Just before his wedding, the bridegroom hears a complex tale painting his lovely bride as devilish and unbalanced.
Lovely Nancy seems like the ideal bride to fiancé John Willis... until, just before the ceremony, he is approached by Harry Blair, who claims to be Nancy's ex-husband. The tale Blair unfolds, in a flashback within a flashback within a flashback, paints Nancy as a kleptomaniac, habitual liar--and perhaps worse. But is Blair telling the truth? And does fate have another surprise in store?—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Nancy Patton is about to marry wealthy young John Ewert Willis Jr. (Gene Raymond) when an agitated stranger, Dr. Harry Blair (Brian Aherne), introduces himself to Willis and explains he was once married to Nancy and wants to warn him against her. He relates that a young artist, Norman Clyde (Robert Mitchum), was in love with Nancy until a diamond bracelet was stolen at a party and Norman discovered it in Nancy's handbag. Her only explanation was that she wanted it, because when she was a child, Mrs. John Ewert Wills Sr. (Katherine Emery) falsely accused her of stealing a silver heart locket and gave her a guilt complex. Norman returned the bracelet and later committed suicide. Then, at another party, the host was mysteriously murdered and a famous gem, the Lombard diamond, disappeared. When suspected, Nancy protested her innocence, and a valet was executed for the murder. She also denied everything about her past to her then-husband Blair. He then relates further further that he and Nancy moved to London, where one night at a party a diamond necklace was "lost". Later, following a Nazi air raid which destroyed their apartment, he found the necklace and the long-missing Lombard diamond among the rubble. Confronted with the jewels, Nancy divorced Blair. Willis is flabbergasted at this history of his intended bride, and he has her confront Blair. Cool, collected, and poised, she denies everything. Baffled, Blair mumbles that he has been confined to an insane asylum at Nancy's instigation. Just before the wedding ceremony, Willis' mother gives Nancy a family heirloom to wear: the locket. A myriad of childhood memories stirs her, and she collapses. She is taken to a hospital, from which she will emerge purged of her gnawing compulsion.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
On his wedding day, just before he is to marry Nancy Patton, a woman he hasn't known for long, wealthy John Willis receives a visit from a man he doesn't know. The man is Nancy's ex-husband, psychiatrist Dr. Harry Blair, who had just found out about the wedding in the day's society column. Dr. Blair has come to provide a warning about Nancy, specifically her unsavory past, which includes lies and crimes, mostly of theft. However, murder also could be considered, as she let an innocent man go to the electric chair. Harry's story is only half his and Nancy's, the other half belongs to Nancy and her former fiancé, an artist named Norman Clyde. Norman, much like Harry is doing now, came to visit him, a stranger, to warn him about Nancy. Norman implied that Nancy was emotionally disturbed, probably from an incident from her working-class childhood of being gifted a locket, a treasure that was taken away from her and for which she was unjustly accused of stealing back. Much as he didn't believe Norman at the time and only understood Nancy's true nature when it was too late for him, Harry suspects that John will be the next "him" - both in not believing the stories, but in Nancy being able to sweet talk her way out of the stories as she has done time and time again if confronted--but hopes otherwise.—Huggo
The present day (1946)
Guests assemble for the wedding of John Willis (Gene Raymond) and Nancy Patton (Laraine Day). A stranger, Dr. Harry Blair (Brian Aherne), calls and confides to the bridegroom some information about his bride's past.
Flashback level 1. Harry's account opens
Harry, a psychiatrist, meets and marries Nancy in 1938. One day a stranger, Norman Clyde (Robert Mitchum), comes to his office and asks him to persuade Nancy to go to the District Attorney and give evidence to reprieve an innocent man due to be executed within 24 hours. He explains why.
Flashback level 2. Norman's account opens
Norman, an artist, first meets Nancy 3 years earlier. He wins an award partly through the influence of Nancy, who is secretary to Andrew Bonner (Ricardo Cortez), a patron of the arts. A romance starts between Norman and Nancy, until he finds in her handbag a bracelet which had been stolen from Bonner's house while they were guests there. He faces Nancy with her crime. She confesses, and tearfully confesses why she stole the bracelet.
