duchess' pearls. So when a smitten Lord Arthur (Montgomery) catches Fay taking the jewels, she must find a way to keep him silent and get herself and the crooks off the hook. Based on the 1925 stage play by Frederick Lonsdale, the 1937 version of The Last of Mrs. Cheyney was the second of three screen adaptations by M-G-M. Originally filmed in 1929 with Norma Shearer, the studio's third version, The Law and the Lady (1951), would star Greer Garson as the glamorous thief.