This is a soaper supreme that has all the makings to be overwrought and overdone. But surprise! Bette Davis and Mary Astor yank the material to the A level, and their scenes together simply crackle with tension, and subtext. It's amazing how their presence (and creative input no doubt) take what could have been maudlin, and make it something You don't want to miss! And the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto throbbing in the background certainly doesn't hurt. Astor won a well deserved Oscar for her role and said Bette's input was a major reason why, having insisted the part be built up and polished. Just watched it again a few hours ago, and man, was it fun! Make sure you see it, and I'm not going to spoil it for you by giving away plot details!

When did Maryland look like Atlanta, GA with the vast array of weeping willows or was it magnolias and mint juleps... maybe the grits are believable but guess a moot point given the interesting proposition underlying the title. I could not believe the diet she had to go on with a doctor from Arizona, salsa pahleeze! I found the basic plot completely believable as almost the same situation occurred to a friend and risked breaking up her marriage. Thankfully all turned out well when she called her bluff. Given the time frame the plot made all the sense in the world except perhaps suddenly wanting to destroy a family for pure revenge. I loved the verbal as well physical sparring of the two women with the softer side of Davis. I did not find the piano playing convincing at all when the camera always showed the combo of her face with hands pretty much in shadow or conveniently cut off from view. I mean really, it was a few slow chords. If she was even fairly competent she could play that intro. They did overplay that song and found it annoying. And that George by gosh did he ever come alive and looked manly and confident, surprisingly refreshing! I found the script compelling and intriguing with many delightful twists. High recommend for yet another Davis squabble and Brent generating romance.

I liked this film right off. Very well done but at this time Bette Davis had so many dramas being released there are too many that are better...or stand out more...than this one.A fairly free-spirited guy who thinks he got married to a famous concert pianist has been told by his Lawyer that the marriage didn't take cause she wasn't fully divorced until the next week. He takes a few minutes and decides to go visit his on again-off again girlfriend to see what she thinks. She already knows he's married from the society papers but he doesn't tell her the marriage was null and void. He still loves his old girlfriend but decided he should tell the other girl to marry him again and tells her to meet him on a certain day. She can't cause she has a show to do but does have time to get married if she hurries but...she doesn't show up. He marries his old girlfriend instead.Soon after he gets involved in some flying and cartography and his plane crashes over the jungles of Brazil. His would have been wife tells his new wife she's pregnant by his baby. From this is where the real story starts. I would love to sit here and tell you more but it would really just be cheating. You have to see the story line itself to believe it. This is where 2 fantastic actresses make this thing really work.This is a really well done film. Well acted all the way through. I can see why Bette Davis' favorite actor to work with was George Brent cause they really have decent chemistry on screen. The real star in this to me is Mary Astor. She has a smallish role in this but very pivotal as the spoiled/bratty pianist who tries to control everything...and if not, hell hath no furry. She really lights up the screen with her nastiness in this. She's top notch.A film without a doubt worth a look but there are many others that work better from Ms. Davis during this time period...like Mr. Skeffington, Now Voyager or Old Maid. This film is no slouch but when you watch these others and compare, you'll see what I mean.

Who could believe a film where Bette Davis brings up the baby that her husband had with another woman? This is an absolutely ridiculous idea. Anyone knows that with a real Bette Davis film with this kind of subject matter, a killing would have taken place.Mary Astor's supporting Oscar was ridiculous here. The accolade should have gone hands down to Sara Allgood for her poignant, memorable portrayal of Mrs. Morgan in "How Green Was My Valley."What do we learn from this? Make sure your divorce decree is in. Don't drink for 3 days after your wedding. Control yourself, it's later than you think.After doing such a wonderful job in Bette's memorable "Dark Victory," George Brent is out of his league in this film.What woman would hand Bette Davis a baby at picture's end? There wasn't even a gun involved.