Flashback level 3. Nancy's account
Ten year old Nancy (Sharyn Moffett) lives with her mother, Mrs Monks (Helene Thimig), who works as housekeeper to Mrs Willis (Katherine Emery). Nancy and Mrs Willis' daughter Karen (Gloria Donovan) are close friends, but Nancy is excluded from Karen's birthday party by social snobbery. In compensation Karen gives Nancy a locket which her mother has just given her. When she finds out, Mrs Willis takes it away from Nancy, whose mother seeks to comfort her by telling her that if she wants things badly enough, some day she will have them. The locket then goes missing. Mrs Willis assumes that Nancy has stolen it back, even when the locket is found entangled in the dress Karen had been wearing. Mrs Willis bullies Nancy into a confession that she stole the locket. Nancy is distressed, and knocks down a musical cigarette box, which starts to play Au Clair de la Lune.
Return to flashback level 2. Norman's account closes
Nancy concludes her story and tells Norman that she has never stolen anything in her life before. Norman applies some amateur psychology, tells her that she carries no blame for the locket incident, and accepts her assurance that she will never steal again. They become engaged. One evening during a party at the Bonners he goes upstairs, suspecting that Nancy might be up there with Bonner. He hears a shot, and sees Nancy leaving Bonner's bedroom, in which Bonner lies dead. Nancy says that Bonner was dead when she entered the room. She persuades Norman that it would be best for them both to tell the police that they were downstairs all evening. Norman agrees. A footman, Myron Dexter (David Thursby), goes on trial for Bonner's murder. Nancy knows that the prosecution's version of events is not true, as she did not see Dexter upstairs when he was alleged to be, but against Norman's wishes she refuses to testify to that effect. When the footman is convicted, Norman and Nancy part company.
Return to flashback level 1. Harry's account closes
Norman tells Harry in his office that Dexter's appeals have failed, and he is due to be executed the next day. Harry does not believe Norman's story, but invites Norman to call on him that evening and confront Nancy face to face. Harry goes home and tells Nancy what has transpired. She laughs it off, and says that Norman believed wrongly that she was having an affair with Bonner, and is now mad with jealousy. When Norman arrives she acts with innocent sympathy for his delusions. Harry believes her, and Norman leaves.
The following day Norman calls on Harry again at his office, and says that Dexter has been executed, but his conscience is clear, and it is now on Harry's conscience. Norman then leaps through the skyscraper window to his death.
Harry and Nancy travel to England. When the war starts they undertake medical work during the blitz. Nancy obtains an invitation for them to spend a weekend at a country home of Lord and Lady Wyndham (Henry Stephenson and Lilian Fontaine). As they are leaving they are informed that Lady Wyndham's diamond necklace cannot be found. Harry says nothing, but is torn by suspicion that it is hidden in Nancy's handbag. When they get home Nancy tips her handbag out to find the door keys. There is no necklace there. Harry is mortified, and confesses to Nancy that he had harboured suspicions of her. Nancy takes no offence, and acts with complete innocence.
That night their lodgings are bombed. Searching through the rubble Harry finds a box of jewellery, including the stolen necklace. He confronts Nancy with it, and she denies all knowledge. As he looks into her eyes, he realises that she is schizophrenic. The discovery unhinges him, and Nancy has him committed to a mental institution.
Return to the present day (1946)
Harry tells John that Nancy divorced him and assumed the name Patton. After five years he has now been released. He saw Nancy's photograph in a newspaper announcement of the wedding, and came immediately to apprise John of her past. John does not believe him, and sends for Nancy. She is not at all put out at the sight of Harry, and says that she once worked with him. She laughingly denies ever having married him. Harry makes no further attempt to convince John, but says "I remember what Clyde said of me, He's going to make all the mistakes I did." After Harry has left, Nancy tells John that he cracked up as a result of the war. As Nancy prepares to walk down the aisle we see her future mother-in-law for the first time. It is the same Mrs Willis that her mother used to work for. Mrs Willis fastens a locket around Nancy's neck, the very locket that was the subject of the childhood incident. Mrs Willis tells Nancy that it is a family heirloom, worn by generations of Willis brides. Karen would have had it, but she has since died. "I'm sure Karen would want you to have it," Mrs Willis says. Nancy accidentally knocks down the same musical cigarette box that she had those many years ago, and it begins to play Au Clair de la Lune. As she starts to walk slowly down the aisle, memories of her past acts begin to surface, and she becomes more and more distressed as realisation dawns of what she has done. She collapses, and is taken away in an ambulance, having regressed into childhood, perhaps never to recover.
